Maldives
 Maldives |
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| Location of the Maldives
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| National Assembly | India | |
| Statistics: | ||
| Total Population | ||
| - | UN 2021[1] | 521,457 |
| Bahá'í pop. | ||
| - | Bahá'í source | |
| - | Non-Bahá'í source | 188 |
 Related media
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| Categories: Maldives • People | ||
The Republic of Maldives is a country in the Indian Ocean consisting of a number of islands. The official languages of the country are Dhivehi and English and Sunni Islam is the state religion.
The Maldives have been inhabited since the ancient era and came to be ruled by several kingdoms. As of the 12th century Buddhism was the main religion in the region however Islam was introduced late in the century and became dominant. In the 19th century the British Empire made the Maldives a British Protectorate and remained under British rule until becoming independent in 1965. The country became a republic, abolishing its monarchy, in 1968.
There has been a small Bahá’í presence in the country from at least the 1980s with the community being under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of India.[2]
History[edit]
In 1966 the Universal House of Justice announced that Bahá’ís had been able to pioneer to the Maldives during the year.[3]
In 1971 Martharoot Tebyani, a Persian Bahá’í youth who had pioneered to Ceylon where she was studying at university, was able to visit the Maldives where she proclaimed the Faith in Male.[4] The National Spiritual Assembly of Sri Lanka began coordinating travel teaching teams to the Maldives in the early 1970's,[5] and two couples pioneered to the Maldives between 1973 and 1976.[6]
As of 1984 there were some Bahá’ís in the Maldives and delegates of the Maldives community attended a two-day Bahá’í Temple Conference held in New Delhi, India, in October that year.[7] On February 20, 1986, the Promise of World Peace message by the Universal House of Justice was delivered to the representative of the Maldives at the United Nations.[8]
In 1993 the Universal House of Justice listed the Maldives as a community which would benefit from pioneers but noted that entry into the country would be difficult due to local circumstances.[2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 30 June 1993 message from the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies
- ↑ 1966 Ridvan message of the Universal House of Justice
- ↑ Baha'i News (1971). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 480, Pg(s) 18. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 250. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 248. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 650, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1988). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 683, Pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
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