Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has said each drop of blood from a martyr’s body is a seed that grew and rebuilt nationalism in the Maldives. He made the remarks while speaking at the ceremony held in Thulhaadhoo, Baa Atoll, to mark the Martyrs' Day.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Shahid said that martyrs have helped to revive nationalism in the country and lessons should be learned from such historical incidents. He said Maldivians should learn to remember and be proud of the heroes who are martyred in such unfortunate incidents.
Furthermore, Minister Shahid expressed nationalism of the Maldivian people is built upon the sacrifice of the martyrs. He recalled the martyrdom of the heroes who were martyred in the defense of the independence of the country.
Martyrs' Day celebrates the death of Sultan Ali VI who fought the Portuguese colonisers and died on the battlefield in 1558. He is considered a national hero and a martyr. The Maldives began celebrating Martyrs' Day on the first day of the month of Shaʻban in the year 1400 in the Islamic calendar, which was June 14, 1980.