Thursday, October 16, 2008

The not so sunny side of life for Christians in the Maldives

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/the.not.so.sunny.side.of.life.for.christians.in.the.maldives/21669.htm

[Christianity Today UK] 16 Oct 2008--The Maldives government claims to tourists that the Indian Ocean archipelago represents "the sunny of side of life", yet it severely represses freedom of thought, conscience and belief. The Maldives is one of the few countries - such as Saudi Arabia - that legally allow only one faith to be practised publicly. However, the Maldivian authorities go much further even than that, insisting on homogeneity in religion and that all citizens must be Muslims. Islam itself can only be practised in thegovernment version of Sunni Islam. The public practice of any other faith -including other varieties of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity -is banned.

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