Speaking at the function to mark the anniversary of the country’s adherence to Islam, Dr Waheed said that the Maldivian people should “give thanks and praise to the Almighty Allah for blessing the country with the eternal light of Islam.”

According to a statement on the President’s Office website, President Waheed noted the great contributions Islam has made to scientific and technological advancement.

Maldivian people are “peace loving, steadfast in their Islamic faith and of good moral conduct,” he said.

The recent change of government, which former President Mohamed Nasheed contends was a police and opposition-led coup d’état, “was not pre-planned by anyone”, the statement read.

It was, Dr Waheed said in the statement, “the religious and national duty of all citizens to strive to protect the peace and security of the country as well as work for the future.”