Maldives: Is the atoll-state emerging as a new terror-hub?

According to recent intelligence reports, Maldives has emerged as a potential new base for Lashkar-e-Toiba to launch terror attacks in India. The atoll-state is considered ideal by the jihadists for more than one reason. Maldives is a 100 per cent Sunni state with a population of about 380,000. It is made up of 1192 small islands (grouped into 26 natural atolls), most of them uninhabited, spread across over 860 kilometres in a north-south axis. Anonymity, therefore, is not an issue. The island-state is also not too far from India’s southern coast making it an ideal launch pad for attacks through sea. Pakistan-based terror groups know well that launching the next attack on India from Pakistan would be difficult due to tightened security at the Indo-Pak land and maritime boundaries. The Lashkar has plans to use deserted Maldivian islands as a storehouse of weapons and explosives and move them to India when required. These islands are also ideal for instituting training facilities especially on maritime aspects. Local Maldivians’ superior knowledge of the sea is a major asset to any terror group that wishes to employ maritime terrorism.

While all the above social and geographical factors existed for long, what is new is the trend of radicalisation in Maldivian society. Former President Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the island for long, made use of Islam to arrest his dwindling popularity and sideline his political opponents. Islam was given high priority in the Constitution itself. Undue patronage paved way to the rise of Islamic groups like Jamiyyathul Salaf that has been deeply involved in spreading Salafi Islam. In due course, symptoms of Islamic radicalism like enforcement of radical Islam cultural rules such as the burqa (veil) for women and mandatory beards for men, refusal to allow girls to attend schools and force them to marry immediately after puberty, resistance to vaccinations to children, increase in the number of religious sermons by certain imported preachers and religious scholars, emergence of independent prayer groups and mosques have became conspicuous.

In recent years, Maldivians in increasing numbers have been drawn towards Pakistan-based madrasas. Jihadist groups such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba, through its charitable front organisation, Idara Khidmat-e-Khalq, has established a foothold especially in the southern parts of Maldives in the garb of relief operations after the 2004 tsunami. Events in the Middle-East, Afghanistan and Pakistan have also influenced Maldivians towards radicalisation. Lack of adequate educational and employment opportunities have also pushed Maldivian youth towards jihadist groups. Presently, the unemployment rate in the atoll-state is over 14 per cent. At any point in time, about 50 Maldivian nationals are studying in Pakistani madrasas controlled by various jihadist groups. Many are also enrolled in Saudi Arabian madrasas. On their return, they come back not only with radical ideas, but also maintain and spread jihadi networks. These madrasa-educated are influenced to fight in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and Chechnya. They also help in the direct recruitment of Maldivians for jihad.

What came as a shock to generally peace-loving Maldivians is the violent manifestation of radicalisation in the form of first-ever terror attack in September 2007 at Sultan Park in capital Malé in which 12 were injured. Investigations pointed fingers at the Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen, a new Maldives-based terror group, which had links with the LeT. The masterminds are reported to have fled to Pakistan. The incident alarmed the government. Given the fact that Maldives’ economy is heavily depended on tourism, any such attacks would turn away tourists, majority of them from Western countries, and cripple the economy. The new government under President Mohammed Nasheed is also mindful of long-term social consequences of such radicalisation in terms of upsetting country’s cohesion and harmony. All these reasons have forced the government to take stern counter-measures.

Internally, the government has introduced measures to regulate local madrasas and seminaries. All mosques in the atoll have been required to register with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and those unregistered have been declared “Illegal” and dismantled. A raid on the Himandhoo island mosque was a case in point. The government has also tightened granting of visas so as to prevent foreign Islamic clerics from teaching in the local madrasas.

At the same time, Maldives has been pushing for a greater international co-operation, especially with its neighbours, on counter-terrorism. India and Maldives are set to sign a bilateral agreement on counter-terrorism in April 2009 to formalise information sharing on anti-piracy and marine counter-terrorism. Already, the two countries are holding joint counter-terrorism exercises on regular basis. This apart, Maldives has appealed India to throw open its educational institutions for Maldivian students with liberal offering of scholarships. India can do much more on this, apart from investing in Maldives. New Delhi can also encourage its businessmen and industry to set up joint ventures in the islands and thus increase employment opportunities for the island’s youth.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views either of the Editorial Committee or the Centre for Land Warfare Studies).