Religion
Originally the Maldivians were Buddhists who converted to Sunni Islam in the mid-12th century. Sunni Islam is now the only accepted religion, though there are small numbers of others, particularly Buddhist workers from Sri Lanka and Hindus from India. There are also 300 Christians.
Read more about this topic: Demographics Of The Maldives
Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“Where beauty is worshipped for beauty’s sake as a goddess, independent of and superior to morality and philosophy, the most horrible putrefaction is apt to set in. The lives of the aesthetes are the far from edifying commentary on the religion of beauty.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“I never saw, heard, nor read, that the clergy were beloved in any nation where Christianity was the religion of the country. Nothing can render them popular, but some degree of persecution.”
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)
“Every religion is good that teaches man to be good; and I know of none that instructs him to be bad.”
—Thomas Paine (1737–1809)