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US naval ship to visit Maldives

A United States naval ship is due to visit the Maldives in mid-October as part of a routine patrol of the Indian Ocean, the US embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka has said.

The USS Rodney M. Davis is “an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate with the U.S. 7th Fleet”, the embassy explained in a press release.

The ship’s officers and crew are expected to work with the Maldives National Defence Force, including its coast guard, “to improve regional security through close communication, coordination and information exchanges, while supporting at-sea and ashore training opportunities.”

“It will be tremendously beneficial to build on our excellent relationships with the maritime nations of the Indian Ocean,” the press release quoted Vice Admiral Robert Thomas, Commander US 7th Fleet, as saying.

“The area is critical to regional security, and the partnerships we build with this training will go a long way to creating a more professional and stable maritime environment.”

“My crew and I are excited to visit the Maldives,” said Commander Todd Whalen, commanding officer of the Rodney M. Davis, expressing gratitude to the Maldivian government for the opportunity to visit the country.

“We are grateful for the chance to make new friends and work with our counterparts in the Maldivian National Defence Forces.”

According to the embassy, “the Rodney M. Davis is on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.”

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Man found dead in mosque toilet

A man was found dead in a toilet at the Masjid al-Yousuf al-Berberi mosque on Rahdhebaimagu in Malé last night (October 5), reports local media.

According to police, the man was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

The deceased is believed to be a foreigner between 30 to 40 years of age. Cause of death has not been established yet.

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Nine students arrested in Addu City with pornographic material

Nine students of the Feydhoo school in Addu City were arrested yesterday over possession of nude photos and videos, reports local media.

Police did not reveal any further details of the case, but confirmed that the suspects taken into custody around 2:00pm on Sunday (October 5) were below 18 years of age.

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Over 325 complaints filed at Broadcasting Commission

A total of 327 complaints have been lodged to date with the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) concerning broadcasting content and licensing disputes.

In a message on the occasion of ‘Broadcasting Day’ yesterday, MBC Chair Mohamed Shaheeb explained that the regulator assesses content based on the broadcasting code of practice.

Of the 327 complaints, Shaheeb revealed that 126 complaints were filed in relation to broadcasting content while 201 complaints concerned licensing issues.

Shaheeb called on private broadcasters to “join hands” in an effort to “repair the country’s torn social fabric”.

He also praised the telethon organised by local media to raise funds for Palestinian victims affected by the Israeli military aggression in Gaza.

However, Shaheeb criticised private broadcasters for their inadequate response to training programmes organised by the commission.

He added that the commission was in the process of compiling a report based on monitoring of broadcast content during last year’s presidential election.

Moreover, fruitful discussions have taken with the relevant authorities regarding the possibility of lowering charges levied for electricity and telecommunication services offered to broadcasters. The fees were presently high as they were charged on commercial rates, the commission noted.

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MNDF website hacked

The website of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) was hacked this morning and is currently offline.

MNDF Spokesperson Major Hussain Ali told local media that control of the site has since been regained.

“It’s going to happen again,” reads a message on the hacked home page under the date ‘7-11-2014.’

“There are only two ways to live. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle,” read the rest of the message.

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MoU signed with Sri Lankan company for food and drug testing

The Ministry of Health signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Sri Lankan company on Friday (October 3) to provide assistance in conducting laboratory testing for the Food and Drug Authority (FDA).

Acting Health Minister Mohamed Nazim signed the MoU on behalf of the government while N Sri Ram signed on behalf of the SGS Company.

According to the health ministry, SGS would provide assistance for the FDA during the next five years to conduct tests that were unavailable in the Maldives.

The national health laboratory’s capacity would also be improved during the five-year period, the ministry said.

SGS is an international company that conducts testing for product quality and potential health risks.

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UK police to investigate death threat sent to former President Nasheed

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has lodged a complaint with the counter terrorism command of the Metropolitan Police Service in the United Kingdom following a death threat sent to his phone.

The former president’s office revealed in a statement yesterday that the case was filed on Friday (October 3). The opposition leader is currently in the UK to attend the Conservative Party Conference.

“This threat is one of a line of threats from Islamist extremists,” reads the statement.

“The latest threat follows on from an attack upon the headquarters of the Maldivian Democratic Party [MDP] and an attack upon President Nasheed’s home in the Maldives.”

Shortly after midnight on September 26, the MDP’s office was set on fire following two consecutive nights of vandalism of the main opposition party’s office and numerous death threats sent from unlisted numbers to MDP MPs, the party’s senior members and dozens of journalists.

On the same night, the door of former MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor’s residence was set ablaze whilst crude oil was thrown on Nasheed’s residence the previous night.

The statement from the former president’s office accused Maldivian police of not making “any moves to investigate these crimes” to date.

“President Nasheed has reiterated his concerns of growing fundamentalism and intolerance in the Maldives and more recently an attempt by Islamists to use criminal gangs to pursue crimes of this nature. Currently Maldivian Police appear unable to act to protect the lives of Maldivians. This issue of terrorism cannot continue to be ignored,” the statement read.

The UK police are investigating the death threat to trace its origin, the statement added.

“The information shared by UK police so far is that the texts received from the ‘private’ number are threats sent through Cardboardfish.com,” Nasheed tweeted today.

An IT expert with experience in the telecommunications field told Minivan News in August that it would be difficult to identify the culprit if the text messages were sent through an online mass text message service.

“Unless it came from a local IP address it would be almost impossible to trace it back. If they used anonymous proxy servers to send the texts it could be traced back to the SMS gateway, but no further,” he said

Nasheed previously revealed on Twitter that Eid greetings were sent to his phone from the same number that sent the death threat.


Radicalised gangs

Prior to departing for the UK, Nasheed told reporters that radicalised gangs were behind the recent “atrocities” in the capital, noting that extremist religious indoctrination of youth was a relatively recent phenomenon in the Maldives.

“In my view, one of the most important reasons the government has to think deeply about this is because certain people are instilling their interpretation of Islam in the hearts of the boys in these gangs,” he contended.

Nasheed claimed that many young men from criminal gangs were seen in a protest march held in Malé on September 5 with participants bearing the militant organisation Islamic State (IS) flag and calling for the implementation of Islamic Sharia.

Of the approximately 150 participants, Nasheed claimed most were “active in gangs.”

“So youth in gangs are turning to ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] ideology. That activities of ISIS are happening in the Maldives is becoming very clear to us. And while this is happening, the government is unable to stop gang activities,” he said.

Meanwhile, MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy told Minivan News last month that death threats have become too commonplace to publicise each incident.

Following a rally in September, MDP MP Eva Abdulla received a text message threatening a suicide attack at the next MDP gathering. The message threatened to “kill off” MDP members and vowed to “fight to the last drop of blood.”

Several journalist were also sent a text message warning them not to cover “the incidents happening in Malé now.”

“This is a war between the laadheenee [secular or irreligious] MDP mob and religious people. We advise the media not to come in the middle of this. We won’t hesitate to kill you,” read the threat.

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Law and gender ministry threatens legal action against extremist practices

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

The Ministry of Law and Gender has warned it would take legal action against extremist practices such as unregistered marriages and refusal to vaccinate or send children to school.

The ministry revealed in a press statement on Thursday (October 2) that the number of such cases brought to its attention by various state institutions was on the rise.

Legally unrecognised marriages and refusal to vaccinate or send children to school were criminal offences under child protection, family, public health, and religious unity laws as well as the penal code, the statement noted.

“As upholding the society’s interests is a responsibility of the state, we inform and announce that henceforth the relevant state authorities will be taking legal action against those who commit the aforementioned crimes,” the ministry warned.

Healthcare and education for children were also fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, the ministry noted, and were not left to the discretion of parents.

Moreover, assuring the rights was a legal obligation of both the state and legal guardians, it added.

Children born of unregistered marriages pose several problems such as establishing legal guardianship and determining child care payments in the case of divorce, the ministry said.

Unregistered marriages

In its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submission to the UN Human Rights Council, the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) referred to an estimate from the education ministry in a 2011 assessment by the HRCM on child participation concerning the number of children whose parents refuse to send them to school.

“There are roughly 400 children being withheld from attending school by their parents due to religious beliefs,” reads the section titled ‘religious extremist ideologies.’

The report also observed that children born out of wedlock faced discrimination.

“Paternity testing is not admissible evidence in court and such a child would be denied father’s name, inheritance and child maintenance,” it stated.

The UPR report also referred to “reports of unregistered marriages encouraged by some religious scholars claiming that registering marriages with the courts are un‐Islamic and unnecessary.”

“State institutions acknowledge this information and raised concerns that children born to such marriages could face serious legal issues. Similarly women in such marriages are bound to face social and legal consequences,” the report stated.

In April, the Family Court announced it would not be registering marriages performed by individuals without the court’s involvement.

The court noted that it could not accept cases related to divorce or other disputes if marriages were not registered officially.

Marriages performed outside the Maldives are registered by the Family Court upon submission of legal documentation.

The penalty for violating the Family Act is meanwhile a fine of up to MVR1,000 or banishment to another inhabited island for a period less than six months.

The court had raised the issue of unregistered marriages in 2010 as well.

Religious extremists in the Maldives have both endorsed and performed such marriages, claiming that even private, out-of-court marriages should be treated as legal as long as the minimum Shariah requirements for marriage are met.

Some cases of out-of-court marriages include child marriages, which are to a large extent illegal in the Maldives.

Family Court Chief Judge Hassan Saeed said in April that there was no basis in Islamic Sharia to argue that officially registering marriages was not a legal requirement.

“You cannot say it is okay to perform a marriage hiding inside a room with two random witnesses [to whom] you give some treat,” he told local media.

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Police deny arresting worshippers at Dharumavantha mosque

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

Police have denied arresting six men yesterday from an independent prayer congregation at the Dharumavantha mosque in Malé, despite media reports to the contrary.

“Reports in some media [outlets] about police arresting people who performed Friday prayers in an independent congregation at the Dharumavantha mosque [on October 3] were published irresponsibly in an attempt to mislead the public,” police insisted in a press release yesterday.

On Wednesday (October 1), police arrested a 34-year-old man for leading an independent prayer congregation and delivering unauthorised Friday sermons at the mosque.

The Imam was taken into custody with an arrest warrant on charges of “attempting to incite religious strife and discord” and leading prayers without authorisation from the Islamic ministry in violation of the Protection of Religious Unity Act of 1994 and regulations under the law.

Police stressed in yesterday’s press release that no further arrests have been made.

“And no one has been summoned to the police headquarters for questioning concerning this case,” police said

Police were not active in the area and no attempts were made to prevent the independent congregation from performing Friday prayers, the press release stated.

Local media reported eyewitness as saying that the Friday prayer was led by former opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Rasheed ‘Kubey’ while a loudspeaker or megaphone was provided by Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party activist Mohamed ‘Eagle’ Shareef.

Both Kubey and Shareef have reportedly been attending the mosque regularly for Friday prayers.

A member of the independent congregation told online news outlet CNM that the mosque’s sound system has not been seen since the Imam was arrested.

“Today the govt acted against radicals but MDP stepped in & helped them spread their message. I thought we were together in this fight,” Home Minister Umar Naseer tweeted late afternoon on Friday.

“MDP will have to decide whether to be with us or with them,” he added.

MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed was not responding to calls at the time of press.

At a press conference last month, Naseer revealed that efforts were underway to stop the independent congregation gathering at Dharumavantha mosque.

“Putting a stop to it is not just physically going there and stopping them sometimes with shields. Due to the nature of the [issue], we want to advise them and explain to them how it is in religion,” Naseer said.

The Islamic ministry had summoned members of the separatist prayer group and conducted “one-to-one” counselling sessions, Naseer revealed.

“Unless all these efforts fail, we will not use the force of law,” Naseer said.

Religious unity

Police noted in a statement last week that the Dharumavantha mosque was not among mosques designated in Malé for Friday prayers.

“And those delivering sermons and issuing fatwas there have not sought authorisation from the Islamic ministry,” police said.

Under the religious unity regulations enacted in May 2010, permission and written approval must be sought from the Islamic ministry to preach, give sermons and issue religious edicts in the Maldives.

Scholars seeking a license to preach are required to have at least a first degree in religious studies from an institution recognised by the government.

In April, President Abdulla Yameen ratified amendments to the Religious Unity Act – which came into force mid-July – outlawing independent or unauthorised prayer congregations.

The penalty for violations of either the law or the regulations is a jail sentence of between two to five years.

In February this year, the Malé City Council posted a notice on the Dharumavantha mosque stating that it would be temporarily shut down at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The prayer group had been described as “extremist” by Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.

However, the congregation gathered for prayers the next Friday and prayed for God to destroy the government as well as for victory against the “irreligious” government that was attempting to “obstruct the spreading of Allah’s message”.

The Imam also prayed for God to destroy and send his wrath upon military and police officers who implement the government’s orders.

Despite the notice, the group continued to gather for prayers at the mosque and conduct Friday prayers every weekend at a time earlier than the time set by the Islamic ministry.

Local media reported last month that the Dharumavantha mosque’s Imam accused the government in a Friday prayer sermon of declaring “war” against the congregation.

A prayer was also offered against the government’s alleged efforts against the “true invitation” and for Allah to strike fear into the hearts of police and army officers who might be used stop the unauthorised congregation.

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