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Hope For Women publishes book on women rights in Islam to counter oppression, intimidation

Local NGO Hope For Women has released a book on women’s rights in Islam in an effort to counter what it has described as a growth in “conservative Islamic teachings or religious justifications, that use Islam as a tool to intimidate and repress women”.

The book, titled “Women’s Rights Through an Islamic Lens”, has been compiled by Hope For Women with support from renowned local Islamic scholar Dr Ibrahim Zakariyya Moosa.

Minivan News was told during the launch that the publication attempts to challenge a perceived emergence of more religious conservative viewpoints in Maldivian society regarding the role of women and gender equality.

Issues addressed by the book include polygamy, a husband’s right to beat his wife, inheritance and the right to divorce.

Hope For Women’s co-founder, former Gender Minister Aneesa Ahmed, expressed particular concern over the growth of conservative views that she argued were limiting the role of women in society to domestic spheres and portraying them as being inferior to men.

She recalled hearing an Islamic scholar preaching on television that women become a “property” of their husbands following marriage, and said such preaching has to be stopped.

“This kind of conservative views that belittle a person is a major obstacle to building harmonious relationships on which a strong family and society is built on,” Aneesa noted.

“Many of the problems existing in our society roots back to inferior roles women and girls have within their households,” she observed. “I hope these publications will clarify the rights and status of women in Islam and create more awareness within our society.”

The NGO has also translated three publications from the international organisation ‘Sisters of Islam’ – including “Are Muslim men allowed to beat their wives?”, “Are women and men equal before Allah?” and “Musawah Framework for Action”.

Musawah is described as a holistic framework created by a group of 12 Muslim activists and scholars from 11 countries on “promoting concepts of justice and equality in Islam, and the Muslim family in particular,” according to its website.

Hope for Women said it had “become incumbent upon all civil society actors to speak out and stand up against the widespread prejudices that encourage women to be relegated to a marginalised existence and sometimes subjected to extraordinary acts of violence.”

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the project yesterday (July 30), newly appointed Gender Minister Dr Aamaal Ali observed that “outdated ways of thinking are being preached today as the Islamic way, and this has resulted in a backlash against women’s role in society”

“My students tell me they hear a certain sermon when they get into a taxi. They face discrimination at some gatherings from other women and outside forces are influencing their family life. Some girls also tell me their husbands are pressuring them for a second marriage,” explained Dr Amaal, who has served as a teacher and principal at the all-girls Ameeniya School in Male’.

“Sometimes when I think, I wonder if women are seen as disposable, to throw away once they become old. Because women are today often being treated as disposable beings,” she added.

The minister noted that if young women in the country informed themselves about religion with education, as well as providing themselves with empowerment and economic emancipation, it would help reduce many of the problems they faced such as domestic violence.

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Parliament approves Azima Shukoor as Attorney General

Attorney General Azima Shukoor has had her appointment approved by parliament 38 votes in favour to 31 against.

Shukoor, who formerly acted as lawyer for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was initially appointed Attorney General by President Mohamed Waheed when he came to power in February 2012.

She was later reassigned to the Ministry of Family, Gender and Human Rights, however her appointment to this role was narrowly rejected by parliament.

President Waheed subsequently appointed her to her former position as Attorney General.

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Belgian group “conditionally awarded” Hulhumale’ second phase reclamation contract

The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) said it has “conditionally awarded” a contract to Belgium-based company Dredging International to undertake the second phase of reclamation work on the island of Hulhumale’.

HDC Deputy Managing Director Mohamed Shahid today told Minivan News that financing on the contract was still in the process of being finalised at present on the project, with the bid price “more or less” anticipated to be about US$59 million.

Shahid added that a total cost of the project could not be given until certain technical requirements related to the expansion project were finalised.

Local media has previously reported that the HDC project to reclaim 230 hectares of land on Hulhumale’ suitable for residential use would cost an estimated US$60 million, with six foreign parties reportedly expressing interest earlier this year. The development is anticipated to be the largest project of its kind in the Maldives.

Shahid said that with most of the housing planned for the first stage of the development on Hulhumale’ now complete, a second stage would begin soon to reclaim land for the further development of residential and commercial properties that would be managed by the HDC.

A source with knowledge of the project today confirmed that representatives for Dredging International were expected to arrive in the country in the next two to three weeks to begin inspections of the project area before work could commence.

Local newspaper Haveeru meanwhile reported that the second reclamation phase was expected to take about one and a half years to complete.  The work will include reclaiming land presently used for the Club Faru resort, an island property sharing the Hulhumale lagoon closed earlier this year in anticipation of the project.

The Maldives government earlier this month announced it was nearing an agreement to move ahead with the second phase of reclamation work, despite claiming weeks earlier that the project could face continued delays due to limited financing.

The claims were made as the government also this month entered into discussions with Saudi Arabia over securing a US$300 million credit facility for several purposes including “budget support”.

Despite the state’s financial concerns, President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad said the agreement would see work commence on a second phase of land reclamation in Hulhumale’ “as soon as possible”.

The development of Hulhumale’ near Male as a residential area was originally intended to reduce congestion in Male – one of the most crowded cities in the world, with an estimated 55,000-60,000 people per square kilometre.

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CNI statements made confidential “to protect evidence”: President’s Office

The President’s Office has declared that statements made to the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) concerning the legality of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s controversial ascension to power have been made confidential in order to protect those who testified to the commission.

Media Secretary of Presidents Office Masood Imad told local newspaper Haveeru that the CNI had agreed to protect those who gave evidence to the commission.

According to the government, President Waheed in March issued a presidential decree declared that all materials relating to the CNI would be declared a national secret and kept from the public.

“If the statements [given to the CNI] get published in public, [those who gave evidence to the commission] may face dangers and may be threatened. It is with the recommendation of the CNI panel as well that the statements had been made confidential,” claimed Masood.

Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim told the newspaper that according to the presidential decree, the documents will be kept confidential and safely stored for a period of 25 years.

The defence minister said that the decision was made in adherence to Sections 22(b) and 22(c) of the Right to Information Regulation.

According to Section 22(b) exceptions to Right to Information include information which if released could prompt a lawsuit against the government for failing to ensure confidentiality, while Section 22(c) states that exception can also be made to withhold release of information if it would lead to difficulty for the government in obtaining similar information in the future.

According to Nazim, the president had given the defense ministry the responsibility on making the information confidential and keeping the assorted documents, audio, videos and photographs in the ministry’s custody.

“It hasn’t come to our hands as of yet. But we are working on bringing into our custody,” Nazim said.

Change in management

In late January 2012, a 22 day continuous anti-government protests led by then opposition figures and religious scholars following the controversial detention of Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed escalated into a mutiny by certain elements within the police and the military.

By midday of February 7, 2012, then-President Nasheed had exhausted all his options to establish a chain of command within the ranks of police and military, and was left trapped inside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) barracks surrounded by rebelling police and military forces along with an angry mob of anti-Nasheed demonstrators which had been armed by the security services.

The current Defense Minister Nazim – who was a civilian at the time – entered the barracks and gave an ultimatum to Nasheed, “resign or face the dire repercussions”, to which Nasheed conceded and resigned.

Then vice President Waheed subsequently ascended to power.

The following day, Nasheed and the MDP along with thousands of supporters took to the street in protest of the new regime change, but were met with harsh crackdown by what the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) later described as an “emotionally charged” police and military.

The national inquiry

In June 2012, following strong local and international pressure – primarily from the Commonwealth – President Waheed was forced to reformulate the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) to include representatives from the MDP and international community. The national inquiry commission included three members handpicked by Waheed, a Singaporean judge and a representative of former President Nasheed.

The commission interviewed several individuals as well as reviewed photographs, videos and other documents relating to the transfer of power which Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had alleged was a “bloodless coup d’état” that forced the first democratically elected president out of office.

Prior to the release of the commission’s findings, Nasheed’s nominee to the commission Ahmed ‘Gahaa’ Saeed resigned in protest from the commission contending that vital information concerning the power transfer was deliberately disregarded in order to achieve a certain outcome.

“I realised it was all going wrong,” Saeed said at a press conference held after his resignation.

In a letter he wrote to the commission’s co-chairs, Saeed cited concerns including the withholding of evidence, non-cooperation from crucial witnesses, non-examination of witnesses, witnesses being intimidated or obstructed, testimonies and evidence that was not reviewed, and organisation by the CNI secretariat.

The CNI went onto announce its finding in which it claimed there was neither a coup as alleged by the former ruling party MDP nor was there any substantial grounds to question the legitimacy of President Waheed’s ascension to power – much to the dismay of former President Nasheed and the MDP.

“In sum, the Commission concludes that there was no illegal coercion or intimidation nor any coup d’état. The Commission has received no evidence supporting or to substantiate these allegations. This disposes the main mandate of the Commission,” read the report. The report and the commission’s website were subsequently taken off-line.

CNI findings flawed

A subsequent legal analysis of the commission’s report on the request of the now opposition MDP by a team of high-profile Sri Lankan legal professionals – including the country’s former Attorney General – accused the commission of exceeding its mandate, selectively gathering and acting upon evidence, and failing to adequately address the fundamental issue with which it was charged: determining whether the former President resigned under duress.

“[The CNI] appears to have abdicated its duty to objectively and reasonably bring its collective mind to bear on whether or not there was duress involved in the purported resignation of President Nasheed,” concluded the detailed report.

The authors included two Sri Lankan Supreme Court attorneys – Anita Perera and Senany Dayaratne – and the former Sri Lankan Attorney General Shibly Aziz.

“The [CNI] Report offends the fundamental tenets of natural justice, transparency and good governance, including the right to see adverse material, which undermines the salutary tenets of the Rule of Law,” it claimed.

“Even by the yardstick of ‘coercion’ or illegal coercion which the [CNI] has incorporated for reasons one cannot fathom – given the clear mandate – ex facie the events accepted by the “[CNI] and without anything more, does strongly and convincingly establish the ‘coercion’ or ‘illegal coercion’, the yardstick chosen by the [CNI],” the report noted, in support for the claim of an illegitimate ousting of a legitimate head of state.

Parliamentary scrutiny

A review of the CNI report by Parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee – the parliamentary select-committee mandated with overseeing the government and its agencies – led to the announcement by the committee’s chair that the report was “flawed”.

The Committee Chair MP Ali Waheed told local media that many interviewed by the committee claimed it lacked “key information they had given to [the CNI panel]”.

“Some have even claimed their information was wrongly presented,” he said, while others who attended the committee [meeting] “have told us that key information they gave was missing from the CNI report, and said they did not accept its findings”.

Leaked statements

Dozens of statements given to the CNI were leaked to local media. Among the statements included those given by former President Nasheed and statements from senior officials from the military and police.

In one of the leaked statements, MNDF Staff Sergeant Shafraz Naeem – who was commanding ‘Bravo’, one of the Bandara Koshi Battalion riot squads that confronted the mutinying police – told the CNI that he had “lost faith in the institution” after the events.

“I took an oath to protect the country and the president; not to beat civilians or to mutiny. I did not take an oath to follow a mutinous general. I was never a big fan of Nasheed, but it did not matter to me who the President was that day. I would have done the same for any president,” read his statement.

“In my view this was a coup. Why? I could see it from the way they handled everything, their attitude, how cool and calm all the officers were. I could tell from how cool General Shiyam was inside the MNDF. They did nothing. This is not how a uniformed officer should behave,” he said.

Former President Nasheed’s leaked statement read – “In essence, my statement is very small. I was forced to resign. I resigned under duress. I was threatened. If I did not resign within a stipulated period it would endanger mine and my family’s life. I understood they were going to harm a number of other citizens, party members. They were going to literally sack the town. I felt that I had no other option, other than to resign.”

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Four arrested in connection with Dharavandhoo power house robbery

Police have arrested four people from the island of Dharavandhoo in Baa Atoll in connection with the theft of MVR 75,000 (US$5000) was stolen from the island’s power house.

In a statement issued today police said the four men, aged between 21 and 27, were arrested yesterday at about 2:00pm after police obtained a court warrant. One of those arrested was a staff member at the power house.

Police alleged two islanders aged 16 and 23 tried to obstruct the arrests, and were also arrested.

Both the charges of robbery and obstruction of police duty have been filed at Dharavandhoo police station.

Baa Atoll online newspaper Eydhafushi Times reported Island Council President of Dharavandhoo Ibrahim Rashid as saying the power house was robbed after the staff allegedly left the power house to eat.

According to the paper, the staff learned about the robbery when they returned to duty at dawn.

Local media reported that the MVR 75,000 was stored inside a safe, which the thieves destroyed.

The Island Council Secretariat had not responded to calls at time of press.

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Government meets with senior mediation advisor of UN Department of Political Affairs

The United Nations Department of Political Affairs’ Senior Mediation Advisor Dr Antje Herrberg has met with government officials in Male’ today to discuss the country’s upcoming presidential election.

Dr Herrberg met with senior government officials this morning to hear about efforts to ensure polling scheduled for September 7 was both free and fair, the President’s Office has confirmed.

President Dr Mohamed Waheed said his government would work to maintain peace and stability in the country leading up to the election, while the UN pledged its assistance to try and ensure voting was free and fair.

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President Waheed meets WHO deputy regional director for South East Asia

President Dr Mohamed Waheed has met with World Health Organisation (WHO) South East Asian Regional Office (SEARO) Deputy Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal in Male’ yesterday (July 29).

Dr Khetrapal spoke during the meeting on measures presently being undertaken to develop and strengthen the health sector of the Maldives, according to the President’s Office website.

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Elections Commission rejects PPM’s calls for “lenient” voter registration

The Elections Commission (EC) has denied receiving any formal complaints over its capability to ensure a fair election in September this year, after rejecting requests by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) to make voter registration more “lenient”.

EC President Fuwad Thowfeek told Minivan News no “official complaints” had been filed with the commission over its ability to capably oversee the upcoming presidential election, despite the PPM alleging in local media that it was incapable of ensuring a fair vote.

Thowfeek said the PPM have previously requested the EC not to reject voter registration forms missing details such as the name of a voter’s parents or a phone number, that could not be verified during random checks.

PPM Council member and Youth Minister Mohamed Hussain Shareef was quoted in newspaper Haveeru this week calling for “major reforms” to the commission, which he alleged lacked the capacity to oversee fair voting.

The government-aligned party reportedly alleged that concerns over the false registration of voters in previous elections and discrepancies between the previously gazetted registry and the documents used by the EC itself on polling day had not been addressed.  The claims were dismissed by the EC today.

Shareef’s concerns included fears about the false registration of voters, as well as allegations of discrepancies between the gazetted registry and the final document used by the EC on voting day. Unspecified issues were also raised about how national identity cards were being used.

Minister Shareef and PPM MP and Spokesperson Ahmed Nihan were not responding to calls at time of press, while the party’s vice presidential candidate Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed was travelling and unable to answer queries on the allegations.

PPM meeting

While aware of Minister Shareef’s allegation in local media, EC President Thowfeek said he held a meeting with PPM representatives on Sunday and that no formal complaints had been been raised by the party over the EC’s competency.

He added that Shareef was among five PPM members who met with the EC during an hour and a half discussion over its work “safeguarding” the voter registry.

Thowfeek claimed that as with other parties fielding candidates for this year’s voting, the EC discussed measures it had taken to improve prevention measures for voter registry fraud, while also trying to deal with key errors that had arisen since the country’s first multi-party election in 2008.

“We have worked to rectify these mistakes and in the last council elections there were hardly any complaints raised with us by political parties,” he said. “More than that, we have worked hard this year to get the registry up to date.”

According to Thowfeek, the EC has also run campaigns on state media requesting the public update their details to ensure voters and their families were correctly registered ahead of voting.

“I can assure everyone that we are using the best system available right now,” he said. ” Even if someone is to die [in the lead up to voting], their name cannot now be changed from the list of registered voters that has [been published in the government gazette], but it will still be a very accurate voter registration.”

Thowfeek said the PPM during the meeting had requested more “lenience” in voter registration.

He said that aside from requesting for an extension to the August 7 deadline for voters to re-register if they wished to cast their ballot somewhere other than their home island, the PPM had also requested that the EC accept applications that failed to include details such as the name of a voter’s mother or father, or a phone number that could not be verified.

Thowfeek said the commission was unable to oblige the party’s requests as random verification of phone numbers and names of parents were a central part of efforts to combat potential voter fraud.

“The phone number and the mother and father’s name have to be correct on any application or we cannot accept it,” he said. “The name of a voter’s parents are not included on the ID card and are important to ensure that if an ID is stolen, it cannot be used to register a voter incorrectly.”

With the PPM reportedly requesting an inquiry by parliament’s Independent Institutions Oversight Committee, rival election candidates such as President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s ‘Forward with the nation coalition’ today claimed the EC did have the capability and staff to oversee fair polling.

The president’s coalition presently consists of his own Gaumee Iththihaadh Party (GIP) and the government-aligned Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

Coalition view

Coalition Spokesperson Abdul Rasheed Nafiz said despite having some concerns over the EC’s ability to deal with complaints regarding campaigning and alleged bullying of candidates, the coalition had few issues with the commission’s capability to ensure voting was fair.

“The only concern we have raised [with the EC], is that when complaints are registered concerning treatment of candidates while campaigning, we have not seen these complaints attended to,” he said.

Nafiz told Minivan News that during several recent key votes such as the local council elections, he had been aware of formal complaints being sent to the EC about the behaviour of rival supporters when out campaigning.

In the build up to this year’s election, he added that both President Waheed, his running mate DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and their spouses had been subject to “disturbing” behaviour from supporters of rival parties.

Nafiz said complaints had been officially registered with the EC over rival supporters heckling them with derogatory remarks as they tried to campaign.

“I was myself recently with the president as he went to get 1,500 signatures door-to-door in Male’ [to support his successful attempt to register as an independent presidential candidate],” he said. “I personally witnessed people passing on vehicles and shouting abuse such has ‘baaghee (traitor) Waheed’ at the president. These concerns have been raised with the EC.”

Nafiz said he had hoped that the EC would respond to this behaviour by making an announcement calling for the public and supporters of parties to refrain from such acts, or even reviewing legal options to prevent future incidents.

MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor and Jumhoree Party (JP) Spokesperson Moosa Ramiz were not responding to calls at time of press.

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SAARC Audit report failed to account for grant aid: MDP

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has slammed an audit report on the expenses of the 2011 SAARC Summit released recently by the Auditor General, alleging the report was factually inaccurate and had based its findings on erroneous information.

The report (Dhivehi) –  compiled through audits of expenditure by the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President’s Office and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) – revealed several financial discrepancies by then MDP-led government including an overspend of more than MVR 430 million (US$27.9 million) on the event’s allocated budget.

The report claimed that former President Mohamed Nasheed’s government spent MVR 667,874,870.84 (US$ 43.3 million) on the summit – 188.82 percent more than the MVR 231,240,000 (US$14.99 million) budget passed by parliament.

Others inconsistencies included payment of MVR 61.8 million (US$4 million) more the amount agreed for the construction of the Equatorial Convention Centre built for the summit, financial losses incurred by the government, violations of Public Finance Act and Public Finance Regulation and wasteful spending.

The Auditor General in the report also made several recommendations including the recovery of money spent, as well as urging action against those found responsible for the expenses.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed previously dismissed the political bickering by his opponents regarding the findings, contending that his government had not embezzled state funds but admitting it was possible money had been spent contrary to the Public Finance Act.

“Since the ratification of the 2008 constitution, and since the beginning of word to word enforcement of laws that came after the ratification, it is quite possible that there may be certain things carried out in contrast with the public finance act. This is because senior officials of the government wanted things to get done quickly,” Nasheed said at the time.

In a press conference held last Monday evening, MDP government’s Housing Minister Mohamed Aslam slammed the Auditor General over the findings, claiming he had been “negligent” and “irresponsible” in compiling the report.

He said that a state institution releasing such reports ahead of the presidential elections implicating a specific political group was “highly concerning”.

However despite the claims, Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim has disputed the claim that the timing of the audit report before the election was politically motivated, stating that the information contained in such reports was necessary for people to make informed decisions.

“Some fundamental elements have been disregarded as false information in the report. Some have even been labelled as unlawful [spending]. Other expenses have been presented in a very misleading manner. We have highlighted these issues to the Auditor General in a meeting held today,” Aslam said.

Responding to the Auditor General’s claim that the former government had overspent more than MVR 430 million (US$27.9 million), Aslam said the Indian government had provided grant aid of MVR 267 million (US$17.3 million), the South Korean government had given up to MVR 3 million (US$194,552.53) in grant aid, while an additional MVR 2 million (US$129,701.69) was given from a trust fund.

According to the former Minister, when the grant aid was accounted for the deficit stood at MVR 167 million (US$10.83 million), which had been settled by government’s contingency budget.

“The Auditor General is doing the math and arithmetic without taking these key figures into account. You simply can’t count apples and oranges and decide the total sum of both in apples. We see his findings something similar to counting apples in this manner,” Aslam said.

He also claimed that MVR 64 million (US$4.15 million) spent on building roads in both Addu City and Fuvahmulah was directed to improve the capacity of Southern Utilities Company Limited (SUL) because other companies who proposed to construct the road, including the government’s Maldives Transport and Construction Company (MTCC), were too expensive.

“The Auditor General claimed the government incurred financial losses by giving the project to SUL, and that the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) was actively involved in the construction work. And that government had paid SUL for the voluntary work carried out by the military personnel. What we are highlighting here is that if mathematically calculated, the amount spent on the project did not result in financial losses to the government,” Aslam said.

He acknowledged that MNDF officers “had a role” in constructing of the roads, but said that since Nasheed’s ousting in 2012 the work was not being carried out, and therefore there was nothing to pay.

He also questioned as to how the Auditor General came to the conclusion that the MNDF had contributed to 60 percent of the total work carried out to hold the SAARC Summit, stating that there was no justification given for the figure.

MDP MP and Lawyer Ahmed Hamza said he believed a possible reason for the report’s alleged inaccuracy was that the government had withheld certain financial records from the Auditor General, which would otherwise have substantiated the MDP’s account.

Auditor General responds

Responding to the allegations by the MDP, Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim told local media that the party’s allegations did not carry any weight and that it was “not the fault of the Auditor General if the government did not share certain documents with the auditors”.

“The allegations levelled against the Auditor General’s office do not carry any weight. Our reports are based on information received from government agencies and authorities. Likewise, the report on SAARC summit was compiled in a similar manner,” Niyaz said.

“The [MDP] is alleging that the current government was witholding information from us. We can’t do anything about that. We base our reports based on the  information we receive.”

Niyaz also said that if the MDP were having doubts over the accuracy of the reports – due to government’s failure to share of information – the matter should be raised with the relevant parliamentary oversight committees.

The reason behind allegations made against the audit reports by politicians were, Niyaz said, due to the lack of knowledge regarding how government finances were handled. He also expressed concern over attempts made by politicians to mislead the public.

The Auditor General also claimed that he had not released the reports with the intention to “bombard” a certain political camp, and contested that the mandate of his office was not to attack politicians.

“We execute our responsibilities and try to complete our work as soon as possible to hold governments accountable,” Niyaz said.

“Our job is to hold the government accountable. To ensure that the government strictly follows the law and due procedure in handling the finances of the state. I believe the parliament has a central role in enforcing the recommendations made in the audit reports. We have released almost 200 audit reports. But parliament has only decided to act on just two,” he noted.

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