The state minister for environment, climate change and energy, Fatimath Shamnaz Ali, has been arrested in the capital city of Male, for allegedly trying “black magic” on Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

Fathimath Shamnaz Ali Saleem was taken into custody on Sunday, along with two others, according to a police report released on Thursday, according to India Today.

She has been remanded for a week, pending further investigation. However, the authorities have remained tight-lipped about the details surrounding her arrest and the allegations against her, declining to either confirm or deny them.

The Maldives, a Muslim-majority country at the forefront of the climate crisis, is grappling with the existential threat of rising sea levels, which UN environment experts warn could render the nation uninhabitable by the end of the century.

Meanwhile, the country’s legal framework presents a fascinating paradox: while sorcery is not punishable under the national penal code, it can still lead to a six-month prison sentence under Islamic law, which coexists with the secular legal system.

Throughout the archipelago, traditional ceremonies are commonplace, with many believing they can sway fortunes or exact revenge.

In a disturbing incident, a 62-year-old woman was brutally murdered in April 2023 by three neighbours on Manadhoo, who alleged she practised black magic.

However, a thorough police investigation failed to uncover any evidence substantiating the claims of sorcery against the victim, highlighting the dangers of unfounded accusations and superstition.

The Maldives has a storied past of alleged black magic incidents, including a notable event in 2012 where police intervened in an opposition political rally, claiming that organisers hurled a ‘cursed rooster’ at officers during the raid.

This peculiar incident highlights the country’s complex history of superstition and politics.