When Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed Shaheed was asked by TV Maldives whether the country was in danger of becoming a safe haven for terrorists, he answered with “a flat no” and said “the government would not allow the Maldives to become a playground for the Taliban.”
On the weekend of 22 January, a group of Afghan MPs, “a government official” and seven people linked to the Taliban met in the Maldives for secret talks. At the time, Al-Jazeera reported that one of the Taliban’s representatives claimed the destination was chosen because “we feel safe.”
Photographs of the meeting have surfaced showing the Afghan MPs with another group gathered at the Bandos Resort conference centre.
A spokesman for the resort confirmed a group guests including Afghan MPs stayed at the resort and used the conference facilities, but noted it had no way of knowing whether the group was linked to the Taliban or not.
“We don’t go in [to the conference centre] when there is a meeting going on,” the spokesman explained.
Dr Shaheed said that the government was “fully aware of [the meeting] before it happened,” and at the time tried to determine whether to stop the meeting or allow it and see what was going on. He added that there was also no legal reason for denying them entry into the country.
“If they were complying with the UN resolution 1267, we had to allow them in,” he said.
Dr Shaheed is referring to the travel ban imposed in 2002 by the UN Security Council which bans “Osama bin Laden, members of the Al-Qaida organisation and the Taliban and other individuals associated with them” from entering or transiting through the territories of UN Member States.
Press Secretary for the President, Mohamed Zuhair, said the group “weren’t technically Taliban; there was one group from the Afghan government and another group who were sympathetic to the Taliban.”
Zuhair added the Maldivian government wants to focus on “reintegration and reconciliation.”
Dr Shaheed said that if there proves to be an “official affiliation between a foreign government [and the Taliban]”, the Maldives will protest to that government.
He added that the Maldivian government “are on our guard” and there is an ongoing investigation “examining who was here” and “whether there was anyone in that group who wasn’t meant to be here.”
He also said the government is “not too pleased about this” and is “very watchful” for these types of meetings taking place within the country.
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It is ironic how few loud people made so much noise over this claiming these were Taliban jihadist and oh no, they are going to invade the small nation of Maldives. Unknown to their knowledge was that all of them were somehow related to the current Afghan's Western backed government. The same West which includes the U.S and UK that supported dozens of dictators across the world from Latin America to Africa who oppressed and tortured their people openly. In other words, they were allies of the West who were trying to find solutions to the over an 8 years war which has brought them no success.
So I think again this shows how knowledge is important cause you do not want to go and call your fellow allies who look like the bad guys to you, has a beard like them, dresses like them, but they are friends of your beloved West. Or maybe it just means that stereotyping is not the best solution to the lack of understanding.
Lets open some books and do some reading, even if its from the West. Knowledge has to start somewhere so people dont make a fool of themselves in public right?
Here is a video about the battle of the hearts and mind currently in the Muslim world which might be of some interest to some insha Allah.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4012689007891378498#
Muad, are you a Maldivian or a Jihadist. We will not give this country to Arabs or Jihadishts. If you support them, go to their country and enjoy your dream life there. Remember, we are much stonger than radicals in the Maldives. You should remember this.
Dr.Shaheed you such a lair and puppet of the government of the day! All you care about your position and nothing else! Remember this country is too small for international conflictst.
Shaheed is living in a dream world of fantasy. Already Maldives is a Taliban/Alqaaida play ground.No less than our President and Vice President had acknowledged that Maldivians are doing Holy War in Pakistan and Afghanistan.A number of Maldivians had been apprehended in Pakistan and were recently brought back to Male.These people were involved in terrorism and so called Jihadism.Maldivians are been recruited to fight in Pakistan and Afghansitan.What more proof does the Doctor in spin need to be convinced that now the Malidves is a play ground of Taliban other jihadist.I believe that the good doctor will only realise that Taliban are here if an incident,God forbid, takes place in the Maldives. But then it will be too late. What we need are not Spin Docs but realists and visionaries like Presdient Nasheed and Vice President Waheed who are wise enough to call a spade a spade, who are candid enough to accept that already we are facing clear and present danger from extremists and terrorists,Talibans and Alqaaida.
hmm.. first u belittle us.. second u share some info about your internal politics third u teach us 2 or 3 things about westerners and again u belittle us then mocks us then again belittle us ...finally suggests us to read books of westerners again belittle us .. and then the video link...
so to conclude u dont strike us as a type of person from whom we should be getting lectures from or enlightening us on hearts and minds currently in the muslim world..
when u make it personal it becomes personal automatically .. there is a way in expressing your view ..it certainly aint the way by belittling us... so i suggest u learn the way first before coming here and trying to be a wise guy !
so whos technically a terrorist Mr.Juha?
well that depends the amount of plastic explosive he has on his beard? Maybe just everything depends on who's government it is...just imagine this maumoon did this in his presidency what will the "opposition" then say obviously dr> Shaheed will be saying the same thing as his H&K brain will always be in the government at any given time.
Muad MZ sounds like you ok harming unarmed civilians and children ..fighting against armed personal for the cause is another story
The government could be aware of this, but with a public who are not aware of being alert of possible rebounds, it could be dangerous, touch-wood!
Should we expect unmanned drone attacks then on?
Are we safe?
OH! IS IT? SO SHOULD WE BECOME A SAFE HAVEN FOR SAME SEX MARRIAGES AND BOOZING??
Maldives soon will be come the country of 2 big "T" .....Terrorists and Tourists ???
One day this guy said he is not aware of this, when somebody posted pictures, he said he is aware. What kind of person is this? boahalaaku
I think some again are not using facts to proof their points. In reality Islam is nothing about Arabs only. It is a religion of all people of all colours. Also there are more Muslims in China then in Saudi Arabia. There are more Muslims in Indonesia then in the whole of the Middle East. So why do some without knowledge think that Islam is about Arabs. Guess another importance of education there and taking some time off to read more.
Another fact is that Allah (swt) is the only one, a Muslim should fear. Not jins, nor another human. Humans all die and go back to the ground.
Just as the previous dictator tortures many, it did not effect the faith and determination of some who went out in determination to get rid of torture once and for all. Remember many also stayed home, scared either for themselves or their families. These same people talk more then they did when they were under a dictatorship - includes some religious figures as well as secular once. Others collaborated with the dictator by spying on those who demonstrated.
Now that freedom of expression is out, secularist (some with good intentions) are all seeing that their belief is not as popular as what they refer to as conservative Islam. In Maldives it has become a free society now, yet we see a minority unsatisfied of the unpopularity of their secular ideologies.
I think as many secularist should believe, the majority vote rules right? So one day, maybe there will be a referendum to see how public opinion is on Islam. A type of referendum done in Switzerland against the minerat or something that represents the Muslim community there. Even though the Muslims did not agree to the results there, they accepted it without too much fuss. But wonder if Islam voted for in Maldives in a referendum would the secularist accept it as patiently as the Muslims.
maldives will go down to the dogs becoz of conditioned intolerence
Dr.Shaheed is a smart bloke =)
I suspect Dr Shaheedh speaks impulsively without making much sense, too often.
What Shaheed and and his incompetent Government can do, against Taliban where world superpowers are not able to crush them with all the military might from USSR to USA, Shaheed I think you better keep quite, we cannot afford to enter all these international crisis just because of your big mouth.
Muad,
At long last you have a point. When you're not forcing us to read and be as educated as you apparently are, you make more sense.
This nail like minister is a crazy man. He only see Taliban meeting as a threat whilst the government he represent is licking its western masters, by allowing them to tear down the islamic fabric of this society. boozing is already allowed, next in line is gambling, prostitution, and gay marriage... many more to come.. just shut up man and go fly a kite.
If u give an inch they will take a mile..
We shud not give in to Salafi demands on any issue even if they come through Adhaalath.
If we give a micro millimeter to Atheists and other faiths they will take the whole nation!
Dont listen to Dr Shaheed, no more values in what he says. Tomorrow he could come out say Osama is a Muslim brother and there is nothing wrong in harbouring him for the sake of Islam