Dream - Maldives Police arrested Minister of Environment and Climate, Fathimath Shamnaz Ali Saleem, for allegedly attempting to harm President Mohamed Muizzu. As reported by SCMP, Shamnaz was arrested on Sunday, June 23, 2024, local time. She was arrested along with two other individuals whose identities were not disclosed, in the capital city of Male.

"Shamnaz was detained for a week while waiting for the investigation to take place. However, the police did not further explain the reason for her arrest. 'There are reports that Shamnaz was arrested for practicing black magic against President Dr Mohamed Muizzu,' said a local media report, quoted on Monday, July 1, 2024."

Shamnaz is a minister with an important position in a country that is currently facing a crazy climate crisis. United Nations environmental experts have warned that the Maldives is at risk of experiencing rising sea levels, and if it happens, the island nation will almost be uninhabitable by the end of this century.

"While the practice of sorcery or black magic is not a criminal offense under the legal system in Maldives, where the majority of the population is Muslim, the practice of sorcery can be punishable by six months in prison under the Islamic Sharia law that is applied in the country."

The society in various regions of Maldives is known to perform traditional ceremonies, believing that such rituals can benefit themselves and curse their enemies. In a case in April 2023, a 62-year-old woman was stabbed to death by three neighbors in the Manadhoo area after being accused of practicing black magic ceremonies.