Defense Minister Adam Shareef Umar has warned that anti-religious sentiment usually spread near every presidential election.

Speaking at Thursday night’s ceremony on the anniversary of the day Maldives embraced Islam, the Defense Minister said people should be aware of outside forces working to spread other faiths close to the election.

Minister Shareef said Maldives will not accept democratic values that contradict Islamic doctrine, and called on the citizens to conduct a ‘jihad’ against those who spread faiths other than Islam in the country.

He also described social media as the worst threat to maintaining the faith in Maldives, and called on parents and teachers to prevent children and the youth from being misled by anti-religious posts online.

He added that the Yameen administration has taken action to promote the Islamic faith, such as approving relevant laws and policies, as well as establishing a fatwa council and making Islam and Quran mandatory subjects in schools.