The new government of the Maldives has declared February 26 will be the date of the public holiday celebrating the nation’s conversion to Islam.
February 24 is traditionally an annual holiday across the Maldives, marking the day the Maldives embraced Islam. The government said that the reason to mark the date of the Maldives’ conversion to Islam on a later date than the official date is because February 24 falls on a Friday this year, which is during the weekend.
A statement on the website of the President’s Office stated: “The decision was made because the anniversary of the Day the Maldives embraced Islam falls on a weekend.”