Before discussing the country’s relationship with nationalism, let’s discuss some context. The Republic of the Maldives got its full independence from England on March 29, 1974 when the last of the British troops left the country. Now, the country’s national religion is Sunni Islam and the country has a strong relationship with its religious traditions.
For starters, the definition of nationalism is the support and affiliation with one’s own nation to the point where it becomes detrimental or antagonistic to other nations. The country is by all means patriotic, and the people there fully celebrate their independence from the other state’s that had colonized them in the past, especially in regards to their independence from England.
As with most countries, the Republic of the Maldives has had their fair share of experiences with extremist nationalist groups in their country. In the early 2010’s, there was a terrorist attack inspired by the global jihad movement. At the time, the country was experiencing surges in the countries political conversations that were more aligned with extremist groups.
That being said, the country embraces modernity while staying focused on its the importance of Islam in its culture and its society. And within the country, the culture and people are more homogenous than not. There are few political rifts, in any, between the different islands. It is a very much united state that would not experience the same effects of nationalism as, let’s say, an empire would.
If the Maldives were greater in area and had more distinct cultures and peoples throughout the different territories, then specific types of nationality might threaten the collectivity of the country. However, the atolls do not have to worry about that sort of threat on their country’s republic.
The greatest worry that the Maldives would have to consider regarding nationalism could manifest into the form of religious extremism. But the Republic of the Maldives has no current signs of their patriotism taking such a turn. As of right now, the country embraces its religious traditions while still maintaining a non-combative relationship with other countries.
