An increase in extremist rhetoric in the Maldives may affect the country’s international image and the ability of its citizens to freely travel abroad, Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem warned on Thursday.
The Maldives had “a lot to lose” should such intolerance continue, Naseem said: “A large number of Maldivians travel outside the country and such rhetoric will have implications for the average Maldivian travelling abroad, and on those Maldivians already living abroad.”
The Maldives was a liberal democracy “with a Constitution based upon respect for the human rights of all,” Naseem claimed.
“As a democratic nation, each of us should be willing to listen to the views of others. It is our collective responsibility to promote equality and tolerance and to strengthen our democracy. A reversal of our democratic values could alienate the Maldives and tarnish its world renowned reputation for hospitality,” he said.
Islam was a religion of “dignity, peace and tolerance,” Naseem added. “Anyone who tries to use religion to incite hatred or violence is acting contrary to our national values and our Constitution.
“I call on all Maldivians to choose the path of peace and reconciliation, and to stay to the path of the traditional moderate Islam that has earned Maldives its place as a model Islamic country among the international community,” he said.
Asked about the ongoing detention of controversial blogger Ismail ‘Khilath’ Rasheed, who was today declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International after his participation in a ‘silent protest’ calling for religious freedom, Naseem acknowledged that the matter “was of concern to the international community.”
“We must protect our Constitution, but whatever needs to be investigated can surely be investigated without arresting anybody,” he said.
Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh was meanwhile today reported in newspaper Haveeru as expressing concern that the Maldives was heading towards becoming “Afghanistan” – except that unlike Afghanistan, it was not able to produce its own food.
Organisers of both the ‘Defend Islam’ and ‘Moderate Islam’ protests assured parliament’s national security committee that there would be no violence tomorrow. However Faseeh expressed concern over police intelligence suggesting the involvement of gangs.
“They are very versatile and we advise everyone to refrain from encouraging them. Even if they’re used for a good cause, it just encourages them,” Haveeru reported Faseeh as saying.
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Hurt? You think they are worried about that? You honestly think they can fathom the implications?
I am shocked you actually thought that is even remotely possible!
I don't think Yaameen deserves any protection. We should give him to the sharks. All these religious and mafia in the country is bankrolled by this guy. We should take this cartoon from the picture once for all.
There were 10 new articles related to this story in haveeru, i knew minivan would publish this. I just want to say to any foreigner who is monitoring this that mr. Naseem is one of the most corrupt people in this country. And many people believe in this country believe that he amongst others in this government has sold our assets and our sovereignity to benefit their own pockets. It was the silent independent who voted mohamed nasheed in for a change. And this government let us down big time, your spinning will not change the fact that health care and education has worsened, the economic crisis and uncertainty of our future, and the escalation of street vilolence and corruption. It will not be the foreigners who will be voting in 2013
Minivan is the platform of choice for poison rhetoric but its not from the religious conservatives, rather from the opposite side! I am not saying minivan shall close shop and say mum to anything that happens in maldives. but the facts remain facts. The facts are that Maldives is still a beatuful peaceful country which does not have a lot of religious extremistst. but what maldives has is a vocal athiest and agnostic group who are making all the noise. One prime example is Hillath who has only today been erroneously been designated as a prisoner of conscience by amnesty. The fact is that Hillath is an extremist gay rights campaigner despised by 99% of the population. Even the president will have headaches today reading about this in the news.
As long as the foreigners can be kept in the dark, then its fine. No?
There should be only one image -- be it international or be it local. So far the government is keeping things hidden away from its international friends. That's why they are so worried that the international image may be hurt.
to John P. Murugesh
Sorry, but you are not speaking the truth. Maldives is a beautiful country but getting uglier and uglier by the day. 25 years ago divers would see sharks in every dive. Today if they see one per week they are lucky. We see lots of plastic. We also see lots of women in black and celebrations dances cut because mullahs say it is haraam. A few years ago there was not so much black cloth. Racism is rife and slavery is the second industry of the country. You seem to have a problem with gays, why? are you scare of them? Many times some people attack before being attacked, is it your case? What has Hillath's sexuality to do with anybody by himself? You sound very extrimist to me and prepared to deny irrefutable evidence. I call this bigotry.
It's time to blow the whistle on the religious bigotry, sectarian attitudes and behaviour that tarnish your Nation
After the intervention of UN soldiers to restore peace if ever the worst happens, you can expect major changes here:new religions,alcohol,pornography...Is this what Maldivians want?
I hope the authorities would take appropriate steps to make this the last such event in the country. In this technological age every poster and every sound bite will go viral in few days. Democracy yes, but religious extremism NO.
Mr. Naseem, i do not support your hedonistic lifestyle and attempts to promote pubs and religous monuments in public spaces and your efforts towards the economic enslavement of maldivians. If i stand against you, and your corruption, and efforts to wipe out our way of life, and our independence, i am standing standing for my rights, i am not an extremist. So just piss off. You are an old man, u Cannot take your millions with you to your grave.
What does this old man who is corrupt and pub loving thinks?? Naseem you are one who has high reputation for the love for wines and corruption in FISB in trade ministry!! Get a life man!! Even now you cannot build a life with the ill gotten money!! You are the real extremist!! Mariya and Rekko is the real extremist!!!
I don't think the average Maldivians are fools. We know what Naseem is worried about. It must be dejavu for him...him bringing mercinaries to topple the government...now he is threatened and we know he is scared.
ah, very good mr. minister. As if Maldivians do not know this man. Our friends from International community! Meet the top diplomat of the country. There is a good chnace that you would have met this man in a not so pleasant way when he was askin for petty gifts from would be forein investors when he was in charge of the foreign investment services. This man was also the man who sold our first vote agaisnt president nasir's instrucitons at UN. This is also the man who was convicted of being a terrorist hiring Irish merceneries to bring a coup. Would you like to know more?
It's going to hurt Maldivians too...
Maldivians get an honest person to lead your country.
Remember now Sri Lankan civil war is over and now fair share of the tourist is flocking back to once trouble island.As long as Maldivian leaders and its people realise the challenge they may have to face in the future economically its doomed.
Peace pay dividends
@asif
Srilankans are humans. They know and feel that there are others in this world, who also have a right to live.
Unlike what we see here in Maldives and Saudi. The unbelievers and bangaalhees are worth less than dogs.
if we are going down. the wahhabis are going down too. the whole lot of em. and atheists who cant tolerate other religions.
Was it not Mr Naseem who spoke for the flogging of woman. The one who dared not stand for debating flogging and agreeing upon other ways other than flogging women.
Naseem lacks integrity, conviction and any clout in Maldives. He is known by all to be corrupt and a coward. He was jailed for planning to overthrow the govt, was treated very badly by Maumoon A Gayoom's regime and yet, yet he joined the same government after being released. A man with no principles or values.
Yes, it is true that we, Maldivian will hurt with extremists actions and rhetoric, but that is not just done by the opposition parties. President Nasheed started it with promoting the idea of Maldivians in pakistan training camps, being a part of the bombing in India (even before India had finished it's reports).
Sounds to me like the govt wants the international community to take action int he name of growing extremism or some shit like that. And the opposition, mainly the work of the former president Maumoon's influence would do anything to disrupt the peace and create divisions. That is how he knows how to do things. And meanwhile ordinary people will lose.
Lets stop saying srilankans, bangladeshi, maldivian and indian or european and american. This is the age of internet, worldwide web has connected us all. So extrimists, opportunists, sexist, humanrights activists, even modernists anywhere in the world can play their games. As long as we tolerate and be moderate and live a peacefull life, there is progress... Worlds borders no longer confines people.. People will unite
Hey, dont twist everything here.. its not only those who u cal extremists.. its 127 NGOs + opposition parties.. u call all of them extremists?
like I said before.
History has proven time and time again that religion only divides people.
Unless and until mankind evolves beyond the debate of who’s religion and god is the right one, we will never ever have complete peace on this earth.
Sad, but that’s the fact of the matter.
Naseem is 100% correct.
Why hasnt Minivan News reported on the high numbers that are out on the street against the Government and in support of Islam which you guys call extremism.. and MDP only had a small tiny minority compared to the mass protesting all over the country.
Are you scared to admit that Islam will not be challenged by the Government or you. If you go the way you are going now, after this government is replaced, Mininvan News might be shut down soon after that. 😉
Anni needs to look at the difference in numbers from the pictures taken. If he still thinks that MDPs few hundred anti-Islam protestors was the bigger of the two.. than he needs to go back to kindergarten and learn how to count.
I couldnt believe he still had the nerve to try and use fear and call the protestors extremists, etc. People should take him to court for these false accusations which insulted majority of the Maldivian families in the country.
"Merry Christmas and a Happy New"
Baa je veri Isaa ge faanu ge ufan dhuvahakah thi ya huri haa dhivehin nah edhemeve. specially to billy goats.
Wonder away from Quran and this would be the result.
Believe me people there is not one single genuine Prophet Mohamed's Hadhees or Sunna.
Best of you are who interpret Qur'an correctly.
I think the extremist protest failed because they went on talking about Addu Monuments, Pille etc etc without answering the most serious question. What do they want? Do they want Islamee Sharia on the Penal Code. Not one Mullah or the sacred Thasmeen, Yaamin and Gasim addressed it.
I went there seriously thinking this rally is about defending Islam. When I saw Yaamin, Thasmeen and Gasim speaking I turned back and came home. I realised that it was a campaign rally to elect an opposition candidate. Now Hassan Saeedh is speaking. He is the one who advised Maumoon on how to handle Islamic extremism. If you think we are fools, think harder.
everyone appears to be looking at the number of people gathered from both sides, to see which side has more support. Muaz you are utterly mistaken. this is the entire opposition who came out in thier full force. where are the mdp supporters? they choose to stay home because to them their is no purpose in showing thier polical power when the issure here is religious. mdp has not lost a bit of support. in fact, it has gained more support including people who remained neutral so far.
look at that gorilla!!! the only difference he has from an animal is his clothes. his apperance and thinking are exactly the same as a gorilla. both lust for sex and power....
All the Politicians, Some Journalists, and Extremists in any religion, are what we call " Ibulees". who ruins everything. All the peaceful life we had in Maldives is ruined because of them A--holes...thank God, i don't live there, these days....
Naseem was the one who made the blunder to place those monuments in public, whether intentional to provoke a response from the oppposition, or a blatant disregard for public sentiments, i dont know. But the fact of the matter remains, that it is offensive to the majority of people and hence an " ogatheri saukaaru" should not have done that. Regarding ms pillai, i believe the government made her say all this again to provoke the opposition, so the government can portray itself as the only voice of reason in a where the only alternative is fundamentalism. Ms pillai's comments were highly controversial and condescending and offensive to a majority of maldivians. While flogging is an issue, maldivians do not prectice the harsher forms of shariah, and her comments that she doesnt believe maldives has a constitution upset me very much, she owes this country an apology. While i welcome her comments on the issue of flogging, she also made statements to the effect that mulsim wome should be allowed to marry non muslims, totally inappropriate and beyond her scope. She should have been more professional than that
Naseems rhetoric hurts Maldives image locally and internationally more than any thing else..
minivan and the people in the ruling party who belive there are extremism in maldives, they all ahve agreed that they dont no what they beleve, yeasterday at artioficial the president has agreed that he doese not know the religion of islam...thats an only a big truth he has told in public.actually they thinks that people who prays 5 times ,with the presense of sunnah are extreame.or if people takes action from quran as it said thats an extream...EG:if some one bustered by using alchahole he has to be sentainced as quran said,,but if it is too srtriked they will ask from a religionist that is there any other way that makes it little easier...see how they do this.......what i am saying is that anni and his relatives as with his friends and people around him have to study what islam is and maybe they know but they dont want to be extreame as they says.....
Naseem is absolutely right....soon instead of picking random people from Pakistani and Afghanistani origins in airports, it will be Maldivians.
Naseem is giving a very grave warning that Maldivians can be subject to racial profiling and their freedom of movement outside the country coudl be halted by neighbouring and other countries. Maldivians will only realise the consequences of their actions when it happens to themselves.
We dont live in a bubble anymore...its the technological and interconnect world...we are not alone in the world.
wake up Maldivians!
There is no way any laws or regulations will change the fact that religion is a PERSONAL matter of each and every individual. What is your honest argument to force Islam for the whole nation? Will it stop people using their own mind? As much as everyone has a right to be a good muslim, christian, hindu etc. doesn't everyone also has the right to be an atheist? I believe that in the core of all the religions is being a better person to the others and the world around you. Then why all the hatred in this matter. Why can't every individual enjoy their religion instead of trying to control others freedom.. be what you are and dont give a s&*t about others !!
According to islamic rules we should fight against Imraan & Shaheem, both of them were selling islamic words for political purpose.
Mi gaumuga bayaku noolhe pakistan vaakah ves, India vaakah ves adhi keekuran saleebeenakah ves vaaan.mee dhivehin fessaa rathaa hudhun fevifai vaa dhidha akun hiyaaa hoadhaa namoona dhivehi dharin.Saafu nuvey dho...MITHAA DHIVEHI RAJJEY GA ONNAANEE ISLAM DHEENEY.MI GAUMUGE RAYYITHAKAH VEVEYNEE ISLAM AKAH SHEY..
As a Maldivian I look forward to the day when Maldivians are able to respect their own ancient culture and faiths and of others.
When God has already given choice for humans to believe or Not to believe, what is the fuss about intervening in anyone's faith.
Don't be an ignorant or a fanatic. Do we need black & white garb or Mullah outfit to prove Muslim. Who is weak in their own belief? Think, and we have the answer.