A group of people led by ‘National Movement’ – comprising of several NGOs and the Adhalaath Party – protested on the streets of Male’ yesterday against remarks made by former President Mohamed Nasheed to a university in Denmark.
Several hundred protesters marched around Male’ last night, starting and finishing at the Artificial Beach, calling for the authorities to penalise Nasheed.
Speaking at Copenhagen University about Islamic radicalism in the Maldives, Nasheed stated the Maldivian population had largely rejected Islamic extremism, and, in a veiled reference to the Adhaalath Party, noted that “the Islamists were never a credible electoral threat.”
“ The Islamic extremists also didn’t like the Maldives’ new democracy because they were unpopular. They failed to win the Presidential elections in 2008, they failed to win local government elections – in 2011 they won less that four percent of the vote. But now, after the coup, extremists have been rewarded with three cabinet positions in government, and in many ways set the tone of government communications. They are busy trying to indoctrinate people with a misguided version of Islam,” Nasheed said.
Nasheed acknowledged that there was “a lot of xenophobia, Islamic rhetoric and intolerance going on in the Maldives”, and noted the destruction of 12-century Buddhist statues, manuscripts, and other evidence of the Maldives’ pre-Islamic history.
“There is idea of wanting to return to Hejaz at it was in the 7th century. This is Wahabism in principle. And it is difficult and worrying,” Nasheed said.
“The vast majority of our society are very tolerant people. If all this Islamist rhetoric is removed from official discourse, there will be a much more liberal society. I assure you the rhetoric will be removed from official discourse,” he said.
President of the Adhaalath Party Sheikh Imran Abdulla, who was abroad, addressed the protesters via mobile phone, accusing Nasheed of destroying the reputation of the Maldives.
Imran claimed Nasheed had “now confessed” to what the Adhaalath Party had previously accused him.
He also said that the national movement should include this issue in its protest planned for next month, for the rights of murder victims.
Spokesperson of theNational Movement Sobah Rasheed told newspaper Haveeru that the group would protest against Nasheed “every night”.
He alleged Nasheed had mocked the religion of Islam, the Sunnah of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and verses of the Holy Quran.
Meanwhile, speaking to a rally on Bilehdhoo in Faafu Atoll on Sunday night, Nasheed accused “politicians posing as religious scholars” on bringing about February 7 2013’s controversial transfer of power, “selling out the religion of Islam.”
“By donning the caps of religious scholars and deceiving citizens in the name of religion, they gained power in a government and are now in the midst of the biggest worldly sin,” Nasheed alleged.
“The religion of Islam is a religion which has been given respect and honour in our hearts. They can always play with our hearts when they speak in the name of religion, especially when they do so in the guise of being Islamic scholars,” he said.
“We Maldivians are waking up to this now. We can no longer believe the things they say in the name of being religious scholars.”
Nasheed’s address in Copenhagen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bLZMKv6PPhs
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ha ha. you are against islam. he is against islam. she is against islam. they are against islam. only I am for islam. ha ha
Obviously the mullahs are losing support and aren't happy.
if the man in white with a white beard is BA Naseem, then that proves an important truth. It proves that MDP as it is currently being led is only for the blind followers. There is no room for independent thinking or rational discourse. The policies and doctrines emanate from the central figure and nobody disputes nothing. More like cult than political party.
Here we go again. Defending the lonely defenceless poor old Islam that is about to die in the Maldives. Give them swords and horses, so that they can slain the kuffar!
How can a single unbeliever, cause so huge an earth quake in the Maldives? or should I say rattling Islam itself?
Just step back and rethink what you are saying? Is Anni challenging the ...?, And by your own rantings, how could Anni ever win?
What more evidence is needed that religion was a tool invented by wolves to control sheep? In the Maldives, these wolves fight amongst each other, just like thousands of years ago where these fights were much more violent. After the prophet died, his followers fought amongst each other, namely Ali and Aisha. History tends to repeat itself.
However, what I don't understand is the opposition labeling the entire MDP as laadheenee. Most of its followers happen to be practicing muslims. Funny enough, I know atheists who support both MDP and PPM, and even former wahhabees who are non totally non-religious. But that doesn't make the Adhaalath a non-religious party now does it 😉
This panel needs to be showered with cold water (preferably in public) to wake them up to 21st century.
Common guys. Who cares how you dye your beards with henna. The young population and first time voters, who are now the majority, needs jobs and income.
And you DO NOT have an economic plan. All your monologues shows that you NO IDEA in dealing with the real world issues such as economy, unemployment, housing etc..
The Twitter and Facebook generation are laughing at you.
Nasheed's mistake was saying that liberal's don't have an answer. He's wrong. Maldivian liberals don't have an answer. Opposition to conservative Islam has a long history and today it is known as liberal/progressive Islam. Islam had the Muztazilites, the Sufis, the Zahiris, the Ismailis, the Ahmadis etc who have a lot to teach us about reason, tolerance, ethics and human rights.
Now I know that MDP cannot and will not support a French-style secularism or be in favor of gay marriage (unlike certain senior PPM member or apparently the Vice President's son), but since MDP wants to work within Islam, they need to educate their leaders and members on Islamic secularism, democracy and human rights. Not with Western liberal arguments which the Male' elite loves, but theological arguments which is what the rural Maldivians will accept. They are victims of MAG and his Islamo-nationalism and will not believe in anything if it doesn't have a verse or hadith to back it up.
These Islam selling self appointed sheiks are actually a sick bunch. Like the drug addicts. Please have mercy on them and have them treated before they bust a nerve in the head and suffer from paralysis.
Bearded morons... Go back to your caves.
For this reason, many of Maldivian youth do not care about religion n many of dem r misguided as according to adhaalath. They love n they love music.but, adhaalath says its forbidden in religion, maumoon says its ok. N he claims his party is de only party who protects Islam in dis country? N nasheed says let's stop dis waste n develop sitizens n country, there is no point of going back to Stone Age. Gasim says I'm just de perfect! Waheed says I've no power! Yasmin says he knows where de oil is. Thasmeen is forgotten. Who's giving us logic to move on...
Nasheed’s narrative about radical Islam is expletives rather than mocking about Mullas’s version of Islam. He said the Mullah have metaphorical answers for everything (answers that is unexplainable through physical laws). It is all like Fanditha a few years back, you had funditha for all the disease but today Dhivehistanies have alternative for funditha , the modern medicine.
Mullahs have metaphorical answers, what you should do before sex and after sex, before sleep and after sleep, before you eat and after you eat and it seems there is nothing that they have no answers, answers which are irrelevant in a physical world. Everything from sex to s**tting is done in the name of almighty. They will ask you to ask Allah’s help before sex to have an obedient child instead of doing anything that will either stop unwanted pregnancy or do a planned pregnancy to have a healthy child.
Nasheed is asking to have alternative version that is based on cause and effect that has any meaning in a physical world. Don’t go and ask Mullahs advise how to live in a physical world where everything depends on action and reaction. You have to institutionalize everything, your health, family planning, your food, your finance based on cause and effect. You have to go to nutritionist in order to get proper answer for the foods you should eat that will not harm your system, a finical adviser to invest your money, a psychologist to help you out your mental issues and to a family planning clinic to get advise how you should perform sex
Nasheed also ask Christian to standup agains Muslim urgently before getting things out of hand. What does this mean?
Nasheed made a joke about Quran, our holy Book and Hadhis , prophet (PUH) path shown
Who let Kuribee out of the asylum today?
Is there no security in your mental institutions?
This lunatic should be locked up 24/7 with no access to the internet.
@ Kuribee
Poor sod, you are in deep waters aren't you.
as one of the maldivian youth i think the comment about mdp needing to work with islamic secularism and use theological arguments to make their points come across effectively makes a lot of sense. for now..
@Mohamed
islamic secularism? how is that possible? Islam is islam and secularism was invented to undermine islam. islam was about love and secularism was created with hatred in mind. so how do we reconcile these two positions?
Islamic secularism?.....ha ha bloody ha ha.....is that why the Maldives is a '100% islamic country' where all other religions are forbidden?
Hell needs to freeze over first before democracy, freedom and secularism will make an appearance in the Maldives.
Muslim countries not only discriminate against 'kuffar' religions but also against other muslims.....ahmadiyas, shias and sufis. Sunni muslims are ofcourse the 24 carat 'true believers' and God's Chosen People.....unlike us garbage hindus.
Isn't it time you went on another of your tedious marches to 'protect islam'?
Miss india new delhi,
You clean your own garbage first before cleaning ours