The Maldives today celebrated the day it embraced Islam, a nation-wide celebration and public holiday.
President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed this morning inaugurated the first Islamic Bank in the Maldives in celebration of the day, the first such Shariah-compliant institution in the Maldives.
The main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has announced that it will host a special ceremony tonight at Dharubaaruge in celebration of the day, in an SMS message circulated by dismissed former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer.
The Maldives will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day with a special event at the Artificial Beach in Male’ this evening, from 9-11pm.
The event is being organised by UNFPA in collaboration with Thirees Nuvaeh, an NGO focused on promoting traditional Maldivian culture.
The legend of how the Maldives embraced Islam is taught to children studying in Maldivian schools.
It is said that long ago, an evil demon named ‘Rannamaari’ appeared from the sea on the first of every month, and the only way it would leave the islanders alone was through the sacrifice of a virgin girl.
Every month the islanders selected a girl to be sacrificed for the demon, only to discover her body on the beach the following morning.
This continued until one day a Muslim traveler named Abul Barakathul Yousuful Baru Bary arrived in Male’ and coincidentally stayed in the house of the next virgin girl selected.
As he saw the whole family weeping in sorrow he asked what was going on, and learnt about the incident.
He then decided to disguise himself as the virgin girl and go to the temple instead. The following morning, the islanders found him alive and reciting the verses of the Quran.
The King and his people were impressed that the demon never appeared after that incident, and decided to embrace Islam from that day onwards.
However, this story is dismissed by the young generation today as a myth. Many today believe that it was the King himself pretending to be the sea demon, allegedly raping and murdering the virgin girl every month and leaving her bod yon the beach.
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