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Public worship by adherents of religions other than Islam is forbidden. [17] On the inhabited islands, the mosque forms the central place where Islam is practiced. [2] Because Friday is the most important day for Muslims to attend the mosque, shops and offices in towns and villages close around 11 a.m., and the sermon begins by 12:35 p.m. [2]
Islam is the state religion of the Maldives. [2] The 2008 Constitution or "Fehi Qānoon" declares the significance of Islamic law in the country. The constitution requires that citizenship status be based on adherence to the state religion, which legally makes the country's citizens hundred percent Muslim. [3]
Sunni Islam is the state religion. Historically, the Maldives were converted to Islam from Buddhism in the 12th century. Under the 2008 constitution Islam is the official religion of the entire population, as adherence to it is required for citizenship.
The country has an area of 1,300 square kilometres (500 sq mi) distributed across 1,200 coral atolls and islands, with a population of around 450,000. The population is a distinct ethnic group with historical roots in South Indian, Sinhalese, and Arab communities [citation needed]. The vast majority of the Muslim population practices Sunni Islam.
The Constitution of the Maldives designates Islam as the official state religion, [1] [2] and the government and many citizens at all levels interpret this provision to impose a requirement that all citizens must be Muslims. The Constitution states the president must be a Sunni Muslim. There is no freedom of religion or belief. [3]
The culture of the Maldives is derived from a number of sources, the most important of which is its proximity to the shores of Sri Lanka and South India. The population is mainly Indo-Aryan from the anthropological point of view. Islam is considered the religion of the country and only Muslims can become legal citizens.
Instead of a complex caste system, there was merely a distinction between noble (bēfulhu) and common people in the Maldives. Members of the social elite are concentrated in Malé. Life expectancy in the Maldives. The population doubled by 1978, and the population growth rate peaked at 3.4% in 1985.
The 2008 Constitution of the Maldives also requires the following for a president: be a Maldivian citizen born to parents who are Maldivian citizens, and who is not also a citizen of a foreign country; be a Muslim and a follower of a Sunni school of Islam. To be a member of the People's Majlis it requires the following: a citizen of the ...