Dear readers,
A very liberal sentiment was once expressed by Mohammed ‘Anni’ Nasheed (before he became the President of the Maldives), which many believe is now being proved to have been a naive and a false sentiment.
It was expressed during the course of a small debate held on a rooftop in Male’ before a journalist from Al-Jazeera between Mohammed Nasheed and the Honorable Mr Umar Naseer, at that time the leader of his own IDP (Islamic Democratic Party), and the Honorable Mr Mohamed Nasheed, the ‘then’ Information Minister under the Gayoom adminstration.
Opposing Umar Naseer’s opinion that the government needs to curb extremism through repressive measures for extremism to cease being a threat, Mohammed ‘Anni’ Nasheed expressed that he believed that a government cannot end extremist attitudes through repression.
Despite the fact that recent events in the Maldives (flag burning, the repression of women etc) really do seem to make Anni’s liberal belief seem optimistic to the point of being naive, I can still say that ultimately, I believe Mohammed ‘Anni’ Nasheed was correct.
Repression does not deal with the underlying issues which cause the hatred, it merely makes most people afraid of expressing that hatred openly. At the same time, repression causes that hatred to brew like a pressure cooker.
It has often been argued that these problems of religiously masked hatred were created due to the repression of people’s democratic hopes and ambitions (read some post-modern, pseudo-anarchist view’s on liberty such as Noam Chomsky for example).
US foreign policy is very often blamed by left wing think tanks for the existence of terrorism. However, despite these views, I am also of the opinion that Mr Umar Naseer’s view that the government must repress the expression of hatred, does seem to have some validity to it.
Such a view is becoming increasinly popular amongst Maldivians I have spoken to. Evidence that I have encountered does indeed suggest that the act of merely granting freedom and removing political repression are nowhere near enough to get rid of the hatred expressed through religious extremism.
When freedom is given, often the hatred does the opposite of dissipating – it vents itself fully. It reminds me of a cobra – lying still, wanting to attack yet afraid, then standing strong and venting – ready to attack once it has the power and freedom to do so!
For example, about a year before Khomeini came into power in Iran in 1979, the US felt it had made a mistake giving too much power to the Shah to repress any dissidence. The US encouraged the Shah to remove many restrictions on thought and belief.
The US did this because anti-US sentiment was reaching boiling point and the US felt it needed to alleviate some of the tension it created, and thought that hatred would die if freedom was given. However, Khomeini’s fierce anti-US tapes and messages, banned by the Shah, were all of a sudden made legal and reached EVERYONE, not only the ultra-religious and those in the game of smuggling propaganda illegally.
All of a sudden, the hateful felt the courage to vent that hatred like never before, that whipped the whole nation up into a frienzy of hatred as the ‘fire’ caught on, and WHAM! The Iranian people used the freedom they had been given to throw themselves straight into a darker, more brutal political and ideological prison than what they experienced under the Shah!
When the US encouraged the Saudis to remove certain restrictions, extremist opposition, which lay dormant through repression, came “out of the closet” like never before! The same thing happened in Iraq when Saddam was taken from power.
Yet I have said does not mean that I believe that hatred can be eradicated through repression! It only means that I believe that hatred can only be repressed through repression.
Sometimes, unfortunately, until hatred and violence can be removed from a person’s heart, it MUST be repressed for the protection of others. Ultimately, however, I do believe that only caring and personal humility can take away the disease of hatred in a person’s soul, and that the role of a government should not be merely to repress the expression of hatred.
A Government should also use its power to strive to create a situation where the hearts of the hateful can be transformed through the power of genuine caring and universal love. This may take years of pain and caring to achieve, but it must be achieved.
Ben Plewright
<em>All letters are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write a letter, please submit it to [email protected]</em>
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It's so sad that President Nasheed and his regime have been fanning the flames of hatred and religious extremism and forcing moderate and "borderline" muslims to side with "extremists". I mean relations with Israel, effort to sell alcohol in Male', Zionist eye camp and so on, in total disregard of sensitivities in society, may help Nasheed please the west and get his awards but is turning our tiny country into a hellhole. Very sad indeed.
The other problem is they hate mongers are a minority, there is no one group with enough cohesion and gutsy gusto to come out out of the majority.
I just reviewed the interview on the rooftop for the first time in a few years, (I saw it on Hilath's blog) and my wording of what Mohammed 'Anni' Nasheed said was incorrect.
The exact words 'Anni' spoke (around the last part of the 7th minute and the first part of the 8th minute of the video) were: "If you look into the detail of why and how fundamentalism has been increasingly coming up in this country, it's very much married to the level and extent of suppression here..." ( http://www.hilath.com/?p=7811 ) from (101 East - Frontline: Maldives - 01 Nov 07 - Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGMQohnEGEE&feature=player_embedded)
I apologize for the fact that I remembered and conveyed the meaning yet not the exact wording of what was said yet I still hope my small letter conveyed the meaning of what was said.
ppl who gets a high kick out of playing with the lives of others will also get a high kick sooner or later...ohh yeah u wont see it coming and when it will come...its a surprise =)
My issue is with both goats as well as hobos- neither really has the right to claim the pulpit of righteousness. Mithaanga nei sahalu ekakuves- one you have an apathetic asinine youth not really conscious of the changing times we live in today but quite certain in their defense of facials. Hung over somewhere between cocaine and unemployment they are the fuel that drives the engine of our economy and reeling still from the aftershock of the late 90s boom we have the walking mannequins and their male concubines, packed to the brim with new age superstitions and political correctness, not really educated but hip & hyped enough to know its emulations and gyrations.
On the other you have Bedouins importing goats. The overwhelming reverberations and aftershocks are on the pillars of society upon which all of us are impinged on. Next to nothing are the generations growing by the influences of our times and the inculcation's of its counter-culture. Nobody is really after anything worth fighting for. Spare me your speeches on human rights. If it were human rights we all have a right to be whatever we wish to be- including the right to be Arab. If not keep your silence, because we will defend those rights as well.
We imagine a world in which Arabs can live free with their fields of black gold, side by side the hordes of freedom walkers. Neither really counts as sons of bitches worth being kept alive, if we were to start nitpicking, but to live, then let live. Say yes to burqas as well Europe. (we may then welcome the right to naked gay beaches). etc etc.
Today America lags behind as eighth in innovation while yellow and brown chinks takeover the world. Empower our children with values and a good education, before we tell them you are free. We would then take this mantle of distrust and hammer on the Bedouins this message, by Thor.
@Zindbad:
What are you smoking dude? And please stop abusing the poor thesaurus.
@Name Required- smoking stuff is in Your thesaurus "dude". my point exactly
I suggest you visit Zindbads blog - there you will find all sorts of self indulgent diatribe written in his charechterestic verbosity and grandiloquence. Why he even uses the occasional latin phrase; ostensibly so that he can hide his poor understanding of topics such as economics, religion, philosophy and international relations behind a facade of garrulous sanctimony laced with obscure academic jargon.
You see, he occupies "pulpit of self-righteousness" that he now wants to deny others the right to claim.
@dabdniZ
Judging by the verbosity of your paragraph, I'd say you belong right up there with him (clearly you think your better than him lol). Funny how he does seem to have a way of homing in on the message (the homies in this case).
It appears the message Has reached its audience..
Personally, I wouldn't believe everything you hear.
pfft. mee keyyeh? Come and get me then.
You seem very well informed of who or what I am, and what I am not. Dare I assume somethings about whoever you are, without resorting to 'verbose expletives'? But that would be unbecoming of whom I am, no? For inorder for I to comment, I would have to know who you are. Or at least infer something of what may be you, from your obsidious para in my honor. My conclusions would then be, that you are no different from what you claim I to be. Then one must wonder why you would have issues with me being you, no? comprende' my double entendre's?
The logical answer would of course be obvious, to any who read your para. You are on an ego-trip much like me then. We are merely measuring d--k size; now if it were me alone, that would have sufficed to passe' judgment at me. But you just had to comment didn't you? You just had to comment in the manner you did and exposé yourself.
Attack the message, not the messenger. This is not my first run with sniveling weasels like you (there's me assuming who you are) who have not what it takes to disagree.
Know thy enemy. This does not come close.
I agree with "zindbad", and he seems a pretty good writer.
The more accurate the impersonation the greater the kudos. Dress like a developed nation and presto we also become developed! Copy their clothes and mannerism and we're there; hey, why not settle for toilet paper too instead of pebbles. Performance rating- 50% or more fail and quite at O'levels. Yes siree bob, we already there. see how kool n awesom thes guys are (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WlGe8BYK4s), makes me wish i was one of them. Yea arabization is the only transformation going on here. Both kinds of apes gives me headaches.
i think that in keeping with the times, technology, globalization, blah blah, we should switch over to toilet paper. i mean people, we are so far behind with the times on this. wod u say? a litter campaign to bring tharaggi to the people. pebbles from the other team; since we're for a democracy we may allow both options. what say you minivannews, hows about an article? ofcos pebbles is so barbarian, we must opt for what the Americans and the rest of the industrialized world is using. And that my friends is the toilet paper. No touchie touchie says civilization.
zinc lady~winterhorses
@zindbad
lol. I would have to agree, your articles are very long (i could hardly finish it). If however we are not able to forage through tedious academic papers let alone a long blog post, what is to become of us as a nation, i wonder... Our rustic salty bandwagons ascension to the status of a developed nation will falter if we are not able to create a generation that is not only intellectually apt but also sounded in rational discourse.
keep it up.
I was recently on a flight en route to London and I happened to catch a glimpse of Gasim with Ibra (along with one of Gasim's daughters), and i thought, now there's a contrast.
This country needs more writers, thinkers, artists, intellectuals etc. We could do away with the old notion that wisdom is best served if it is by illiterate 66 year olds. Look at the parliament, they just hiked their own salaries by another 20k.
Times like these i feel i know everything. Because i was lucky enough to have an education. Never caught except without anticipation and heed.
thnx
Dear elitist Kafir, - upon further reflection I realize that my issue with you is not the style of your prose - nor is it with the size of your genitalia; no doubt comparable in enormity only to the giant blocks of verbose text that you so effortlessly seem to be able to spurn out. Very impressively indeed. So if you wish to claim victory on our comparitive genitalia size or relative verbosity - I humbly submit defeat on both front. Indeed, if gay beaches in the Maldives were not haram I would be quite willing to demonstrate to the general public that my genitalia is in fact very small. Fortunately Shariah law does not dictate that I have a large member in order to go to heaven; only that I possess one.
No deary, it is that your extra smartism has prevented you from picking a side. Your acrimonious rantings are understandable given that the pain receptors lining the inside of your a-hole are currently being stimulated by the top half of a sharp fence post. You criticze everyone for picking battles not worth fighting for. What is worth fighting for then? At least us "goat herders" as you call us have God on our side. Shariah law is the only thing worth fighting for.
pretty decent articles by this 'zindbad'. i think yu may have guessed most people wouldn't read it when u wrote it. very long blog posts.
but then if we cannot read a long article, how can we read something lik an IMF report... sad state of affairs then. Most maldivians, lets say people from Male' (impoverished natives in the islands dsnt count i guess), have a long way to go, even neighbouring india has a better english speaking 300million.
minivannews also has a unique blend of writers, always prints articles in impeccable english (i dont always agree with them though)
Who is this Ben Plewright anyway? Whats with this holier-than-thou attitude, flooding the eways with your dry speeches. I mean, please, spare us your national aptitude tests.
We are moving along as best as we can. A united nations study has shown that compared to sri lanka it takes six times the cost to build a school in a Maldive island. That gives you an idea of the kind of challenges we face. As a society also we evolving. Stop blabbering your pseudo-analysis and your knowledge of Chompsky's in our faces. You want to show us your a writer, get it gazetted in a national book review, no need to display it for us on minivannews, biweekly.
@zindbad- you need to come down and join the party man. You hogging all the action up there (im not apathetic btw, i have a very good job)
Speaking of Ibra, where is the old timer these days, his most esteemed blog has been inactive for quite a while now.
Since he became an advisory to the Overlords, he's been seen straddling alongside Anni, the angel of death, like his goblin sidekick.
Politics is about compromise i guess.Changing the system from within n all that. Even so do look kindly upon us mortals with an article once in a while wilya ibra..
@sarangu:
All I am is just a very simple, powerless, poor Australian person who happens to be in a situation where I have come to feel the pain of certain Maldivians because I love and care for them, as it happens to be that I married a Maldivian and found myself directly in the middle of issues which normal non-Maldivians would not be involved in. I just express some of my concerns thats all, out of caring. I would be an uncaring, negligent human if I did not try to express my caring. If my stuff is all as useless as you say it is well that is sad for me but at least I know I tried to express some concern in the only manner I could. As for your comment that the Maldives is fine, and seems you are evidently some great powerful person, Sarangu, it is rather frightening than one so powerful as yourself would be in a state of denial of the suffering of your ppl. When powerful ppl such as yourself deny the suffering of your own people, this is tragic. Now, in terms of development, I do not measure development in terms of material development. I ndeed, I am amazed at the miraculous level of material devcelopment Maldivians have achieved, I mean, amazing, really, that is not the issue. The issue is, the social fear created by extremism and gangsterism, and if you think that is fine then I am deeply sorry for Maldivians that its rich and powerful ppl such as Sarangu do not feel that pain. Because, the true leader enters into ther pain of their ppl, only that pain drives one to do great things for his ppl. In this regard I have deepest respect for both Anni and Maumoon for pain they had both been through before bevcoming President, Pres. Anni particularly is a sort of hero to me.
If I come across as self righteouss well I am sorry, well you can ask any Maldivian who knows me that I am full of flaws and I can admit that, I write what I write out of caring not out of some sense I know it all and I know I am not some moral person. And, I have often admitted I had been wrong.
Wipe your tears wilya "Ben"- we know you feel like a damsel in distress now. I don't see how you being in Aussy or being married to an Aussian has any relevance here (according to what you say). loL
Yes your wrong, and your pronounced displays of knowledge in Hadith authors, and in general Chomsky archetypes does not hide this wrong that you are (i doubt you follow their thinking). Going by the feminine ultra-wing liberal h#$%^*#t you write, you probably find Ayaan Hirsi and her ilk more invigorating. Sensuality et al.
Extremism is not the problem. Extremism is a problem if you take both Anglicanism & Arabism. Minivannews itself is a small village of extremists.
Personally i think your a self-hating moslem. And I think you write to show off, to get accolades as comments. You then shower us with over-the top replies (eg- can I have you email?). It all probably stems from an innate insecurity you feel locked in your lonely golden cage. The trappings of the soul is what feeds your lengthy self-mutterings which you then pour onto minivannews.
I do not know whether your reply is intended for us to feel sorry for you. But then why should you want us to feel sorry for you? is it because 'you care' too much? You must be such a nice person in real-life then. A real snake charmer. I however couldn't care less.
Don't let some of the comments get to you Ben. You like any have the right to voice your opinions. And if you genuinely feel what you have to say is best said by writing articles here then who are we to try and stop you.
I thank you even if I sometimes may not agree with you. 'Flaming' does not reflect very highly on those who resort to such methods of silencing penmanship.
@Ha-cker:
you couldn't care less you said? Yes, one can care too much, and that is damaging. Yet not caring at all- that is a very empty way to be. I hope I do not end up not caring. Your not caring attitude makes you feel strong, but, in fact, your heart is hiding from caring out of fear of pain, and it is not a strength to be feelingless as you perceive it to be, it is a weakness. Yes, caring hurts, as you hurt when others hurt... It takes a lot of courage not to conceal your heart from being hurt by ceasing to offer it. You need a strong heart to take that pain of caring. Caring is a source of pain, yet it is also a source of great strength, of great artistic ability, of great creativity. Why are so many great writers so emotional that they are cyclo-thymic? I have started long distance running to give my heart the strength to take the pain of caring, as it is not easy to care. Yet without offering the sacrifice of my heart in this manner, not only would I not hurt, yet I also will not experience the great joys of love and bliss. You see, by not caring, you have saved yourself from much pain, but you have also robbed your life of the potential for much joy. So many think that by being cold, ruthless, they are strong, yet they are actually cowardly, weak, cowardly hearts. The most ruthless ppl have heart problems why? Because they have weak hearts.
So, for your sake, please become strong, you can, offer your heart to the pain of caring and draw strength from spiritual poetry, from someone who is kind to you, (if such a person does not exist I am willing to be kind to you if you would let me) or from your deepest inner struggle to give yourself the power to handle the pain and the joy of caring.
@baccha: Yeh you are right I should know better so as to be so unsteady
jeez, whats with all poetry. Ahh yes the joy of giving and receiving, and receiving and giving. I smell vomit, and jesus.
Of If i were to wish to want to launch my writing career, this is now my moment to shine as well.
It seems you have incessant urge to let us know what a wonderful and caring person you are. How lovely you are then.
I wonder what else you do during your free time (a Lot going by the amount of words you pour here) besides emoting Forrest Gump like sentiments. Bake cakes and send flowers to neighbors i guess. Behind the thin veil of nutty goodness, i see a sultry mistress who is seriously challenged socially, possibly demented. Why else would you crave all this attention?
You also seem to want to change the world. To save Maldives. Maybe your a beauty contestant too. But then why would you waste your time writing pseudo-delightful self-mutterings? Maybe it also implies you need saving. Maybe that's what i m doing.
spare us your soaked handkerchief recitals.
lol. listen to you, you misguided little swastika. Acrimonious rantings my ass receptors able to detect only from you (pompous little twerp is all I get).
The likes of you to tell me which side i may or may not hold. Pleeaase. Judging by the size of the stick up yours, I'd say you para's contradiction in irony is enough for me to infer your 'issues'. None of which I give a rats ass about, but all of which i m very well informed.
Humility is a trait you earn. One we will teach you. As for your d-k size there maybe something we can do about that. Maybe if its so small we would have to call it a clit to begin with. Which is all very clear in spite of all the 'caring' on the sides.
I find it to be of no relevance that 'you' have an issue. A clit trying to emulate d-k vowels and consonants ('sounds' to me like Penis Envy), is an amusement enough for me however. Maybe that's your purpose then, to be a Baccha Bazi or less.
Listen again you twerp, my side knows me. Your side we hunt like cavemen.
Are you doing reconnaissance, looking to be clear on where I stand? you get nothing from me except falsehood then~
@ha-cker: whats really your issue, you have said alot about me being a mistress and all but so what if I am a screwed up b#$%h what is REALLY your issue, be blunt
I would have to say I share this sentiment- upon further reflection I realize that my issue with you is not the style of your prose; no doubt comparable in enormity only to the giant blocks of verbose text that you so effortlessly seem to be able to spurn out.
I am here to express my opinion. Just as you are. Your acrimonious rantings are understandable given that the pain receptors lining the inside of your a-hole are currently being stimulated by the top half of a sharp fence post.
I think we are being as blunt as minivannews would allow us. Already some of my comments have been withheld.
I once had a friend called Ben (long story short). She had to give exams numerous times, multiple attempts, before they scored her pass marks. She used to compensate for this by being honest about it, hoping others would overlook it thus.
She spends most of her time writing half baked articles and in general being a menace to those around her, but mostly herself. She is one the very few I know who has perfected the art of pi$$ing in the wind. She has even managed to convince people that vaccination is against Islamic Sharia.
Now my friends just laugh when i say, I m retired extremely dangerous.
Maldivians in general are very self oriented and ungracious.As a Maldivian I see very dark future to us based on not knowing the basics of living in a society. The extremism fail to ignite the healthy pro-social teachings of Islam. Please don't attack peoples freedom of expression.
so what if, as you say I am a man with female genitalia and male genitalia envy etc... etc... that should not be an issue for a normal person, you are concealing your real issue through a load of crazy comments, which express your annoyance, but if it is that a man with female genitalia and male genitalia envy etc makes you so annoyed do you express that to every one with my condition which would be many? Of course not. Please state your real issue, that which is really causing you to feel annoyed seems it is obviously not the things u stated and outline why that is an issue then I can accurately assess whether it is worth addressing that issue? what fear, what vulnerability r u really concealing. tell me or we can never solve the true issue
dear ben
i think they issue is that you make yourself sound like mother teressa (in this case, specially sent for the maldives). who the hell are you? you have valid points on the rare occassion, but your interest politics and personal lives of politicians (and the amount of spare time on your hands) is just beyond freaky. tone it down and maybe write less to alteast pretend that you have a life?
@second attempt: Thankyou, that was helpful, I'll work on it.
@second attempt: But you still have not admitted what your problem is for my faults to be a problem to YOU