Maldives’ Minister of State for Climate Change, Environment and Energy, Fatimah Shamnaz Ali Saleem, has been detained and suspended from his duties on suspicion of practicing “witchcraft” against President Mohamed Muizz, Maldivian media reported on Thursday.
Maldives Newspapers Edition report National police confirmed on Friday that Shamnaz and Minister in the President’s Office Adam Ramez had been suspended from their government posts pending an ongoing investigation but did not disclose the nature of the investigation. Accusations of “black magic” can carry serious legal consequences in the Maldives, a majority Sunni Muslim country that is avowedly Islamist.
Some indigenous witchcraft practices are legal with a license, and witchcraft is not specifically illegal, ShariaMuslim leaders in the island nation have tried for years to strengthen laws against witchcraft, with little success.
The witchcraft scandal, which has rocked the highest levels of Muizz’s government, follows a difficult period in the Maldives’ international relations, including high-profile feuds with Israel and its closest neighbor, India. Muizz’s government recently banned Israeli passport holders from entering the country in protest of Israel’s self-defense operations against the jihadist terrorist organization Hamas, a move that officials later acknowledged could have a negative impact on “millions” of Arab Israelis who hold Israeli passports.
The Maldives also dramatically escalated what was initially a friendly tourism rivalry with India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested Indians vacation on its beaches instead of in the Maldives. Several Maldivian government ministers responded with personal insults, including calling Modi an “Israeli puppet.”
India’s climate change minister was suspended on Friday, according to multiple reports. The minister wields outsized power in the island nation, which has made the climate crisis a national policy priority. Hindustan Times report On Friday, it was announced that Shamnaz and Ramez were two of four people arrested on suspicion of “black magic” – specifically, “they were accused of using witchcraft to get close to Muizz.”
“The incident came to light on June 23 after which the four suspects were detained for seven days. On Wednesday, Shamnaz was suspended from his position as environment minister, local media outlet The Sun reported. Hindustan Times Ramez, who was known to have been close to Muizz, reportedly disappeared from public view nearly six months ago.
of Edition Muizz’s office confirmed on Friday that both officials had been suspended as a result of unspecified “investigations.”
“However, Maldives police said on Wednesday that two others, apart from Shamnaz and Rameez, have been arrested on charges of witchcraft,” it added. “It is not yet clear whether Rameez is an accomplice.”
The Maldives has a variety of traditional magical practices that remain popular despite the widespread presence of Islam in the country. Because these practices coexist, imams and other Islamic leaders have long called for stricter laws against witchcraft, but Maldivian authorities have largely avoided outright banning these practices. The occult includes: Practicelike Fanditaor witchcraft, is legal, but practitioners must get government permission to participate. Shihror communion with the devil, is not illegal but is widely condemned. ShariaEven if it’s not a formal legal code.
The Maldives Independent reported in 2017 that police “historically Shihr There are no laws that directly mention magic, and it is prohibited as a crime of “disobedience to orders” under Article 88 of the former Penal Code.
In recent years, authorities have become more proactive in taking legal action against suspected politically-related witchcraft. For example, in one high-profile case in 2013, police arrested The coconuts found near the polling station were suspected of being used in a witchcraft ritual to sabotage the election results. Although the coconuts were found not guilty in this case, they are not the first of many similar cases to have occurred. after that It occurred domestically.
There is no indication that the government minister’s suspension will affect Maldives’ foreign policy beyond negotiations with left-leaning countries on the “climate crisis.” But President Muizz has pursued an aggressive foreign policy that threatens the country’s international influence, particularly with his staunch pro-Hamas stance following Hamas’ brutal siege of Israel on October 7.
In early June, Muizz’s government announced a ban on entry for anyone holding an Israeli passport, a move that would require significant changes to several Maldivian laws.
“Cabinet decisions include amending necessary laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the Maldives and establishing a Cabinet subcommittee to oversee these efforts,” the President’s Office said at the time.
The Maldives used to be Banned People who left Israel between the 1990s and 2010.
In response to the ban, the Israeli embassy in India advised Israelis to take their tourist money with them to India.
“As the Maldives is no longer welcoming to Israelis, we present to you some of the beautiful and wonderful Indian beaches where Israeli tourists will be warmly welcomed and treated with utmost hospitality,” the embassy said. was suggested.
But shortly after the announcement, Maldives Attorney General Ahmed Usham publicly acknowledged that banning Israeli passports could hurt fellow Muslims.
“The biggest concern is that there are millions of Palestinians who hold Israeli passports,” Usham said. “What would happen if there was a total ban? This is an issue that needs to be carefully considered.”
