Maldives Ratifies New Constitution; Some Concerns Over Religious Freedom Remain

Over a month after it was passed by the Constitutional Assembly, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ratified the country's new constitution on Thursday. The new constitution which brings in democratic reforms and the country's first bill of rights and freedoms, was four years in the making. (Minivan News). The new document, however, has raised some concerns among human rights groups. Article 9, Section D of the constitution provides that "a non-Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives." The Maldives is 100% Muslim, but the previous Constitution only reserved the right to vote, not citizenship, to Muslims. Minivan News reported yesterday that the U.S. based Institute on Religion and Public Policy says that this provision violated international human rights norms. In its statement, the IRRP also criticized other aspects of the new Constitution, saying that it "favors Sunni Islam over other forms of Islam, establishes certain aspects of Sharia law in the Maldives and limits the freedom of expression and thought to 'manners' which are 'not contrary to a tenet of Islam'." (See prior related posting.)