A 16 year-old girl has been sentenced to 100 lashes and eight months house arrest by Hulhudhufaaru Magistrate Court in Raa Atoll, for fornication.
The court also sentenced a 29 year-old man to 10 years imprisonment, after the court found him guilty of having sex with the girl.
As she is a legally a minor, the court stated that the girl’s sentence would be implemented when she turned 18.
An official from the told the local media that the man travelled to the island after the girl invited him. The the girl’s family noticed that she was not at home and went looking for her, the official said.
The pair were found that night in some bushes behind the island’s power house, he added.
The court official said the the girl’s family pressed charges, which were denied by the man. However the girl confessed, local press reported.
The Hulhudhufaaru Court identified the 29 year-old as Ahmed Rasheed of Angolhitheemu Island in Raa Atoll.
The man was sentenced under article 3[a][c] of the Child Sex Abuse [Special Provisions] Act which states that if a person touches a minor with the intention of having sex, then it is a punishable crime. A person found guilty of such a crime can be sentenced to a term of 10-14 years in prison.
According to statistics revealed by the Gender Department in April this year, between December 2010 and October 2011, 1,138 cases of child abuse were reported from atoll family and children service centres. 1,005 of these cases involved minors while 133 of these cases involved victims aged older than 18.
Approximately one third of the 81 cases involving children less than one year involved neglect. Sexual abuse was reported in a quarter of the 192 cases for age group one to five, and in a fifth of the 230 cases age group five to 10.
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You're going to flog a child 100 times for
being the victim of a sexual predator? Yes she'll be 18 when it happens but the waiting and anxiety will be a cruel flogging in itself!
A lot of ppl definitely need a good flogging, but it certainly is not this child!
to Ben Plewright. What do u think microsoft bill would have less knowledge than the end user. Or guys at apple would be less have knowledge to rectify a problem with apple product. Would you go to apple or to your nearest carpenter to a rectify a fault with your iphone. Think for yourself.
Why not change the majority age to 16?Many girls of 16 nowadays are ready for marriage and sex!!!
Mr. Shafiu refers to a Justice system, Maldives style, derived from the stone ages now available through a well established pseudo theocracy.
BismillahiRahmaniRaheem…
(In the Name of Allah the MOST Merciful, Most Gracious),
Shafiu, I am only averagely Merciful and even MY meager portion of MERCY MAKES me detest the idea that a child could go through this trauma, so imagine what the MOST MERCIFUL MUST FEEL… It defies logic to state that the MOST Merciful could be less Merciful than myself, and, the Qur’an makes appeals to reason.
According to Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Al-Fatiha which emphasizes the Supreme attribues of Mercy twice, is Um Al-Kitab, Mother of the Book. It is meant to guide all understanding of Qur’an.
Surah 4 15-16 says if Zinni’s repent, spare them.
Abrogated (Naskh) you say?
Misunderstanding of Naskh.
Qur’an is Eternal, uncreated, Kalam Allah, Speech of Allah, always existed.
How can the Ayat of flogging suddenly come into existence if it had always existed, something can't just come into existence if it has always existed, that is illogical! THE AYAT OF FORGIVENSS CAN’T JUST FADE AWAY IF IT is eternal, either, illogical, so, Forgiveness AND Amr for Flogging have always existed. How do we reconcile this apparent contradiction?
IT is through understanding the context, and, the context is always doing what is most Merciful (Maslaha) for ALL given the situation.
On many occasions, if it was not part of the Merciful Niyat of the Wahi (revelation) Prophet DID NOT apply flogging even IF he knew it to be allowed by LAW.
Sahih Muslim Book 37, Number 6661:
Abu Umama reported: We were sitting in the mosque in the company of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him). A person came there and said: Allah’s Messenger, I have committed an offence which deserves the imposition of hadd upon me, so impose it upon me. Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) kept silent. He repeated it and said: Allah’s Messenger, I have committed an offence which deserves the imposition of hadd upon me, so impose it upon me. He (the Holy Prophet) kept silent, and it was at this time that Iqama was pronounced for prayer (and the prayer was observed). And when Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) had concluded the payer that person followed Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him). Abu Umama said: I too followed Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) after he had concluded the prayer, so that I should know what answer he would give to that person. That person remained attached to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah’s Messenger, I have committed an offence which deserves imposition of hadd upon me, so impose it upon me. Abu Umama reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to him: Didn’t you see that as you got out of the house, you performed ablution perfectly well. He said: Allah’s Messenger, of course. I did it. He again said to him: Then you observed prayer along with us. He said: Allah’s Messenger, yes, it is so. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to him: Verily, Allah has exempted you from the imposition of hadd, or he said. From your sin. ”
There are AT LEAST another thousand Ahadith I could post to argue the point that the preference is MERCY even IF the evidence is clear a person out right confessing is strong evidence…)
The application of the punishments were upon a people who were savage, killing their own baby daughters for example, and the amount of conflict and bloodshed that Zina caused (families would attack with bloodlust the families of one who dishonoured their FEMALE (Wife, Sister, Daughter or…) that the Hudd applied allowed one to die to save the lives of many!
Yet if that was not the case, Mercy was to be applied!!!
Don’t you get it! The sanctity of Allah’s Creation is paramount!
There is never any justification for whipping a Woman in Maldives which comes ANYWHERE NEAR AS CLOSE to it being as justifiable in the prophet’s time!
YOU MUST study about wars which were feuds of honour over Women, demands for blood money and vengeance in Jahillya to understand why both the Hudd are there in the Qur’an!
Unless it is necessary to kill or whip a person to save the lives of more than one other, there is NO JUSTICE for whipping or hurting ANYBODY!!!
Why the hell is everybody trying to apply practices which were necassary to curb an extremely blood lusting, warring region to the Maldives where it is not necessary! It undermines and degrades the Merciful essence of Islam by making Islam look like a tool for hatred when in fact it is a vehicle of Allah’s LOVE for all! (
Minvan oh sorry, above comment slightly upgraded
What a god-forsaken hole this place is!
This is ridiculous, and hypocritical. How many people over the age of 18 are having sex outside of marriage everyday in this country? Why not flog them? And why not flog the 29 year old man? If the girl has to face public humiliation why not the man?
Allah is indeed the most merciful and the most compassionate, yet we have people in this society acting like they have never heard what mercy means, what repentence means. I do not agree that any person has to be flogged for engaging in sex outside of marriage. How do we know whether that person has already asked Allah for forgiveness and how would we know when Allah has already forgiven that person? If anyone thinks that flogging is stopping people from engaging in sex outside of marriage, then they can think again. Everyone still does it, but it's those who are unfortunate enough to get caught who are subject to public humiliation.
Justice in Maldives appear to be a bit weird.
1. A child of just 16 is to be flogged 100 times for getting sexually molested by a man almost twice her age
2. The man who molested the child is given a 10 year jail term.
3. Another man gets a jail term of 15 years for torching somone's bike.
Is there any logic?
Shafiu is an idiot.
Stupidity beyond belief is the justice system of Maldives. Just exactly why do we have/use the term minor - when they are tried, sentenced and carried out as an adult. Except.. wait for it.. there is a delay in the sentence being carried out until you become an adult. Hahaha.
To have minors - is to protect them and punish them through juvenile measures - not as an adult.
ps: Where is the HRC of Maldives? Oh yes. Wasting the publics money.
I fail to see how it was sexual abuse in the literal form when the two parties were clearly consenting. The UK has a consent age of 16 as does plenty of countries, including various states in America. So Mr. Ben Plewright, the man is hardly your run of the mill sexual predator.
The only crime here is the justice system once again uses a Roulette Wheel to hand out sentences.
Neither the man or the girl, especially the girl, should be punished for this. 10 years is a joke, anything more than 2 years for something like this is a joke.
More proof that the men carrying out the justice in this country needs to have an appointment with Dr. Jimmy Russels because I have a PHD in Psychology.
Mr Riyaz took a letter to the Speaker's residence on Feb 7th was made the country's Commissioner of Police. Mr Nazim Sir who went into MNDF HQ to win support for the Police Officers calling for Prez Nasheed's resignation was made the country's Defense Minister.
The above is sufficient for one to know the type of a Justice system the Maldives have
HRCM Head Azra knows she can only remain in the job if she keeps pleasing the Majlis thugs like Yameen, Qasim and Thasmeen.
That's the main reason why she had to omit Police brutality on her report
@ Ben Plewright - "Unless it is necessary to kill or whip a person to save the lives of more than one other, there is NO JUSTICE for whipping or hurting ANYBODY!!!"
At this point in our country when fornication is common, I think it pretty much stands up an example. The society would, at least from the island she is, obviously back down from fornicating as to being afraid getting caught caught in the act and so. Hence, it is well justified in my opinion.
Not to mention that a 16 year old female is in my terms a grown up woman responsible for her own actions.
Stupid commenters. We have two systems of law in this country. We have the Holy Sharia and the infidel common law.
What to choose in which case is upto the wisdom and knowledge of the judge.
The man was sentenced according to common law. According to this infidel law, girls under 18 are minor and sex with them is statutory rape.
The woman was sentenced according to Holy Shariah which says that any adult who confesses to fornication should receive 100 lashes.
If the woman was judged by common law she becomes a girl unable to give consent and escapes punishment. If the man was judged by Shariah, there is no confession or 4 witnesses to prove his guilt and so he escapes punishment.
A crime has been committed and people need to be punished for it. So the wise judge would choose a law system that would punish the evil so that no more fitnah exists in the land. Otherwise these vulgar vermin will never learn.
What was the age of consent at the prophet's time? Was the same Sharia law applied to the prophet?
Alhamdulillaah. I myself would volunteer to whip this creature, as would any of self-respecting, esteemed, members of the ulammah.
With the firm grasp of our hands we mould the young child towards virtue. With our tongues we apply the moisture of devotion on the fornicators, whose bodies are clearly dry of faith.
Insha'allah, her womb will once again be as virtuous as it was meant to be when she was born.
Could someone clarify for me if this means that children who are sexually abused is guilty of a crime? And they have to be punished?
Is this what the law says?
Minivan, lot of gaps in your reporting. Could you expand on this article please?
if this man has been found guilty of committing an offense against a minor, why does the minor have to be punished? Doesn't make sense.
What IS going on??
@ ablow baabee
Vermin. All vermin. The judge, the fornicator, the islanders who kept mum, Yaamin the vermin, and the justice system.
The child should be spared. Sharia law, or Ablo Gaazee's law, a 16-year girl is still a child. The fornicator and the Gazee should be castrated.
Sharia is an anachronism which no country wishing to be part of the community of nations can still apply in the 21st Century. But this is Gayoom's caliphate.
There is no justice until Anni is restored to his rightful position as duly elected President of the Maldives. Anni can NOT cozy up to the Islamic extremists this time once back in power.
The Maldives is quickly becoming a self imposed state. Most civilized countries this would not attract any penalty as it was consensual. How are travel companies who have a sense of responsibility meant to be comfortable with actions like this? It is also outrageous that he is in trouble as she is a minor, but she is being tried as an adult. What barbaric country sentences 100 lashes to a 16 yo girl. the Maldives does. There is a growing push among many UK travel agents to not push the Maldives, there are just to many pathetic problems there now. You write your own destruction and destiny "Marlie" Maldives.
what about her parents? maybe if parents were more careful with their kids these things may happen in a smaller scale. so maybe the courts should flog the parents as well?
Medieval justice, Maldivian style, as imported from that truly medieval Wahabbi theocracy (and totally undemocratic absolute monarchy), Saudi Arabia.
More bad publicity for Maldives. Not surprising that tourism from China has now exceeded that from the UK. I doubt Chinese travellers pay too much attention to conditions the average Maldivian now suffers.
flogging the victim, what sort of justice is that.
34 times i was caught by a sword fish, i excaped..................
This is now in The Daily Mail in UK, no doubt in many other newspapers. The general view of commenters is that Maldives should now be avoided as a holiday destination as it is "barbaric".
This poor girl is an innocent victim!
Look into the BEYOND, ALl you who oppress the poor, the weak, and the sick! The whole horizon shimmers in the violent WAKE of DIVINE SORROW! For you, endless silence… SHHH! The Earth begins to tremble!
When you made the decision to feed your greed in stealing from the poor, you stole from ALLAH HIMSELF!
When you remained silent, and ignored the cries of the oppressed, sick, weak and persecuted, you shut your own soul off from the voice of Jannah (HEAVEN!)
When you arose in your furious lust for the bliss of power, and struck down the innocent, the elderly and the weak, ALLAH HIMSELF felt the PAIN!
The THUNDER of Holy Vengeance arises against you, you will be dessolated by INFINITE SOLITUDE, none will hear you HOWL in your vicious and fierce agony!
Were you never told that the All Powerful Creator of the Heavens and the Earth establishes HIS Royal Throne in the hearts of the poor, the weak, the oppressed and the suffering of the EARTH!
You ignored the cries, the signs of DIVINE MERCY. The Majestic Creator of ALL, who ascends the HIGHEST HEAVENS in HIS MAGNIFICENT GLORY, is SO RICH in Mercy, that he descends into the midst of the suffering, to share with them, their trauma! It is the ALL Powerful whose vengeance you awaken when you oppress the weak, the poor, the suffering, the innocent!
The suffering little ones of this WORLD will ascend with HIS ASCENSION into his Merciful ABODE, their to dwell, forever and ever, because, THE DIVINE FELT all of the pain they felt.
The arising of DIVINE FURY will be the arising of the dignity of the sick and the oppressed, the restoration of the SOUL and the POWER of the severely BROKEN! They will ARISE, empowered by his SPECTACULAR JUSTICE! If you do not turn from your greed and lust for power and walk the way of self sacrificial love for your people, the poor WILL oneday, in the Judgement, ARISE and pound you into DUST!
The poor of this world are the rich in Union with the Divine. Divine treasure will be a reservoir of fortitude and dignity for the ones you tyrants have wounded when they arise and retake their dignity! Never bow down to MAN, You poor and oppressed of the world, every suffering and affliction you endure for what is JUST and right will be a CROWN for you in the AKHIRA! Every tear you shed is sacred to your Creator, he stores them in PARADISE< and will oneday transform your TEARS into DIVINE PEARLS of wisdom, spiritual strength, and BLISS! To the world, you shed tears, to your MAKER< you shed PEARLS!
You corrupt who lack love and empathy will eventually realize, that you thought you were rich - but you were POOR! He who lacks empathy is poor indeed! The poor who are rich in HEAVEN are the RICH INDEED! GREAT is the wealth accumulated in Heaven through the struggle of the oppressed, THIS IS YOUR SOURCE OF DIGNITY< DEARLY BELOVED who are sick, vulnerable, oppressed, DIVINE TREASURE< EMBRACE IT and use it as strength in your non-violent struggle for the realization of social justice reforms, use it as your courage in your protest for social JUSTICE, for medical care and education for the weak, the poor, the sick and the oppressed!
MINIVAN sorry guys the above is a slight upgrade of my original comment starting with This poor girl is an innocent victim! If you think it is WAY over the top, just ignore it, if you think it is better, then you can replace it... I'll leave it to your discretion, thankyou and sorry to be chopping changing again, so much THANKYOU Minivan news team!
I'd much appreciate if someone can answer my question: why are we not chopping off the hands of thieves?
@Ekaola's buddy...I am sure you will not have too long to wait, the way things are deteriorating.
"I’d much appreciate if someone can answer my question: why are we not chopping off the hands of thieves?"
Because the politicians can not run their resorts and corrupt businesses with out hands 🙂
@aliwahheed, the Woman (not girl) will be flogged when she is 18. This shows the mercy of our justice system. Leave these things to us judges. Laymen will not comprehend the decisions we have to make.
so the 16yrs old girl & 29 yrs old man agreed to have sex in bushes.the girl confess to media, the guy was punished to 10yrs in jail & girl to be lash 100 times when turn 18.whats the crime again?premarital sex? i think the punishment is too much compare to crimes committed by criminals, drug pusher, drug addicts & thief. hypocrisy is what religious people trying to show to the public. be fair not prejudice.
the punishment is to much compare to the company or bosses that is delaying/not paying the salary of employee.
It does not matter whether she is 12 or 21. She must be whipped immediately.
That we feel compelled to wait until she is 18 is further evidence of how emasculated and unvirtuous our society has become.
Save for the ulammah, there is no one in this republic of MalDeviants that does not deserve to be flogged or garrotted.
whether the gal is 16 or 13 o 18 she will have to face her punishment.so does that 29 yr old man. and Mr. ben plewright i recommend u to analyse futher information abt Islam and for mariyam i just want to give u a small advice "whether u like o u have sex outside marriage doesnt mean it should b allowed in Islam...u dnt knw but God knows best"
100 lashes and one year banishment would have been the correct sharia sentence to both. trying both under different laws is not fair. Also look at the mercy of our justice system. compare the plight of the prisoner held behind iron bars like a caged animal for a duration of time and that of a banished person living peacefully in another setting? in islamic sharia we do not degrade humans to caged animals. after the 100 lashes the love birds can live within another island community as free people till their term is over, during which time most would have grown in conscience and sobered up.
@ALI: Have my own belief based on my own study, thought and feelings, and, am entitled to my own understanding of Religion, just as ALL should be entitled to that by LAW.
I reject a non-contextual, or, as some may say a literalist interpretation of Islam because... I reject, detest, renounce and resist violence, VIOLENCE in ANY form... is contrary to what I believe, and, a literalist form of Islam condones violence and that is wrong.
i don't get this, the man gets 10 years for having sex with a minor and she's getting 100 public lashing, why are you giving two verdict or ruling on the same crime, if she's a minor, then he's the only one who should go to jail, but if it's consenting adult both of them should get the lashing...you can't have both...the ruling clearly contradicts each other, and by the way, he's a sexual predator, she's 16 years old, the age of consent for minor should be the same age or the maximum of 3 years age difference...he's having intellectual advantage over her, i'm a mother of a little girl, god forbid if something like this happen to her, a grown up 29 year old grooming a minor....and if nobody sees it that way and says that she's capable of thinking, then why not let a child vote, smoke or drink alcohol, that's why the adult have to supervise and protect them, i don't know how the family can blame the girl who's clearly under that man's power
"why are we not chopping off the hands of thieves?"
Because the biggest thieves are the mullahs, the judges and the politicians who enforce this so-called 'divine law'.
Well time to get out of town before your 18th birthday.
I'm all for letting cultures celebrating their heritage, but violence against a woman like this is unacceptable. If you feel her conduct was inappropriate you can punish her humanly without bloodshed. I can accept women not having rights in your society, but violence of this type, towards anyone, anywhere in the world should be frowned upon by all. We can punish those who break social laws in a nonviolent way by being the bigger person, as the saying goes. Please, reconsider punishments of this type.
16 year-old girls are no children anymore. They are responsible for their actions.
By giving away her maidenhood she committed a crime she never ever can atone for. Considering her crime a 8 months house arrest and only 100 lashes are ridiculous.
The girl should have been sentenced to 10 years in jail, not the man. She should get publicly flogged 100 lashes each month while serving her prison term. So she would get a total of 12,000 lashes, but even this would be far too lenient for her!
At this point I like to add that floggings should be administered exactly the way it was done in old times, what means the cat of nine tails is used and the lashes are applied with full force on naked skin. Today's Maldivan methods of castigation are simply too mild. They are no real punishments.
I don’t know what the man is punished for. If men are always responsible for non-consensual sex then women must always be held responsible for consensual sex because without their consent it would become rape. So in this case she is the one to blame, not him.
And I really don't know why those laughable 100 lashes are not administered until she turns 18. Sadly, they will do it in a manner as to beat a child of 3 or 4 anyway. If a girl's old enough to commit crimes she’s also old enough to receive punishments which fit her crimes.
All the ppl !ove that say yes to the 100 flogging are just as crazy as that stupid justice system. And to those that say she should get a 100 floggings every month till she turns 18 ( well, why not kill her now) as that is what will happen... She probably will die... if those lashes will be given full force. Ppl are crazy. Let them who never did any sins be the first to throw a stone (or be the first to give the first flog) sick sick sick