The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has decided to broadcast Friday's sermon live with English subtitles.
The ministry opted for live broadcasting of the Friday sermon with English subtitles instead of choosing to recite the sermon in the English language at least in one mosque every Friday.
Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed sought public opinion on the matter, considering the substantial expatriate Muslim community residing in the Maldives. Following public feedback, the minister discussed the issue with his senior management on Sunday, December 3.
During the meeting, the ministry's senior management and the minister had decided to continue with the current practice of reciting the sermon in Dhivehi language in all the mosques. However, in addition to this, it was decided to make the translation of each week's sermon available online and broadcast the sermon live with English subtitles.
The minister further highlighted that the government would initiate collaborative efforts with foreign institutions to execute awareness camps on social discipline focused towards expatriates.
While the ministry has confirmed its decision to release translations of the Friday sermon, it has not specified the languages in which the translations will be made available. Currently, the expatriate workforce in the Maldives consists mostly of Indian and Bangladeshi nationals.
The 2022 census data revealed a population of 97,164 expatriates residing in the Maldives, with 32,470 of them living in the Malé region.
Sign In