President says Maldives must reflect on gaps despite 900 years of Islam

President Mohamed Muizzu has said that while the Maldives’ history reflects the benefits brought by Islam, the country must also acknowledge present shortcomings and work towards further reform.

In a message issued to mark 900 years since the Maldives embraced Islam, the President reflected on the country’s conversion to Islam and the changes he said it brought to the lives of Maldivians.

He said Islam transformed the personal, social and political life of Maldivians and brought greater security, hope and social cohesion.

However, the President said the country must also examine areas where progress remains incomplete.

“When we look towards the horizon of the future, we see the objectives that we still need to achieve — the objectives of Islamic Sharia,” he said. “We also see the struggles we must undertake within ourselves to achieve them.”

Muizzu said the anniversary should be an opportunity to assess the country’s current position and identify reforms that remain necessary.

He said that if Islam was implemented in accordance with the five principal objectives of Islamic Sharia, Maldivians would treat one another with compassion and live with a stronger sense of collective responsibility.

He said society should function as one community, with people sharing in each other’s difficulties and remaining alert to threats to the country’s religious, political and sovereign interests.

“The result would be a country that is difficult to destabilise and difficult to weaken,” he said.

The President also spoke about life in the Maldives before Islam, saying Maldivians had worshipped idols carved from coral and that social inequality had been widespread.

He said the arrival of Islam changed religious practice and social values and brought greater protection for human life.

According to Muizzu, Maldivian historical records show that people had previously been sacrificed in the name of religion.

He said Islam established the protection of life regardless of a person’s wealth, gender, appearance or social status.

“Through Islam, Maldivians learned the value of every human life and recognised the sanctity of blood,” he said.

The President said accounts by travellers and historians describing Maldivians as kind, loyal and compassionate reflected the social changes brought by Islam.

He also called for younger generations to be taught about the changes and development that followed the Maldives’ conversion to Islam.