The religious conservative Adhaalath Party (AP) has declared it has entered into a coalition agreement with resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhoree Party (JP).
The AP recently severed its coalition agreement with President Mohamed Waheed, following his remarks to the AFP newswire that it was “better to work with” the self-claimed Islamist party, despite suggesting some elements in the party held “extreme views”. He told media at the time that excluding the party from mainstream politics risked marginalising its members, having a “negative long-term effect”.
In a statement announcing its new coalition partner, the AP praised Gasim’s campaigning for the 2013 election and said it believed the presidential candidate was “the person most capable of defending the country from foreign influences, to safeguard the country’s highest of priorities, and that he is capable of working in an independent manner.”
Local news outlet Sun Online observed that the AP had similarly allied with the JP ahead of the 2008 presidential election, noting that the party’s then spokesperson and current Minister of Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, had qualified the alliance on the grounds that “a person capable of controlling four wives is more than capable of controlling the country.”
Following its departure from Waheed’s ‘Forward with the nation’ coalition last week, the Adhaalath Party was reported to have been in talks with the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).
While the extent of the Adhaalath Party’s electoral support in the coming elections is uncertain (the party received 0.9 percent of the votes in the 2009 parliamentary election), its numbers make up the bulk of the ranks of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and it remains a loud voice in Maldivian politics.
Independent MP Ibrahim Muttalib, while not elected as an Adhaalath MP, has since declared association with the party. His bills have included motions calling for a blanket ban on the sale and import of pork and alcohol in the Maldives, a luxury tourism destination with an economy dependent on over 100 resorts targeting the lucrative UK, German, French and Russian markets.
Gasim Ibrahim meanwhile remains one of the country’s single largest importers of alcohol, with customs records for 2011 showing his Villa Hotels chain – including the Royal, Paradise, Sun, and Holiday Island resorts – importing approximately 121,234.51 litres of beer, 2048 litres of whiskey, 3684 litres of vodka and 219.96 kilograms of pork sausages annually, among other haram (prohibited) commodities restricted to ‘uninhabited’ islands.
The Adhaalath Party also endorsed a flogging sentence given in February to a 15 year-old rape victim found guilty of a separate fornication offence, on the grounds that “if such sinful activities are to become this common, the society will break down and we may become deserving of divine wrath.”
After an Avaaz petition calling for the repeal of the sentence reached more than two million signatures – double the country’s annual tourism arrivals – Waheed’s administration pledged to appeal the matter. The case remains stalled in the High Court.
Gasim in March 2013 complained he had lost US$16 million as a result of a selective tourism boycott, orchestrated he claimed by his political rivals the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
While in coalition with Waheed, the Adhaalath Party also notably clamped down on singing and dancing, including requesting in April 2012 that the Education Ministry cancel the Maldives’ inter-school singing competition on the grounds that singing was haram in Islam.
Gasim was meanwhile heavily critical of the MDP’s recently-launched youth policy, titled ‘Entertainment without fear’, accusing former President Nasheed of being a “monster” guilty of “every despicable act ever to be found in the world”.
“He doesn’t understand what the law says, so a crazy person like him may say that he would give the opportunity for people to limitlessly entertain themselves. Look, it is not something Allah has given us human beings,” Gasim declared.
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This is a match made in heaven, where rivers of wine flow, (sadly no pork or ham based products in sight), and unlimited amount of virgin girls are at your disposal (nothing for homosexuals). The good thing here is that both sides are equally ignorant; the blind leading the blind. The people of the Maldives are in for a shock.
Let's take a look at both sides.
(1) Adhaalath: Claims to uphold and defend Islam. Gasim, meanwhile runs one of the biggest alcohol and pork selling/distribution operations in the Maldives. Is there a contradiction here?
(2) Adhaalath: Do not favour a broad based educational curriculum, but gives focus to religious education, i.e. in the style of Pakistani Madhrasaas. Gasim, lacks any sort of verifiable educational qualifications. So, both sides are probably on common ground in terms of educational priorities.
(3) Adhaalath: Claims to keep the country clear of foreign influence. But they are quite happy to introduce and extend questionable, cultural ideas borrowed from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and elsewhere. These include the treatment of women as second class citizens and even denying girls the same educational opportunities as boys.
Gasim, meanwhile is in the business of bringing in foreigners to the country and benefiting from them. He has also recently signed up to some ventures with American corporates and the American Ambassador was at his side on a recent event, pouring glory over Gasim for his ties with America. Clearly, no foreign influence there, is there?
(4) Adhaalath: One of the most anti-Semitic group of people in the country. Gasim, as mentioned above is fostering closer ties with America, the unequivocal big daddy of Israel. Is there a contradiction there?
Ladies n gentleman, thank you again, once again thank you and for the Laura.
It's like that Faustian agreement between the Abdul Wahhab family and the Saudi family. Thank you for the Laura for buying these mullahs and proving to Dhivehistans that these lowly scum are simply using religion. When mullahs are allowed to do as they please, it is only a matter of time before their hypocrisies and lies come to light. This is much better than jailing and torturing them, like the old Dictator did. That only creates martyrs. This, now this, exposes them for the greedy power-mad lot they really are.
Just think a couple of steps ahead.
These mullah dimwits are breaking and forming coalitions (they are too weak to stand on their own) as though their affiliation means a lot to them.
In fact the coalition is irrelevant.
What they are looking for is really, to beat MDP.
At the end of first round, there will only be left MDP vs a coalition. Even if adhaalath, do not agree to the coalition clauses, they have no choice but to join them.
If adhaalath do not terrorise the people with hell-fire stories, and the people aren't too afraid of them to stir hatred in the community, these dimwit clowns would be brushed aside like dust,
@Andrew Andreas on Thu, 18th Jul 2013 12:44 AM
"What they are looking for is really, to beat MDP."
They've made no secret about that. From day one, that has been ALL they care about. Religion, nation, and all that crap is just a smokescreen. Who is fooled by that? Only fools, of course.
I'm not entirely certain what their infatuation with MDP is really about. The one thing that it is NOT about is religion. There must be some other grudge/vendetta they are trying to settle.
If PPM does come to power, they stand to lose even more, just like the Golden 30 years of Pharaoh Abd El Gay Yoom. In fact one of the favours that the old Pharaoh did for us was keeping these guys locked up.
whatever we do,,, we have to avoid any chances that these bearded extremists do not come into anyform of power within the govt more than what they already have...maumoon must have known about it which is why he never agreed to such an organization within his govt. if these goons take power, the country will be flooded with homos (no offence but i think we know what i am saying...these freaks are famous for 'touching' boys.
then tourism will fail.. they wont be able to promote it... there will be teaching and treating differences between men and women.. nyone not wearing hijab will b jailed. pple who go to fahari extasy will b more.. shit man...m feeling stressed writing these down too..
if we wanted to live like that, we will go to pakistan you dimwits...grow a brand and get out of this country...these pple are the pple who started the first terrorist attack in Maldives (sultan park bombing)..
Since the day these pple started their extremism, the whole country has lost its pride... you go out of this country. go pakistan or afganistan and die in the name of jihad.. after all theres no better death than jihad and heaven is a promise then... why waste time here?
and they are the worst mix... haabeee baaghees
Did ever Mullahs think who Dajjaal is? Dajjal means enemy of knowledge and science and the only thing we can see today that is against knowledge is Mullarism . Whoever can shackle Mullahs would be considered as messiah. It is religious obligation for any religious person to shackle Dajjal and shackling Mullahs are the best good deed anyone can contribute in Maldives today. And whoever allied with Dajjal is partner of Shaithan.
Adhaalath fellas need to be annihilated cos they create so much hatred in this small closely-knit society of ours. Please do not allow these morons to indoctrinate you and your kids.
ladinee mullahs wants free liquors pork's naked women's money
next they will translate Islam and Qur'an to suits themes