In his message to the nation on the occasion of the Maldives’ conversion to Islam, President Abdullah Yameen has warned Maldivian citizens about foreign influences working to weaken the nation’s Islamic faith.
“We should also be very vigilant of foreign influences attempting to weaken our religious faith. And I call on the beloved citizens of the Maldives be very aware of attempts by various parties to disrupt the religious unity among the people of Maldives, and never give any opportunity for such activity,” Yameen said in his statement.
The president said that the unity and brotherhood among Maldivian people is the result of building the ‘Dhivehi Ummah’ upon the stable foundations of Islam.
Yameen also requested parents and teachers to sustain a religious spirit in the hearts of children and to discipline them within the Islamic limits in order to build a well-disciplined generation.
The ‘Maldives conversion to Islam day’ marked on the first of Rabi’al Akhir every Hijri year is a public holiday. Marking the day on the date began in the year 2000 under Yameen’s bother President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s rule. Maldives converted to Islam following the monarch’s conversion in approximately 1153 AD.