AFWIS Joins Operation World in Prayer for the Republic of Maldives - Asia

Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)

Home > Aug 23: Maldives

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Aug 23: Maldives

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Maldives

Republic of Maldives

Asia

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 298 sq km
1,200 coral islands in 20 administrative groups, 600 km southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Only 202 islands are inhabited. These have an average size of less than 1 sq km. Average elevation is one metre.
Population: 313,920    Annual Growth: 1.43%
Capital: Malé
Urbanites: 40.5%
HDI Rank: 95 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 10 (50% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Dhivehi of Sanskrit origin    Languages: 2 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Muslim

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	534	0.17	4.0
Evangelicals	235	0.1	4.3
Muslim	310,906	99.04

Challenges for Prayer

The desire to honour human rights and increase freedoms has been expressed by the current government, but freedom of religion is highly unpopular and violent opposition to it has been promised. Grassroots religion has shifted in a decidedly Islamist and Arabized direction, losing its indigenous Maldivian roots. Pray for the future of the people of the Maldives, torn between oppressive religion and empty freedoms.
The Maldivians are still among the least evangelized on earth. Neither mission work nor Christian literature has ever been allowed. Paradoxically, the government denies the existence of Christianity among Maldivians while arresting those who do believe. The perception of Christianity is so bad (largely due to Western media and tourist immorality) that political opponents use the term “Christian” to slander one another. Pray for the true name and nature of Jesus to be made known in this nation. Pray that the state’s contradictions and heavy-handedness toward Christianity would generate great curiosity.
     For an additional 5 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Maldives.