US Islamic scholar Yasir Qadhi has annnounced he will be visiting the Maldives, with the Islamic ministry confirming that he will be both lecturing and delivering the Friday sermon during March.
“I will be coming down to your beautiful islands in a few months insha Allah! I will be delivering some lectures in Male and giving the khutbah,” explained the Saudi-trained scholar via his Facebook page.
“I have heard so much about your country (and one of my good friends from the University of Madinah was from Maldives as well!),” he explained before inquiring which of the country’s islands was most suitable for Muslims.
Qadhi – currently teaching in Memphis, Tennessee – has been described by the New York Times as “one of the most influential conservative clerics in American Islam”.
Recent months have also seen Canadian scholar Dr Bilal Phillips and Turkish author Harun Yahya travel to the Indian Ocean archipelago to deliver religious lectures.
The Muslim World League (MWL) is to establish an Islamic centre in the Maldives, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has announced.
The Makkah-based NGO’s Deputy Secretary General Dr Adil bin Ali met with Shaheem today, with the minister telling local media that the Islamic Centre was to be based in Hulhumalé.
Haveeru reported that Shaheem had praised President Abdulla Yameen’s efforts to enhance ties with fellow Islamic states, calling the establishment of an MWL office in the country “a great achievement”.
The world league – founded in 1962 – currently operates centres in 21 countries throughout the world with the aim of “propagating the religion of Islam, elucidating its principles and tenets, refuting suspicious and false allegations made against the religion”.
The organisation currently has an office in the Islamic Centre in the Maldives capital, Malé.
Shaheem was reported as telling Haveeru that Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz had ordered Saudi institutions to work with the Maldives following his trip to the country earlier this year.
While the prince donated MVR18.4 million (US$ 1.2 million) to a mosque project with plans to build 10 mosques in the Maldives in October, a delegation of Saudi officials and businessmen visited the country last week to assess the means through which the kingdom can assist in developing the Maldivian economy.
“Maldives does not just want Islamic projects, but wants investment from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries,” said Shaheem during the visit.
After being invited by Shaheem in January, the Saudi Arabian Muslim Scholars Association agreed to provide a grant of MVR1.6 million to assist in the provision of Islamic education in the Maldives. The Yameen administration has pledged to enhance Islamic education during its term, introducing Arabic lessons in some schools this year.
Haveeru reported today the MWL deputy secretary general will meet with President Yameen during his visit, and will also give a lecture in Malé’s Islamic Center about lessons learnt from Prophet Mohamed’s life on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi – the festival of the birth of the Prophet.
In his message to mark the occasion today, President Yameen urged the people to emulate the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
Former President Mohamed Nasheed tweeted a message saying “we must visit the teachings of Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) on discourse and respect for diversity in Islam”, while former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said “we must rededicate ourselves to follow his sublime teachings”.
Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed has delivered a New Year message to the public, calling upon all Maldivians to work together to ensure the safety and peace of the community.
“The numerous and arduous work done by Officers of all ranks in the year 2014 has resulted in a huge decline in crime across the country. The Maldives Police Service firmly resolves to carry on with the noble work to make this year as productive and as rewarding.”
“The Maldives Police Service stands ready to safeguard the people of the Maldives and their interests, to uphold the law and taking steps to prevent youth from getting involved in crime,” continued the message.
While President Abdulla Yameen has claimed his administration has brought peace to all parts of the country, which had been riven by political turmoil, the opposition has accused the government of failing to protect citizens.
Although police statistics appear to reveal a drop in all reported instances of serious crime, 2014 saw a series of high-profile crimes including the murder of five individuals, four of which came as a result of gang violence in the capital Malé.
Additionally, a number of politically motivated abductions remain unresolved by authorities, while Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan has been missing – believed abducted – since August 8.
“The youth of the nation should be determined to work even harder to build a better nation for their future, as well as the community as a whole. They should strive to avoid crime and criminal behavior and see it as their civic responsibility,” said Police Commissioner Waheed.
2014 saw the introduction of a number of ‘Blues for Youth’ camps held across the country by the police, with the aim of broadening the role of youth in national activities, preparing them for the job market, and facilitating opportunities to strengthen assertiveness.
The Adhaalath Party is reported to have expressed concern at what it sees as “horrifying acts that defy Islamic teachings and social convention” taking place in the country.
“Entertainment activities and events are an important part of a society” read a statement obtained by Haveeru. “But these activities must abide by our religious and social traditions”.
The comments follow controversy surrounding the New Year’s eve ‘Tourist Arrival Countdown Show’, which eventually featured Indian artists ‘Salim-Sulaiman’ after Jamaican artist Sean Paul cancelled following an online death threat.
After Sean Paul’s late cancellation, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb revealed that a second show would be held on January 8, with an announcement made at the conclusion of Wednesday’s concert that US R&B artist Akon would be performing.
Following the online threats against Sean Paul – later denounced as a hoax by authorities – members of the Adhaalath Party, including the Islamic minister criticised the decision to invite the dancehall singer.
Haveeru have today reported that the party maintained it would not support such activities, urging the youth not to invest all their time in pleasure.
“If the youth are not kept from such decadence they will undoubtedly grow into people from whom neither their families nor the society can benefit,” Haveeru reported the party as saying. “This is the bitter truth”.
Minivan News was unable to obtain comment from the Adhaalath Party members contacted prior to publication.
US R&B singer Akon will appear in Malé on January 8
After safety assurances from police prior to Wednesday night’s concert, the event passed without incident, culminating in the announcement that the country had received a record 1.45 million tourists in 2014.
Plans to hold a concert featuring Akon were attempted in 2010, before the artist pulled out citing technical and security concerns.
In the run-up to the scheduled Akon concert, Islamic minister Dr Shaheem reported receiving a number of complaints about the explicit content of the singer’s lyrics.
Adhaalath Party member Shaheem last week said that bringing foreigners to hold shows coinciding with New Year’s eve – as well as the threats made – were “unacceptable”. Adeeb later told Minivan News that the concert had been discussed at cabinet level and that Shaheem’s comments were merely his personal opinion.
While jihadist group Bilad Al Sham denied being behind the YouTube video threatening Sean Paul’s life, the group did describe the concert as “filthy” and an “ideological attack”.
Meanwhile, local religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf said the state was “investing in destruction” by funding the show.
In his video message announcing his performance in Malé on January 8, Akon said he would appear after receiving Adeeb’s invite, joking that he had heard everyone was blaming the tourism minister for everything that goes wrong in the country while his 2007 hit ‘Sorry, Blame It on Me’ played in the background.
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