The Maldives Hajj pilgrims will be headed by Islamic Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari this year.
The Ministry said that Dr Bari would depart for Saudi Arabia on November 9. Dr Bari also travelled with the pilgrims last year.
Eight groups are taking 1402 pilgrims to Mecca this year, compared to 1142 last year.
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(0)Malaysian news agency Bernama reports that an agreement has been signed between the Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM) and the Maldives Islamic Bank to develop Shariah-compliant banking services in the country.
The agreement binds both parties to co-develop Islamic finance in Maldives through extensive study of Maldives’ legal and banking framework “to create a harmonious environment for the growth of Islamic finance”, Bernama reported.
The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has issued a license to the Maldives Islamic Bank, making it the country’s first Islamic bank. Jeddah-based Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), a subsidiary of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) hold 70 percent stake in the bank and the remainder will be held by the government of Maldives.
Sharia prohibits the payment or acceptance of interest fees for loans of money. In the case of a mortgage, a Sharia-compliant bank may instead buy a property for the customer and then sell it back to them at a profit.
Shariah-compliant assets reached about $400 billion worldwide in 2009.
(1)Dislikes(0)President Nasheed will fly to Singapore on Saturday to meet the Singaporean government and discuss Maldivian business being conducted in the country.
The President’s office did not disclose details of what be discussed during the visit, Haveeru reported.
Singapore is popular financial hub for large Maldivian businesses, including the State Trading Organisation (STO) and the Maldives National Shipping Limited (MNSL).
(1)Dislikes(0)Two people were admitted to intensive care after a motorcycle and a car collided near Hakatha Petrol Shed and the swimming tracks on Saturday morning.
Haveeru reported that the boy was unconscious and bleeding when he was placed in a private car to be taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), while injuries to the girl were “unclear”.
She was taken to the hospital in the taxi involved in the accident.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have arrested seven men after confiscating two cases of liquor in a Maafannu house.
Haveeru reported that police blocked nearby roads and raided Maafaanu Georgia on Thursday evening, discovering 24 bottles of alcohol.
A Bangaladeshi man was questioned last week after a large stash of alcohol was discovered on a boat anchored in Male’, Haveeru added.
(2)Dislikes(0)A box containing cowry shells and a cat-like idol was discovered next to human remains in Fuvammulah, while local islanders were digging an area to prepare for tree planting.
“The one-foot long box was filled with cowry shells. The idol looks like a cat or such an animal. We think the box is very old,” Fuvammulah Councillor Hassan Saeed told Haveeru, which published a photo of the find.
Saeed said he believed the box predated the Maldives’ conversion to Islam, and would be delivered to the Province office for further study.
The site near ‘Bodu Haviththa’, an area protected by the Former Centre for Linguistics and Historical Research, was being dug to plant trees “to prevent people from playing football”, said Saeed.
(2)Dislikes(0)MP Moosa Manik, parliamentary group leader of ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has filed a complaint against former President Maumoom Abdul Gayoom alleging mental and physical torture, reports Miadhu.
Manik’s complaint lodged at the Maldives Police Service, also claims that the former regime of Gayoom oppressed him financially.
According to the Miadhu report, Manik alleges that he was falsely imprisoned and tortured physically and mentally under the direct order of Gayoom in 1982.
False allegations, he told Miadhu, were made against him of assisting his brother Ibrahim Manik in a rebellion against Gayoom.
(3)Dislikes(0)Crude oil was thrown on the walls, vegetation and name board of the Supreme Court around midnight on Tuesday, reports Haveeru.
The Supreme Court released a statement condemning the ‘uncivilised action’ and reported the matter to the police. The culprits have not yet been identified.
The vandals struck during a night of demonstrations in which Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) took to the streets over the issue of cabinet endorsements.
The Supreme Court granted the government a temporary injunction on Monday, blocking the endorsing of cabinet ministers until a ruling on the process can be issued.
(6)Dislikes(0)A Sri Lankan fishing vessel was found adrift in Maldivian waters on Wednesday with one survivor, reports Haveeru.
The survivor, Ramzee, 25, told the Maldivian fishermen who discovered him and his vessel that there had been four other crew members on board.
They had died of starvation and their bodies had to be thrown overboard.
The boat had set sail from Sri Lanka eight months ago, and had drifted into Maldivian waters after its engines malfunctioned, according to Ramzee.
A Maldivian fishing vessel discovered Ramzee’s boat near Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Thinadhoo.
Ramzee is now at the Thinadhoo Regional Hospital while authorities are investigating the cause of the incident.
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