Day: September 29, 2010

Internet and ignorance to blame for religious extremism in the Maldives, says Dr Bari

Religious extremism in the Maldives is the long-term result of the previous government’s repression of religious debate and learning, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari has said.

“As Muslims, Maldivians were keen to learn about Islam”, Dr Bari told Minivan News. The country’s education system as well as certain government policies, however, shut the door to such knowledge.

Dr Bari said many Maldivians were forced to travel abroad to seek religious enlightenment, and several ended up at the “wrong type” of institutions.

Some Maldivians attended the religious schools or ‘madhrasaas’ of Pakistan, targeted in the US-led War on Terror as ‘breeding grounds’ for terrorists. In addition to those indoctrinated at the madhrasaas, Dr Bari said, several Maldivian extremists were radicalised over the internet.

Dr Bari’s conclusion that some Maldivian extremists were radicalised online is in line with emerging Western literature on the subject as well as new anti-radicalisation laws in the West.

The Violent Radicalisation and Homegrown Terrorism Act 2007 passed by the United States House of Representatives, for example, identifies the internet as one of the main tools through which extremists spread their ideology.

The export of Dr Bari’s approach to rehabilitation was recently discussed on the popular American news blog, The Huffington Post.

Although Dr Bari was quoted in the article as having said his programme was successful in rehabilitating “hard-core terrorists”, he clarified that it was aimed at extremists.

“There are no hard-core terrorists in the Maldives. There are extremists, but no terrorists”, Dr Bari said.

The line between terrorists and extremists are too often blurred in both Western media and its policies, he added, as could be seen in the US-led military invasion of Afghanistan.

Dr Bari’s own definition of a ‘terrorist’ is “someone who commits violence against innocent people in the pursuit of a certain goal”. Harming innocent people, be it during peacetime or war, Dr Bari said, “is against the teachings of Islam.”

“If an American in the Maldives was harmed by someone who is angry with the policies of its government, that would be wrong”, he said. As practising Muslims, Maldivians should welcome and protect visiting Americans as they cannot be blamed for their government’s policies, he said.

The only known incident where extremists had crossed the line into terrorism in the Maldives was the bombings at Sultan Park in September 2007.

The confrontation between extremists and police in Himandhoo in October 2007, he said, may have been officially categorised as ‘terrorism’ but it was not a terrorist inciden t:”It was a violent confrontation that could have been avoided had there been discussion and dialogue.”

How to deradicalise

Dialogue is key to Dr Bari’s approach to the rehabilitation or de-radicalisation of extremists.

“We approach known extremists on friendly terms. Ministry-appointed scholars make the initial contact with known fundamentalists, meet them on their own terms and establish a rapport. This is followed by discussion and dialogue through which they come to realise that, in many cases, they have been misinformed about the teachings of Islam”, Dr Bari said.

All the people who were involved in the confrontation at Himnadhoo have now “fully reintegrated” into the community as a result of the programme, he said.

Dr Bari was unable to determine how many people in the Maldives have been categorised as ‘extremists’ in the Maldives. Neither was he able to provide the criteria used to define a person as an extremist: “It can be seen from a person’s behaviour. What they say and what they do”.

Dr Bari earned his doctorate at the University in Saudi Arabia’s Islamic University of Al-Madinah, focusing his research on a critical analysis of Fath al-Bari’s commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari.

Asked if religious discussion and debate should now be allowed more freely given the consequences of repression in the past, Dr Bari replied that any such debate “should be within Islam.”

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Failing to make Hay in the sunshine

Despite the lineup of international literary luminaries, ticket sales for October’s Hay Festival Maldives, the first Dhivehi ‘Woodstock of the mind’, are so dismal organisers are reluctant to divulge the exact figures. Less than ten were sold on the first day the tickets went on sale, and the daily sales figure has remained unchanged since.

The national and international line-up is impressive, the venue is Aarah, and the tickets cost a Rf100 for two days of literature, music and intellectual discussion. It is billed as a celebration of the ‘world’s most hopeful new democracies and oldest island cultures’ bringing together international and national artists for ‘a festival of ideas’.

“As a new democracy, the Maldives is the logical setting for the vital debates that affect us all,” President Nasheed said of the Festival.

Reading habits and local education levels suggest the logic maybe flawed.

What do Maldivians read?

Although the international authors lined up by the Hay Festival are all relevant to the emerging democracy of the Maldives, none of their books are available in any of the bookshops in Male’.

Enthusiastic Maldivian volunteers organising the event told Minivan all the books will be available from Aster’s bookshop before the Festival begins. For the moment, none of their work can be bought in a Maldivian bookshop. The National Library is currently closed, and Minivan could not check whether it stocks the books.

Without getting into a debate over what can and cannot be classified as ‘serious literature’, a random sample of bookshops in Male’ reveal their shelves to be almost entirely bare of any fiction at all, let alone any great works of literature or the works of the authors participating in the Festival.

The Minivan survey revealed the most recently opened bookshop in Male’ to be its the most well-stocked in terms of literature – it had a copy of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Harper Lee’s classic ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ as well as a few children’s classics, a few Roald Dahls, almost all the Harry Potter books, and a vast collection of Enid Blyton.

American teenage sensations Hannah Montana and Mary-Kate Ashley filled the remaining shelves, along with copies of four books on Maldivian law written by the proprietor.

The one and only bookshop in Hulhumale’ carried one book of fiction for adults written in English – ‘Three sexy tales: Playing Hard to get’ by Grace Octavia – according to the blurb, a ‘chic tale’ of three New York ‘It Girls’ and their lives.

There too, was a collection of Enid Blyton and the same American teenage fiction as the previous bookshop.

None of the local authors billed at the Hay Festival – Abdulla Sadiq, Habeeba Hussain Habeeb or Fathimath Nahula – featured on its shelves. The only Maldivian literature were religious publications promoting spiritual guidance.

What can Maldivians read?

Only one percent of all Maldivian students are interested in the arts. Less than a quarter have shown an interest in science, while more than half pursue commercial subjects, according to 2008 O’Level exam figures published by the Education Ministry.

If less than one percent of Maldivian students are interested in the arts, it indicates that only a minuscule number of Maldivians will grow up to be interested in literature, music, art, film, poetry or any of the activities that the Hay Festival celebrates. Had science had a stronger pull, perhaps the line-up of world-class environmental writers may have drawn a bigger crowd.

Although 90 percent of students sat the compulsory subject of English as a Second Language, only 0.1 percent took the English Language exam. The number of students who took the literature exam was marginally higher at 0.2 percent.

Of the 90 percent of students who did study English as a second language, only 20 percent passed. It was also English as a Second Language that received the most number of ‘U’s meaning ‘Unclassified’ or ‘Ungraded’ in 2008. In the same year, over 24 percent of students who sat the O’levels did not pass any subjects at all.

The ‘logic’ of choosing Maldives as a venue for the Hay Festival, a celebration of some of the best international and local literature, appears less than clear cut in view of local reading habits and education levels.

Full schedule of the Hay Festival Maldives

Day passes are on sale at the Olympus Theatre in Male’, and available online for non-residents.

For more information call 991 1429 (residents), +44 1497 822 629 (international), or email [email protected]

Minivan News is a media partner of the Hay Festival Maldives.

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Surge in Chinese arrivals just a passing fad, cautions MATI

China has eclipsed the traditional European tourism markets of the Maldives to become the highest contributor of tourist arrivals to the country, but that gain is unlikely to last, says the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI).

Figures from the Ministry of Tourism indicate that that 15.3 percent of all arrivals this year originated from China – a staggering growth rate of 137 percent compared to the first eight months of 2009.

UK arrivals, traditionally the Maldives’ greatest market, sits at 14.9 percent followed by Italy at 12.6 percent. Average length of stay has dropped to 7.7 days, compared to the same period 8.1 last year.

Secretary General of MATI, Sim Mohamed Ibrahim, told Minivan News that Chinese tourists regarded the Maldives as a “novelty” destination, and that the growth would not last.

“The Chinese can swamp a destination in terms of numbers, but this is not the tourism the Maldives is about. Our product attracts sunseekers – Europeans,” he said.

“The Chinese who come do not come for the sun and the beach – they come because the Maldives is a novelty, a safe destination, and because of their new-found freedom to travel. Resorts are saying there are not many repeat visitors from China.”

Sim said that while it was “a good thing” that the spike in Chinese arrivals had filled in a seasonal gap in the market, Chinese tourists were comparatively low “yield” compared to other markets.

“137 percent growth is huge, but that’s heads-on-beds,” Sim said. This had not “had the impact on yield as much as it should” because of lower-than-average length of stays, uptake of full board packages and a general disinclination among Chinese visitors to spend on resort restaurants, bars and excursions.

“What we’ve seen January to August is that while most traditional markets have grown, except Italy, there hasn’t been much difference in arrivals figures from Jan-August last year. But Germany, France and the UK are all registering growth and picking up.”

Seasonal dips in the Maldives market during warmer months in the northern hemisphere have historically been filled with the arrival of Russians and Japanese, Sim explained.

“he Japanese market is not growing – it used to be a good market but it hasn’t been showing growth, and we need to do more work in Japan,” he said.

Early visitors from Russia used to be among the highest yield tourists, “but they have since become more seasonal like everyone else.”

“South Africa would be a good market for us, but it requires good flight connections, perhaps via Mumbai.”

The Maldives was proving a victim of fashions in the travel industry, Sim noted, particularly in the high-end segment.

“Right now the Seychelles and Mauritius are in fashion. We haven’t done much in terms of destination marketing, and we have lost the buzz we used to have. We have no new products that people can afford, there’s been mismanagement of the local economy, and it’s been hard for the new government to put things back together,” he said.

“Environmental doomsday messages” had not helped attract investors either, he added.

“Hopefully the new budget will have more money for destination marketing.”

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Three suspects arrested in Manik murder investigation

Police have arrested three individuals in connection with the alleged murder of oil businessman Hussain Mohamed Manik, who found dead inside an abandoned house on Hoarafushi in Haa Alifu Atoll yesterday.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said it was “too early in the investigation for police to release information”, however newspaper Haveeru published the names of those it claimed were the suspects and said they were Hoarafushi natives of 18-25 years of age.

Manik”s alleged murder has gripped the country and triggered uproar among the islanders, who have blamed the incident on gang attacks and set several huts on fire in retaliation.

Media reported yesterday that Manik’s hands were tied behind his back with rope, and that the body was lying on the ground in a prone position when discovered. An island official told Minivan News that there were no injuries on the outside the body.

President Mohamed Nasheed has meanwhile issued a statement of condolences to members of the bereaved family, while the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has “strongly condemned the violation of the right to life”, and called on “concerned state institutions” to “take strong action against such inhuman activities.”

Islanders have reported that oil is unobtainable on Hoarafushi since Manik’s death.

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MNDF denies threatening DRP MP and head of FAM

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has denied threatening to set fire to the car of DRP MP and Football Association head Ali Azim.
The media reported allegations by Azim that the MNDF had threatened him after the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) decided not to allow any of the Force’s teams to participate in their tournaments.
“It is false to say MNDF threatened him, I am totally sure that MNDF would never fall to such a low level,’’ MNDF spokesperson Major Abdul Raheem told Minivan News. “All the telephones here are easily accessible to almost all the staff, so it is possible that a staff member working here called him and made the threat.’’

He said that did not mean that it was an “official call” from the MNDF.

‘’It is very difficult to track down the person who called, but MNDF and the police are trying to figure it out,’’ Raheem said.

“Although we were all demoralised by the decision of FAM to disallow our participation in the tournaments, we would not do something like this,” he said. “We eagerly want to take part in the FAM tournaments and we are still trying for it.’’

Everything the MNDF did to regain access to the tournament would be conducted in accordance with the laws.

Azim had told local newspapers that a number belonging to the MNDF contacted his brother and threatened that his car will be set on fire.

‘’The phone call was made from an MNDF number to Mohamed Shiyaz [brother of Azim]. The caller said they had been trying to get in touch to me, and told him to tell me  they will set fire to my car,’’ Azim told the media.

Haveeru called the number and found it belonged to the MNDF’s communication department.

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Adhaalath Party protests decision to mix males and females in schools

The Adhaalath Party is to take urgent action against the government’s decision to provide secondary and primary education at the main schools in Male’.
Mixing genders and various age-groups will lead to social and disciplinary problems, Adhaalath foresees.
At an urgent meeting held last night, Adhaalath declared the Education Ministry’s decision to provide both primary and secondary education at all main schools in Male’ as “wrongful”.

According to Adhaalath, it is one of many such “wrongful decisions” that include “making Islam and Dhivehi optional subjects”, and “differential treatment against Arabiyya School”.

Changing the boys-only Majeediyya School and the girls-only Ameeniyya School to mixed-gender schools is the latest among the line of “wrongful decisions” that, Adhaalath said, involved misleading parents and working against the management of schools.

“Unisex schools and mixing different age groups could lead to potential social and discipline issues”, Adhaalath said. The party has decided to meet the government’s concerned authorities first and issue a press statement using information from surveys conducted by Americans and Western countries on co-education.

Adhaalath’s urgent action would involve bring the issue to the attention of parents and meeting political parties, NGOs and Parent Teacher Associations (PTA).

Deputy Minister of Education Dr Abdulla Nazeer said the ministry has not decided to mix female and male students in the secondary grades.

“But we have decided to establish primary grades in all the schools,’’ Nazeer said. ‘’So Majeediyya School, Dharumavantha, Ameeniyya and Hiriya will no longer be solely for Secondary education.’’

Secondary education will be provided in all the primary schools as well.

‘’It is in the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) manifesto to change every school to a place where secondary and primary grades are available and to change all schools to one session.’’

Currently only male students can join Majeediyya and Dharumavantha while only females can join Ameeniyya and Hiriya school. They teach grade eight, nine and ten, the final three years leading up to GCE O’Levels.

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Sale of oil terminates in Hoarafushi after businessman murdered

The sale of oil in Hoarafushi in Haa Dhaalu Atoll has ceased following the death prominent businessman Hussain Mohamed Manik, reports daily newspaper Haveeru.

Haveeru reported that sales had ended as there was no other oil businessman on the island.

The body of the businessman was discovered in an abandoned house in Hoarafushi yesterday morning, and police believe he was murdered.

A special squad of police attended the island for investigation yesterday afternoon.

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HRCM create human rights awareness in Nadella

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has been visiting the island of Nadella in Gaaf Dhaal Atoll to create awareness among the islanders of human rights issues, reports Miadhu.

At a two-day workshop held on the island in association with its Island Development Society, HRCM instructed local NGOs as well as youth and parents on human rights issues.

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Germany and Maldives making progress on joint environmental project

Germany and the Maldives are in discussions regarding the development of a joint environmental project, reports the President’s Office.

An appraisal mission from the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) is currently in the Maldives and met with President Nasheed yesterday, together with German Ambassador to the Maldives Jens Plötner.

President Nasheed discussed the possibilities of low carbon development with Ambassador Plötner and the GTZ team, and thanked Germany for its commitment to the realisation of such potential in the Maldives, reports the President’s Office.

GTZ, a German federal organisation, is currently in the process of assessing how best to create an administrative framework in the Maldives that would help facilitate low carbon development projects in the country.

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