The Appropriation of Islam in the Maldives
The Appropriation of Islam in the Maldives
- Boris WilleBoris WilleMartin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg - Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology
Summary
The Maldives is one of four Muslim majority countries in South Asia. The contemporary Islamic Republic of the Maldives frames itself as a “100 percent Muslim nation.” The state religion is Islam, all 380,000 citizens are Muslims by law, and the practice of other religions is prohibited. Ever since the first Muslim exposure, probably in the 10th century, Islam has gradually evolved into a sociocultural configuration that affects most domains of archipelagic society and culture. It shapes foreign relations, informs legislation, and influences arts and architecture, as well as language and scripture. Scholarship of Islam and Islamization in the Maldives acknowledges the historical trajectories of the appropriation of Islam as well as its contemporary relevance in Maldivian identity and state politics.
Subjects
- Archaeology
- Ethnohistory
- Indian Ocean Studies
- Political
- Religion
- South Asia
