Maldives Minister Fathimath Shamnaz Ali Saleem has been suspended after being arrested along with her two siblings on charges of performing “black magic” on President Mohamed Muizzu, according to local media reports.
Saleem, the state minister for Environment, Climate Change, and Energy in the Maldives, was arrested on June 23 along with two other suspects and remanded in custody for seven days.
According to the Maldives-based Sun, Shamnaz, who was once listed as a political appointee on the Environment Ministry’s website, has now been moved to the list of former political appointees.
“Police were investigating a case involving Shamnaz and two other individuals,” Chief Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner of Police Ahmed Shifan told Sun.
The Maldives government has yet to make an official statement on the matter. Shamnaz previously served as a member of the Male City Council alongside President Muizzu when he was the city’s mayor.
After Muizzu’s election to the presidency last year, Shamnaz resigned from the council, was appointed state minister at Muliaage, and was later transferred to the Environment Ministry. Her role is crucial in a nation grappling with the severe impacts of the climate crisis, with UN environmental experts warning that rising sea levels could make the Maldives nearly uninhabitable by the end of the century.
In a related incident in April 2023, a 62-year-old woman on Manadhoo was fatally stabbed by three neighbors who accused her of practicing black magic, as reported by the Mihaaru news website. An extensive investigation found no evidence to support the claim that the victim was involved in sorcery.
In another incident in 2012, during a crackdown on an opposition political rally, police claimed the organizers threw a “cursed rooster” at officers raiding their offices.
While sorcery is not a criminal offense under the penal code in the Muslim-majority Maldives, it carries a six-month jail sentence under Islamic law. Traditional ceremonies aimed at winning favors and cursing opponents are widely practiced across the archipelago.
