Month: January 2012

Comment: Maldivians helping 700,000 non-Muslims go to hell every year

As all of us know very well, we Maldivians are a pious Muslim community who have it enshrined in our constitution that to be a Maldivian necessarily means to be a Muslim. If we give up our Muslim identity, our rights as a Maldivian citizen are taken away automatically.

How this has been accommodated within the framework of the International Convention on Human Rights (of which we are a signatory) is still a mystery to me. For it says that every human being has the right to the freedom of conscience. And what is freedom of conscience if we cannot choose our religion?

Recently I found myself discussing the issue with some friends and we thought of a scenario where a Maldivian waiter is serving non-Muslims in a resort. The waiter will serve all alcoholic beverages that the guests (referred in this article as non-Muslims) request for. He will also catch glimpses of them wearing bikinis and frolicking about in the white sandy beaches. And yet, he himself is strictly prohibited from any such behavior, not only because of his job description as a waiter, but because, if he chooses to engage in any of these activities he is facilitating his guests with, he will find himself a criminal. I told my friends that I found this contradiction a bit troublesome. I understand that some Maldivians justify this state of things by citing various reasons.

Even though the Maldivian constitution was last revised as recently as 2008, it clearly states that a Maldivian citizen can only be a Muslim. And from this follows other laws and regulations which prohibit Maldivians from consumption of alcohol and any other behavior that is deemed outside of the Muslim moral code. And tourism regulation in the country is perhaps a good example of this. We facilitate tourists to travel thousands of miles and spend as much dollars to travel to the beautiful islands of the Maldives (of which we are the inhabitants) and do things we believe will only take them closer to hell; drink alcohol, engage in sex outside marriage, wear revealing clothes in public, etc. So we have a situation where we ourselves refrain from the bad things but actually help others who do not belong to our community to do these very sinful things. The same laws of the land has different provisions to different persons, and while some laws describe us as having certain unalienable rights, others deny us those very same rights.

I have often thought of bringing this up with the MPs that represent the community I live in, who are individuals vested with the responsibility to scrutinize the laws of the country so as to make them more compatible with our beliefs and outlook. However, after seeing them on TV recently and hearing them speak on the radio, I have come to the conclusion that a majority of these MPs will not warm up to such an idea. I find some of them highly insular and provincial. And sometimes I wonder what they are trying to achieve by being in the parliament.

A friend recently commented that ‘Maldivians are the niggers of this country’, encapsulating the feelings I have tried to state above. He was referring to the black Americans in USA who were deprived of even the basic human rights until the Civil Rights Movement. It is one thing to have attitudes about things, but it is quite another to enshrine them in the highest code of regulation for a community, the Constitution.

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President appoints new Financial Controller

President Mohamed Nasheed appointed Mohamed Ahmed as the new Financial Controller at the Ministry of Finance and Treasury during a ceremony this morning.

Mohamed Ahmed, who was serving as deputy finance minister, replaces Ahmed Assad who resigned from the post in November.

He had also served as Financial Controller before Assad was appointed to the post in April 2011.

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ACC files against Home Ministry over office partitions

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a corruption case with the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office on Tuesday against certain members of the Home Ministry’s Tender Evaluation Board.

The case accuses members of engaging in “unlawful practices” while evaluating bids to set up partitions in the ministry’s office, located on the tenth floor of the Velaanage office complex.

The case accuses State Home Minister Mohamed Mahir Easa, Maimoona Ahmed of Henveiru Mahaasa, Hamid Yousuf of Zeelithan/Raa atoll Hulhudhuffaru, Ahmed Shareef Nafees of Dhaftharu 1119, Ahmed Ishaq of Galolhu Cherry, Hussein Rasheed Yousuf of Dhaftharu 2065 and Mohamed Adam of Machangoalhi Maanika, Haveeru reports.

According to the ACC, marks were given for experience not conforming with the criteria stated in the information leaflet for setting up partitions, Haveeru reports.

The case has been filed under Article 12(a) of the Anti-Corruption Act.

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MATI continues civil court case to determine legality of spa ban

Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) has revealed it will continue its case at the Civil Court questioning the government’s right to close resort spas, while the government yesterday lifted the nationwide ban on spas and massage parlors.

The controversial circular issued by the Tourism Ministry on 29 December 2011 ordering that spas be shut down was cancelled by a civil court injunction last night – a few hours after President Mohamed Nasheed ordered that the spas be re-opened to prevent further damage to the economy.

The government had earlier asked the Supreme Court to provide clarity on the legality of operating spas and the sale of alcohol and pork, as the constitution requires Maldives to comply with the tenets of Islam.

Speaking to Minivan News, MATI Secretary General Sim Ibrahim Mohamed pointed out that the court’s ruling was temporary, and that the spas would only remain open while cases in the Supreme and Civil courts on the matter await verdicts.

MATI claims that an agreement between the resorts and the government was violated.

“Spa facilities are approved by the Ministry of Tourism, and promoted by MMPRC (Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation). We are trying to find out if the government had the authority to close the spas in the first place,” he explained.

He insisted that the government’s decision had incurred “irrevocable damage” to the tourism industry and had become a “legal issue to which we are trying to find legal clarity.”

However, in the event that the court rules against the government’s actions, Sim was unsure if the government would be required to compensate for losses to the industry.

MATI’s lawyer and Former Attorney General Azima Shukoor observed that the resorts would be able to sue the government for damages, if the case is ruled in favor of MATI.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released a statement today quoting Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem, who claimed that the Government’s decision to re-open the spas operating in the country reflects the emerging national consensus that the Maldives should continue to follow the moderate and tolerant religious path it has pursued ever since Islam was introduced 800 years ago.

”Naseem expressed hope for a positive ruling from the Supreme Court on the matter,” the statement read. ”The Supreme Court ruling, once and for all, would settle the question of whether the Maldives wants to remain a modern, tolerant Muslim country founded upon democratic values and human rights, or would chose to become otherwise.”

According to the statement Naseem reassured investors with business interests in the Maldives and foreign tourists visiting the country that the government would remain steadfast in ensuring economic security and stability while upholding the fundamental values of democracy.

The Foreign Ministry added due to the judiciary’s delayed verdict, and given that public support for the moderate, tolerant Islam traditionally practiced in the Maldives had risen over the extremist rhetoric, the government had decided to remove the temporary spa ban.

”Naseem stressed that the government’s decision [to reopen spas] was backed by a clear majority of Maldivians who wished to continue to follow the path of moderation,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

As the government and public awaits a ruling from the top court, President Mohamed Nasheed said yesterday that the ultimatum on spa operations “woke the nation from its slumber and sparked a healthy debate about the future direction of the country”.

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20-year-old man arrested for secretly filming girls in shower

Police have arrested an islander of Manadhoo in Noonu Atoll after he allegedly filmed three young girls living in the island while they were showering inside their house bathroom.

A Police spokesperson told Minivan News that the man arrested was 20 year sold.

”Police received reports that there has been some videos of girls captured and we questioned the suspect,” he said. ”He was arrested after police got enough evidence that the allegations could be true.”

He said police searched other houses in the island following the incident.

”He is currently under arrest in detention,” he said.

Minivan News understands that the girls filmed were three underage girls.

Manadhoo Council President Ibrahim Naseer told Minivan News that the young man had placed camera inside the bathrooms of the girls’ houses.

He said the videos were captured on different days and that all the videos were found stored in his computer.

Naseer told the media that the videos were first seen by the man’s brother.

In October last year a similar incident occurred on Filladhoo in Haa Alifu Atoll where the police arrested three youths on the island after they allegedly recorded and released explicit footage of islanders bathing with spy cameras.

Islanders told the police at the time that the suspects had deliberately targeted adolescent girls at the local school, with one of the videos reportedly showing a 17-year-old girl having a shower.

The bathrooms of many local houses on islands are traditionally unroofed, however following last year’s incident a number of islanders have begun roofing their bathrooms, reports indicate.

The three youths were arrested after nude videos of girls from the island were found on a hard disk.

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ACC investigates Ministry of Human Resources over recruitment agency licenses

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched an investigation into the Ministry of Human Resources’ decision to license certain recruitment agencies which are blacklisted.

ACC Commissioner Hassan Luthfee said the case involved reissuing recruitment licenses to blacklisted agencies but did not provide further details, Haveeru reports.

Agency licenses were revoked when the agencies illegally recruited expatriate workers.

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Islamic Foundation donates food aid to Somalia

Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM) has donated vital food aid to over 80,000 victims of famine in the drought-stricken Somalia.

In a press statement released today, the religious NGO claimed that the food aid which included rice, flour, sugar, dates and cooking oil was handed over to 84,040 Somalis. Most recipients were women, children and the elderly.

According to IFM, food items worth Rf365, 203 (US$23,683) were equally distributed among 10,050 households belonging to the four worst hit areas: Bay, Bakool, Lower Shabelle and Banadir.

During the last quarter of 2011, an IFM official went to Somalia and dispersed the aid with the help of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), the statement noted.

The UN has officially declared six parts of Somalia to be suffering from famine amid the worst drought in east Africa for 60 years.

“The Somalia crisis is everybody’s responsibility and Somalis need support now. We cannot afford to wait or we will let down the Somali people,” said Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia.

According to Bowden, more than half of Somalia’s 10 million people who are in dire need of help “will die without assistance”, while tens of thousands, including children, have already died of starvation.

The drought in East Africa has put an estimated 11 million people at risk. Suffering decades of relentless conflict, Somalia is the worst-hit country in the region.

Somalia’s south are experience the worst cases of famine, particularly the regions of Lower Shabelle, Middle and Lower Juba, Bay, Bakool, Benadir, Gedo and Hiraan, where the UN says an estimated 310,000 now suffer from acute malnutrition.

Meanwhile the UN has appealed for $1.5 billion for 2012, warning that the humanitarian crisis gripping millions of Somalis will persist for the coming months.

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Swedish death metal band Opeth comes to Maldives

Swedish heavy metal band Opeth will perform live in the Maldives on February 7 at Dharubaaruge in capital Male as part of its Asian tour.

Opeth agreed to play in the Maldives after Maldivian heavy metal band Nothnegal contacted its manager Northern Music Company.

The band previously played in India, however the Asian tour will take Opeth to new audiences in China, Taiwan and South Korea, said managing director Andrew Farrow.

In its lengthy compositions Opeth fuses progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz elements with black metal and death metal. The band has released ten studio albums, three live DVDs, three live albums, and two box sets.

The current lineup includes Mikael Åkerfeldt (lead vocals, guitars), Martin Mendez (bass guitar), Martin “Axe” Axenrot (drums, percussion), Fredrik Åkesson (guitars, backing vocals) and Joakim Svalberg (keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals, percussion.

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Government lifts week-long ban on resort spas, massage parlors

The government has lifted a controversial nationwide ban on spas and massage parlors with immediate effect while it awaits a ruling from the Supreme Court over the legality of spa operations and sale of pork and alcohol in resorts.

The announcement was made by President Mohamed Nasheed during a press conference today at Kurumba Island Resort, the country’s first resort which opened in 1972.

The week-long ban, which has made headlines in both local and international media, was lifted “because the government does not want the economy to suffer any damage during the time Supreme Court takes to come to a decision,” President Nasheed said.

Sale of pork and alcohol would also continue while other goods and services “such as casinos” demanded by the tourists, said Nasheed, would be allowed under the Contraband Act of 1975 until a judicial declaration is reached.

As the Maldivian constitution states that “Islam shall be one of the basis of all the laws of the Maldives” and prohibits the enactment of any laws “contrary to any tenet of Islam”, Nasheed said that the Tourism Ministry requested advice on legality of spa operations and sale of pork and alcohol at the recently-concluded ‘Islamic Scholars Symposium.’

However the scholars recommended that the government seek a judicial declaration, he revealed. Nasheed urged the apex court to settle the dispute in the near future.

Asked if the ban was necessary, Nasheed responded that the move was prompted by allegations made at the December 23 ‘Defend Islam’ demonstration.

Nasheed also dismissed opposition parties’ contention that the government should bear full responsibility for the economic consequences, arguing that “in a democracy, it is difficult to decide who’s responsible”, though conceding that the tourism sector’s reputation has been damaged in the process.

“We wanted to impress upon everyone where the opposition’s demands were ultimately going to end,” Nasheed explained.

The government’s ultimatum “woke the nation from its slumber and sparked a healthy national debate about the future direction of the country,” he insisted.

“The extremist demonstration on 23 December attracted a sizeable crowd. But their radical demands awoke the silent majority who categorically reject extremism,” Nasheed said.

The reason Maldives tourism industry have flourished for years, said Nasheed, is because the sector has been “free from religious fundamentalist demands.”

Referring to controversy over allowing Israeli airlines to operate flights to the Maldives, President Nasheed said that the tourist arrivals would be adversely affected “if we start saying that only certain nationals or certain airlines can come to Maldives,” noting that a sizable portion of tourists were Jewish.

The government’s decision rests on a decision made by parliament on recommendations by its National Security Committee, he said.

The December 23 religious rally organised by a coalition of NGOs and opposition parties was the “biggest use of religion as a political tool” in Maldivian history, Nasheed contended.

“We all must know such fundamentalist demands will damage the Maldives tourism industry’s [image] in the international community,” he said. “News will not always reach the international community in the way we prefer.”

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