Category: Society & Culture

Criminal Court issues death sentence in gang murder case

The Criminal Court of the Maldives yesterday sentenced Mohamed Nabeel to death for the murder of Abdulla Faruhad, after reviewing the statements of witnesses and finding him guilty of the crime.

The Judge said that article 88[d] of the penal code of the Maldives stated that murders should be dealt accordingly to the Islamic Shariah and that persons found guilty of murder ”shall be executed” if no inheritor of the victim denies the murderer to be executed, according to Islamic Shari’ah.

The Criminal Court identified the murderer as Mohamed Nabeel, G. Reef and the victim as Abdulla Faruhad of Hulhudhoo in Seenu Atoll. As no inheritor of the victim opposed his execution, Nabeel was sentenced to death.

This is the first such sentence to be issued in a case related to gang murder. Previous death sentences issued in the Maldives have included (in 2005) those found to be involved in the death in custody of Evan Naseem, and the perpetrators of 1988 coup. None of these sentences were implemented.

The Prosecutor General’s office filed the case against Nabeel after the police arrested him on charges of deliberately killing Faruhad in revenge for harassing his sister Aiminath Niuma. The case report did not mention what kind of harassment occurred.

The judge said that during the police investigation Niuma admitted that her brother Nabeel attempted to attack Faruhad with a six inch box cutter on March 8, 2009.

In her statement to police, Niuma said she attempted to stop her brother from attacking Faruhad as he tried to flee, the judge stated.

However Niuma was unable to control her brother from throwing the box cutter at Faruhad which lodged in his back. Faruhad died the next day from his injuries.

The PG’s office presented CCTV footage of the incident and three witnesses.

The judge said that although Niuma had later in court dismissed her statements to police, which were fingerprinted by her father as she was underage at the time, ”it is unbelievable that her father read the statement and would fingerprint a false statement given regarding his own son.”

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said he did not know how the sentence would be carried out,  but police would implement the verdict if requested by the court.

Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad said he had not yet seen the ruling and would be unable to comment before going through the case.

Press secretary for the president Mohamed Zuhair said the the government would comment on the matter only after the judicial procedure was over, ”otherwise it could be considered as an influence on the verdict.”

He said that the accused had a 90 day term to appeal at higher courts if he felt the judgment was unfair.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the last death sentence issued in the Maldives was following the 1988 coup attempt. This has been corrected to reflect the verdict in the trial over the death in custody of Evan Naseem.

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Communication among Muslims a key challenge: Farah Pandith

Extremism is the ‘front and centre’ of concerns shared by Muslims all over the world, at least according to Farah Pandith, the US State Department’s Special Representative to Muslim Communities, who is paying a four day visit to the Maldives.

Pandith, who reports directly to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is using the visit to meet with government and political figures, as well as NGOs and local people, to look at the possible social challenges facing the Maldives as an emerging Islamic democracy, as well as how best to respond to such difficulties.

Speaking on Sunday at the American Centre in the National Library in Male’ to an audience of local people and foreigners from across the private and public sector, Pandith said that even in the current Facebook age, communication among Muslims was seen as a major challenge facing Islamic communities.

According to Pandith, a large proportion of the world’s Muslims are believed to be under 30 years of age, yet the US Representative claimed that amidst a divide between followers of the faith and non-Islamic people, many young Muslims were not part of the “conversation” relating to differing faiths and viewpoints.

The representative said that this lack of communication about Islam in some cultures has further added to a global culture of ‘us and them’ between Muslims and other faith and belief groups.

In such a climate, the US State Department claims to now be looking to work with NGOs and local enterprise to better directly address discontent in Islamic societies all over the world.

In considering this more hands on approach by the US government, Pandith acknowledged that some US foreign policy during the last deacde, particularly in the Arab world, had been “unpopular” – not just amongst Muslims but large swathes of the world’s population. However, she claimed the country was moving beyond a so-called “freedom agenda” of pushing democracy, by trying instead to promote initiatives and activities designed to directly address prominent social concerns.

In addressing local audience members at the talk, Pandith asked the 20 or so people in attendance what it meant to them to be Maldivian and Islamic.

The response, according to some in the audience, was confusion and possible consideration of leaving the country amidst concerns over what they perceive as issues of free speech in relation to the role of faith.

Having met Pandith during her visit, State Minister for Islamic Affairs Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, told Minivan News that principles such as free speech and human rights were an important part of the Maldives constitution and the influence of Islam in the country.

“The Maldives is very unique as we are both 100 percent Muslim and democratic,” he said.

Pointing specifically to Article 27 of the constitution, Shaheem stressed that there was freedom of speech within the Maldives, though this right to speak was bound by the principles of the Islamic faith.

Ultimately, the State Minister for Islamic Affairs claimed that Islam has formed the backbone of Maldives society for hundreds of years and was central to national ideas of human rights and free speech.

“In war for example, Islam forbids the killing of woman and children,” said Shaheem as an example of the religion’s impact on the notion of human rights.

In relation to the potential challenges of establishing more debate over Islam in the country, Shaheem said he believed the major concerns the ministry faced in the country were more related to drugs and the emergence of extremist ideas, both religious and non-religious in nature.

Although stressing his belief that the country has no Al Qaeda-style organisations, the State Minister said it was important to counter and not give any opportunity for more radical, extreme forms of Islam to take root in the country.

To try and meet this aim, Shaheem claimed that education and academic pursuits formed a major part of efforts to retain the country’s status as a moderate nation.

The Islamic Ministry says that greater links it has with many western nations like the UK reflects a more collaborative relationship with Muslim communities across the world.

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Defence Ministry staff member banished for theft

The Criminal Court of the Maldives has sentenced a Defence Ministry staff member Ibrahim Ahmed to three years and six months banishment, after he admitted to stealing money from a safe at the ministry.

Criminal Court said that Ibrahim was in a position in the Ministry where his duty was to look after the Ministry’s safe.

He was sentenced for stealing Rf 5821.09 ($US450) from the Defence Ministry’s safe, the Criminal Court said.

”Because he admitted that he committed the crime the Criminal Court found him guilty of the crime, and the court sentenced him to three years and six month banishment,” the court said.

Ibrahim was sentenced under article 131 [a], 143 and 146 of the penal code.

The Prosecutor General filed the lawsuit against him.

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Sheikh Fareed denies second marriage was conducted in secrecy

Prominent religious scholar Sheik Ibrahim Fareed has denied rumors that his second marriage, which was conducted in Sri Lanka, was conducted in secrecy.

Sheikh Freed’s lawyer Shaheem Ahmed told Minivan News that police officers yesterday went to Fareed’s house and questioned him about the marriage.

‘’Police officers told Sheikh Fareed that the case was reported to police by the Islamic ministry,’’ claimed the lawyer, ‘’and said that the Islamic Ministry had reported that the marriage was held in secrecy.’’

A marriage cannot be held in secrecy, continued Shaheem, adding that it was furthermore not the position of the police to investigate such matters.

‘’This is just a personal attack on Sheikh Fareed, it is very clear,’’ he said.

He also said the Islamic Ministry had denied it reported the case to police.

Police Sub-inspector Ahmed Shiyam denied that police told Sheikh Fareed that his marriage was held in secrecy.

‘’Police officers questioned Sheikh Fareed because he had not submitted to register his second marriage in the court and the given duration had passed,’’ he said. ”But he has now submitted to register the marriage.’’

Police declined to reveal who reported the case and more information on the matter, ”as the case was personally related to Sheikh Fareed.’’

Fareed alerted Minivan News to the allegations, sending attached copies of documents from the Family Court in Sri Lanka to prove he had attempted to register the marriage.

”The documents will reveal my second marriage was registered, and the Maldives Police Service was misinformed about the case,’’ he claimed in the mail.

Islamic Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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Bangladeshi killed in street mugging

A 30 year-old Bangladeshi man was killed this morning in Maafanu Carnation Magu in Male’ after being stabbed in the chest during what is thought to have been an attempted mugging.

According to police, the incident took place at about 7am and the man died shortly afterward while undergoing treatment at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

No arrests have been in connection to the case yet, a police media official said.

Residents of the area told Minivan News that two men attempted to the rob the Bangladeshi of his backpack and Nokia mobile phone and he was stabbed when he fought back.

“People from the neighbourhood came out when they heard him screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’,” a woman who wished to remain anonymous recounted. “There was blood on the middle of the road and his insides had spilled out.”

She claimed that while police arrived on the scene promptly, it was only 30 minutes later that the victim was taken to the hospital.

But, a police media official denied the accusation, claiming that “police went to the scene and did the necessary checks and he was taken to the hospital as quickly as possible; it can’t have been 30 minutes.”

None of the residents who witnessed the aftermath saw the assailants.

A Bangladeshi in the area claimed that the victim was on his way to work after having breakfast when he was attacked by ‘parteys’ (drug addicts).

“A few days ago, two of them stole my phone when I was in front of the house,” he said. “It is not safe for us here anymore.”

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Salaf organising ‘Creed’ workshop to strengthen Maldivians’ faith

Religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf has announced it will hold a two-day workshop called ‘Creed’ to strengthen the faith of Maldivians and to brief the participants about the ‘true methodology of religion’.

Salaf said that President of the NGO Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Ibrahim, Sheikh Ali Zahir Bin Saeed Gasim, Sheikh Adam Shameem Bin Ibrahim, Sheikh Hassan Moosa Fikry and Sheikh Ahmed Sameer Ibrahim will brief the participants of the workshop.

Spokesperson of Salaf Ibrahim Mohamed said that the participants will be instructed on five main topics.

‘’Creed, rights of Allah, comparative religion, how to act on controversial issues and the Sunnah of prophet,’’ said Ibrahim. “We will brief the students at a basic level.’’

The NGO said that the workshop was aimed at people of all ages, male and female.

The workshop is due to be held on 26th of November, certificates will be awarded to those who take part in the workshop, said Salaf.

Recently Salaf organised a religious camp named ‘Hijra’.

“The camp was very very successful, there were nearly 70 participants,” said Ibrahim.

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Football star caught with local girl escapes family fury

Football star Ahmed ‘Ammaday’ Mohamed, captain of the New Radiant Football Club, was caught with a girl inside his room on Maalhos in North Ari Atoll leading to a disturbance involving family members of the girl and other islanders.

An islander who witnessed the incident said that the girl was 18 years-old.

“A group of young boys on the island noticed the girl’s behaviour was odd and followed her secretly to find out what she was about,’’ he said. “They discovered the girl went inside the room of visiting football star Ahmed Mohamed, and so they phoned the girl’s family.’’

A short while later, members of the alerted family went to the house and peeped through an opening in the wall.

“Her brother knocked on the door and tried to kick down the door, but it was locked. They were both stuck inside the room,’’ the witness said. “In the meantime, Ahmed called a group in the island and a second group of  men armed with sticks and knives arrived at the place to stop the girl’s family members.’’

After the girl’s family demanded that she come out, he continued, a person with a key to the room opened it and the girl came out leaving Ahmed inside.

“The girl’s brother then assaulted her, leaving her with bruises,’’ the islander said. “The man left that same night.”

According to the islander, Ahmed Mohamed was staying on the island to play for a football tournament held during the Eid holidays.

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Rehabilitation and housing vital to combat Male’s youth crime, say police

The Maldives Police Service has backed claims by the country’s Housing Minister that congested living conditions in Male’ are proving to be a major contributor to ongoing youth crime, though the organisation adds that addressing the issue of rehabilitation for young offenders is just as big a concern.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam accepted that high levels of congestion resulting from large numbers of people travelling and settling in the capital has led to little living space for many youngsters, who are being left to aimlessly roam the capital’s streets.

The comments follow claims last week by Home Minister Mohamed Shihab suggesting that escalating crime rates in the capital were a result of insufficient housing conditions that have made young people more susceptible to criminal activity out whilst in Male’.

“When we were young, we could play indoors. We did not have to go out. Now we are forced to go out and meet up with a gang and are caught up in a hassle,” Shihab was reported as saying in Haveeru. “Crime-free places do not exist now. But our living conditions are forcing us to walk into gangs.”

In response to these comments, Shiyam said that the capital is becoming increasingly cramped as more and more people travel to Male’ from outlying islands for work, often leaving young people little alternative than to head out aimlessly onto the streets. It is this aimlessness that the police spokesperson claims young people are increasingly telling officers was the main reason for them running into trouble with the law.

While not every person out on the streets is prone to taking part in criminal acts, in cases where an individual is convicted of involvement in civil disturbances, Shiyam noted that accruing a criminal record for drugs or other civil offences can make it extremely difficult to secure jobs or rehabilitation in the future.

He added that the country’s police force alone is not able to combat these issues, it has launched some programmes in an attempt to rehabilitate young men of between 12 to 14 years of age that have been involved in criminal or possible gang activity.

Some of the schemes being adopted by the police included literally taking young offenders off the streets of Male’ to more secluded island environments in attempts to try and engage different types of learning and cultural experiences.

“Sometimes when we take [young people] to separated and secluded islands, we find these boys do not even know how to pray,” he added.

The police spokesperson explained that additional skills such as computing, photography and art are also being taught to try and encourage a more productive or practical interest in society.

Shiyam claimed the police were having “great success” in running these rehabilitation and activity programmes with young people, although similar programmes with older offenders were not yet being undertaken.

He added that government institutions such as the Ministry of Human Resources Youth and Sports also have similar mandates for providing rehabilitation and activity programmes to try and ensure that young people have options available to them. For those that do get in trouble with the law, the police spokesperson says he remains hopeful that more projects to try to train and rehabilitate young people will be put into practice in the next few years.

It is not just local authorities that are concerned about the impact of Male’s congested housing on young people.

Executive Producer for the Maldives Nation Broadcast Corporation (MNBC)’s Youth TV service, Ibrahim Muaz, said he agreed that congested housing conditions in the capital were certainly exacerbating unrest and discontent among young people.

However, Muaz added that “it was unfair to marginalise young people as the sole perpetrators of crime in the Maldives.”

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Comment: Maldives no paradise for victimised young people

The Maldives is often described as ‘paradise’ or ‘heaven’, or is often described as the most peaceful and most beautiful nation in the world.

We have white sandy beaches, coconut palm trees hanging their leaves to the sea, as seen in the pictures, and the charming view of the sunset.

And this nation is also largely considered by the international community to be one of the best countries for freedom and rights.

Now let’s take a glance inside the so-called ‘paradise’ and see what we find. I am a Maldivian and I love this nation with all my heart. However, the truth will remain as the truth, although most of them try to hide it… forgive me and my words as I continue.

The constitution of the Maldives is just a bunch of words put together in a book with a green cover. In other words, its just an image portrayed to the international community, to show them how much the government pays attention for the rights of the citizens and for the freedom of the citizens. And also to show how democratic the society is.

Believe it or not, we do not have even one third of the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the constitution.

Seeing the chapter on freedom and rights – the second chapter of the constitution – brought comfort to a lot of citizens. Well, it did comfort the citizens before we realised it is guaranteed not for the poor ordinary citizens, but only for the wealthy and high-profile people of the nation.

More than half of the youth are into drugs, one way or another. Either dealing it or using it. You all know this is to be true.

The police have no idea how to deal with this issue. The only solution they apply is intimidation, harsh words, handcuffs and batons.

As a matter-of-fact, police have developed a nasty habit of arresting kids roaming the streets.

Police keep these arrested kids in detention for 23 hours and releases them presenting them face justice. Where is the article 45 of the constitution? Article 45: “Everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained, arrested or imprisoned.”

I would like to tell Commissioner of Police Mohamed Faseeh that this is not helping. In fact, it makes the situation of Male’ worse day by day. They cannot be stopped using that method. Think twice Mr Faseeh. If it could prevent the crimes, there would be no more gangs in Male’ because every time police conduct operations, hundreds are arrested and released. The ultimate price of it is ‘nothing’.

Most of the arrested kids are presented with wide opportunities to engage in crimes and gangs during their 23 hours stay behind the bars. The people they meet behind the bars become very friendly.

I have witnessed, on more than one night, kids sitting in public areas being arrested on no charges and being released after 23 hours without being presented to court. Their whole life shatters after being victimised by such a police ‘special operation’.

His family disowns him for bringing disgrace to the family. What other choice does he have? Other than joining the friends police forced him to meet behind the bars?

These kids are helpless. They live in tiny little congested houses with their entire family. They have no place to lie down inside their homes. That forces them to roam around, to sit on public benches. But if they get arrested while sitting there, where is the article 32 of the constitution? Article 32: “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly without prior permission of the State.”

I have seen some of them refusing arrest as they have not committed any offense. However, the police warns them they have the power to arrest, and that for demanding for their freedom and rights, one can be arrested for 23 hours.

Our little green book includes the phrases “unlawful arrest” and “unlawful order”. Article 64: “No employee of the State shall impose any orders on a person except under authority of a law. Everyone has the right not to obey an unlawful order.”

In the meantime, the real gangsters have been at large. They have been progressing their work and have built nests not only in the capital city Male’ but also in other islands. It is public knowledge. As a result, there has been a significant and notable increase in the crime rate across the islands very recently.

Crimes are increasing at a steady rate. Gangs spreading their work nationwide.

It’s about time the police took appropriate measures on this issue for sake of the future of our next generation. The political parties and MPs can’t deal with these issues as they are too busy with their own wars.

The law enforcing agency’s pathetic manner of dealing with the issue will never solve it either. The police may think their aggressiveness and hostile actions towards these boys will assist them. If you think so, you’ve got it so wrong.

It only encourages them to challenge the police. If the police confront them thisway, I am sure they would never give up, they would rather suffer a broken rib. Hostile action and aggressiveness is not the answer to our problems. The other day you release them, they will be out there again.

Police officers also need to improve their own ethics before they are sent out to correct others’ mistakes. I have met females who complain that it is common practice for police officers patrolling the streets to stop by and whistle at young woman on the streets. To me that’s inexplicably disgraceful.

Police officers speak rudely, to show people they are powerful. Yes, you are and we know that. We wonder how many lives of innocent kids you will ruin before you catch one single criminal.

The wisest of us Maldivians would leave the country. Do not even think of the word ‘enjoy’ while you are living here. One could be arrested for having a chat with a friend in a public place. When the police say jump, you just ask “how high?”.

The articles stated in our constitution are very sophisticated, but we do not get to taste the sweetness of it. Article 63 of the constitution states: “Any law or part of any law contrary to the fundamental rights or freedoms guaranteed by this Chapter shall be void or void to the extent of such inconsistency.”

So I doubt if the police law is valid. I do not know what will be your perspective. I just exercise my right to express my opinion when I feel it’s time.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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