RELIGION

Maldives is a Muslim country. All the locals are Sunni Muslims. There are mosques in all the islands. There are separate mosques for men and women. They are not allowed to pray together. People wash their feet before entering the mosque. There are no places of worship for other faiths. Some old buildings resembling Hindu temples can be found in dilapidated condition on some islands. Expatriates are not allowed to bring religious articles of other faiths into the country. They are not allowed to talk about their religion or criticize Islam.

Quran class is conducted at the mosque and by some private tutors.  Children go for these classes. People are not religious fanatics but they do take their religion seriously. Conversion from Islam to another religion is not allowed. Some locals have told me that there are a few Maldivians who have become Christians but since it is illegal they keep it a secret and do not inform anybody.

A shop in Baa Eydhafushi unknowingly imported small statues of the Christian faith. They were from Thailand. It was surprising that the articles could pass through customs. They were planning to sell them but someone explained to them that these were articles of a different faith and it would be illegal to do so. They then decided to throw the statues into the sea. The expatriates, who came to know about it, approached them for it and got them for free.

During December there are no Christmas trees, Christmas cards or decorations available at the shops. When Pope John Paul II died in 2005, there was no mention of it in the local news. We saw it on BBC news. Pork and liquor are not available on islands inhabited by locals. Sometimes liquor is smuggled in from tourist resorts by those employed there. They are sold at exorbitant rates to expatriates. 

One night, while I was sitting near the beach in Raa Meedhoo, I heard drum beats. I asked a local about it. He told me that there is a function in a house and that in English you call it ‘circumstance.’ I understood he meant circumcision. It is a big event with music and party. There was a person in Raa Meedhoo who circumcised young boys who attained the required age. He was a professional who had his own speed boat to take him to other islands when required. It was rumored that he circumcised President Gayoom’s children. I was once invited to a party by a local in Baa Eydhafushi. After the party, I asked him what he was celebrating. He told me his son was circumcised.

The day Maldives accepted Islam is considered as an important day and it is marked on the academic calendar as ‘Maldives embracement to Islam.’ One year, while I was going through the academic calendar I noticed the entry as ‘Maldives embarrassment to Islam.’ Either it was a typing mistake or someone had done it on purpose. Some Muslims from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka do not consider Maldivian Muslims as good Muslims. It is mainly due to their western lifestyle. They cannot understand why Maldivian teenagers are allowed to go on dates and marry as they like.

Once I was talking to a few local ladies at Baa Eydhafushi. They were talking about a local man who had two wives. They said he was not a good man since he was spending most of his time with the second wife and neglecting the first wife. An Indian colleague, who was with me, suggested that the first wife take a second husband. He said that if a man can have more than one wife then a woman should be able to have more than one husband. One of the local ladies said ‘Islam will not allow it.’

There was a Sri Lankan Muslim in Baa Eydhafushi who would invite for dinner any Muslim expatriate who arrived as a new recruit on the island. If any expatriate Muslim resigned or was transferred, he would again invite them for dinner and give them a send off. I could not understand why the invitation was only for Muslims.

The holy month of Ramadan starts and ends with the sighting of the moon. It is the month of fasting. Fasting begins at sunrise and ends at sunset each day for a month. During the fasting period, locals do not eat or even drink water. Sick adults and very young children are exempted from fasting. Non Muslim expatriates are not required to fast but we do not eat or even drink water in the presence of the locals during the fasting period. It is illegal for a local to eat or drink during the fasting time. They can be arrested. Some locals say fasting is difficult but some others claim it is easy.

During this month the shops are full of different kinds of meat, vegetables and fruits that are not usually sold. Dates from the Middle East are available in all the shops. At sunset, they break the fast when they hear the call from the mosque. They usually have some fruit juice first before having a meal. After midnight they have a second meal. Early morning before sunrise they have the third meal. So they do have three meals everyday but it is at night.

At the end of Ramadan there is the Eid – ul – Fitr celebration. Muslims are not permitted to fast on that day. They have a good meal. People wish each other Eid Mubarak which means Blessed Feast. Celebrations usually go on for a few days. There are stage shows with people dancing to bollywood film music. Maldivians like Hindi movies with their simple stories. They like the songs and dances too.

Each island has different traditions. In Raa Meedhoo people dress in different costumes and move around in a procession in the afternoon. It is like the carnival in Brazil. They may have been influenced by the Portuguese. At night boys covered in paper cuttings move around in a group making noise and trying to frighten people. On one day boys throw water at girls. The next day girls throw water at boys. In Baa Eydhafushi there were only the stage shows.

Some of the locals do not like the USA, though most of them do not seem to show any hatred. They were offended by US actions during the Gulf war. A computer desk top in Raa Meedhoo had a picture of the World Trade Centre on fire. A few locals distributed sweets to celebrate 9 / 11. When the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated killing seven astronauts, some locals were happy. Yet they accepted relief supplies from the west after the tsunami.

When an English Teacher gave an essay topic ‘My favorite Country ‘, almost all the students chose Saudi Arabia as their favorite country. Every family has someone who has gone to Saudi Arabia on Haj Pilgrimage.

The locals are peaceful and so violence is rare. They are honest. There is very little corruption. The surroundings are kept clean. People maintain personal cleanliness and are usually dressed well. These may be due to religious influence.

Both Raa Meedhoo and Baa Eydhafushi had a cemetery near the centre of the island. All the tombs look alike. There is no difference between rich and poor. One night after attending a party at my friends place in Raa Meedhoo, I was walking home alone at around midnight. Along the way, I had to pass the cemetery. There was a road adjacent to the wall of the cemetery. I took this road because it was a short cut. It was dark since there were no street lights here but I could see some lights on the other streets far away. Some people say they have seen ghosts in this area.

Suddenly, through the corner of my eye I saw something moving on the wall. I didn’t have it in me to stop and turn around and look at it. I just kept walking. It was moving on the wall along with me. I felt it was tracking me and waiting for an opportune moment to strike. I walked faster. It moved faster. It was scary, but soon I realized it was my shadow which was moving on the wall.