Controversial blogger Ismail ‘Hilath’ Rasheed was arrested this evening for his involvement in last Saturday’s ‘silent protest’ for religious tolerance, which turned ended in violent after several individuals attacked the group with stones. Hilath was taken to the hospital with head injuries.
According to the Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam, Hilath was arrested under a Criminal Court order issued today.
Rasheed’s arrest follows the blocking of his blog by the Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM) on the order of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The Ministry made the request on the grounds that the site contained anti-Islamic material.
Police are currently interrogating some of the approximately 30 individuals who gathered at Artificial Beach on Saturday. Calls for an investigation of the protest were made by religious conservative Adhaalath party, NGO Jamiyyathu Salaf, and ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.
While pursuing its investigation of the protest for religious tolerance, police have also summoned the developer of the website 23December.com, which this week published slogans calling for the murder of anti-Islamic activists in what organisers later described as a “technical mistake”.
Developer Ali Ahsan told Haveeru that police wanted to understand who was responsible for the website’s conception, development and published material.
“The police also questioned whether those inappropriate phrases or those slogans [calling for the killing of people] were present when the information was published on the website,” he said.
Ahsan, who also edits online publication DhiIslam, said police had confiscated the hard drive used for the development of 23December.com, Haveeru reports.
The investigation into the aggressive error began yesterday, when police questioned Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla and Civil Coalition official Abdulla Mohamed over the death threats.
Sheikh Imran and Mohamed did not speak directly to the press, however their lawyer, former State Minister of Islamic Ministry Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, confirmed that police asked them about the slogans published on the website.
Shaheem said that slogans calling for murder were not on the website when it was launched, adding that the “content were manipulated by some people spying on the website”.
Abdullah, who is the lead organiser of the the protest, also told Minivan News on Tuesday that the team had not seen the slogans calling for murder until the day after the launch. ”We corrected the mistake as soon as it was brought to our notice,” Abdullah said.
He said the slogans were earlier attributed as a “mistake on technical team’s side” after they identified some loop holes in the website security, adding that their “suspicions were confirmed” when the website was hacked on Tuesday morning.
President’s Office Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair today issued a statement blaming organisers of the 23 December demonstration for disrupting public order to achieve “hidden agendas”.
He said he not believe that removing the violent slogans from the promotional website was sufficient proof of non-violent intentions.
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If the police say that the "slogans" were uploaded to the website by Adhaalth, there should be legal repercussions against them and their lawyer. Least of which is blatant lies meant to implicate the government in "hacking," their website.
broken english!
btw, elenor, now its "stones" right? not "bricks"?
why don't they ever specify what these anti-islamic things are? the only thing protestors called for was religious freedom. religious freedom does not go against islam simply because quran explicitly supports freedom to choose. why are the religious zealots trying to supersede allah? this is clearly political and a waste of police resources.
president nasheed will intervene this time also to release hilath like last time when he was arrested with a drug bust, as hilath is a relative of nasheed.
Release journalist Ali Ahusan now!
What ever happened to the investigation of the people who attacked the gathering for human rights day. Every single one of them who attacked had beards and short trousers (Islamic extremists) and reeko moosa is a hypocrite who drinks alchohol and calls himself an Islam??? Adaalath threatening to kill the people who gathered in 10th December and now both parties are calling to "save Islam". QuestiOn is who is saving Islam. The people threatening to kill non Muslims "including immigrants" or the MDP who are willing to come out to stop violance and save Islam??? this "Islam ideology" has created a war amongst us. My question is why save it anymore. Why don't religion cant religion be for personal use and why not remove Islamic sharia of the constitution. Is reeko moosa afraid that he want be able tO sell his alchOhol (found behind his car) inside male or adaalath wants to become a king and slave the maldivians? to be continued. What a true drama of Islam. Hypocrites.
So we are having new a version of democracy here in Maldives.
Where is freedom of speech, expression and thought?
By the way, can anyone force you to embrace Islam or Christianity?
I believe Maldives is rum by Mullahs whim and there is no room for free thinking in here.
Quo vadis Maldives?
"Blogger"???? Have you read his blog? He promotes gay rights, child abuse, nudism and defames Islamic values and principles!! And you call him a blogger? It's too late to arrest him!!! He was previously arrested for drug use and also violence! And now again some "Pille" will speak for his freedom and president Nasheed will join the freedom call!! It's big time dissapointment by the government key secular elements who wants to have open sexual acts and alcohol drinking!! Get out of this country before we Maldivians run behind these traitors'!!
Hey koba Salim Waheed to call for this gay activist freedom?? I wonder if he has returned from NY by state expenses!!
Hmm, lets call it what it is, they called for religous freedom, not for religous tolerance
HIlath wanted GAY marriage too .... Freedom of religion too .. am sure POPE will be very happy for this .
where are hilath's friends Salim Waheed & Yameen Rasheed. I call on the police to arrest them as well -
The authorities should behead this disgusting 'blogger'. He promotes Jewish activities, like homosexuality, which outright destroys the values we have instilled in our society.
Should such Jews be tolerated? Of course not! Rather, we will follow what the sunnah teaches us, and either burn them alive, or throw them off a cliff for them to meet their end. For that is the way our Lord has told us, and He cannot be wrong!
And all other atheists and jews, which I think are pretty much the same thing, should also be either beheaded, or sentenced to life in prison (men), or married off to pious men to satisfy any of their needs, as their right hand possessions (women).
This guy looks like a total loser! Why is he smirking? For a job well done on behalf of his sponsors who want to introduce "freedom" of religion to the Maldives?
I'm telling you that Hilath and his co-demonstrators didn't just do this on their own. There's substantial backing for these both within and outside the country. They are testing the waters to see how far they can raise the temperature of this subject.
This is a very dangerous movement that, if left unchecked, is equivalent to the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. This "movement", can destroy the social cohension of this country. Be warned!
Hilath may be a blogger.
But he is also president Nasheed's nephew.
So whether he is right or whether he is wrong, nothing will happen to him.
In Talibandives, so-called muslims who commit crimes like calling for violence are let off when they spout ridiculous excuses like 'technical errors'. Face it - computer errors can't write messages calling for violence.
And silent protestors against wahhabi imperialism are arrested without charge.
what will we get out from this is lots of bad press and nothing else.
our country is percieved as a peaceful beautiful destination for western holiday makers. this image is important and its built after many years. now we are seeing serious signs that this image will soon be replaced.
but why?
what hillath is calling for is already here.we have drug addicts, gays lesbians, non believers, a thriving anti islam blogosophere and our political elite drink alcohol like water. What more is there for a liberal to ask?
This is hillaths personal drama, and its sad that govt is trying to play in to his hands. We will get nothing positive out of this and thats as clear as day light.
Free Hilath now! Arrest those cowards who attacked him. Hilath, as a human being is free to chose whatever the religion of his choice. It is not something that can be forced down the throat of any one, which is against Islam. Islam is clear on this issue: there is NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION. Soora Baqara. Please look up those of you who don't believe.
Samoodian are all dead. Could any one please send this guy to his native friends. We do not want ruin our country. These pople choose men instead of women. What on earth. Worse than animals. I do not think even animals do these kind of.....
A good lesson for Dhooburi Ali Ahusan. He had been harassing different individuals by developing different websites and blogs.
I call the police to bring him for justice and I call the criminal court to gift him the warrant he deserve.
Lock Dhooburi Ahusan in jail, to free this country from fraud, hate mongering A** HOLE.
Ahusan is the guy who makes different anti-Islamic blogs in the name of different people.
This time he has been punished by ALLAH.
Sheikh Imran
"The authorities should behead this disgusting ‘blogger’. He promotes Jewish activities, like homosexuality, which outright destroys the values we have instilled in our society."
you have no idea who gay people are do you? you hate Jews more than you love your children. your racist. its straight people who gives birth to gays. and it could happen to you, there are many gay men in the Maldives who are married to women to hide their sexual orientation, and you never talk about the muslim pedophiles, your ok with that since you people promote and say that muslim men can marry 12 year old girl!!!
you want people to lie and be muslims, you want people to lie about being gay, but pedophiles are ok.
its sad to see the residence of Maldives living in fear in their own country. why? cos islam is out to get them.
do you see a problem with this? no, your promoting your violence on public website and still denies your islamic site promoting slogans of hatred and violence.
your muslims are the biggest ugliest hypocrites to have roam this earth.
I cannot believe that our current President is being swayed by Hillath & Co. as well as their supporters abroad and in the government.
I have lost all confidence in Nasheed. What remains is to make an informed decision next time the chance to select a ruler comes around.
Also, multiparty democracy does not suit our country. It is more than clear to every individual now. The sad thing is there might be a step back in terms of freedoms and open debate. However, we brought this on ourselves because of our lack of capacity to be an open, liberal society. We need more unity, stability and peace in this country. What is obvious is that this can be achieved only by instilling discipline in the Maldivian people through more social control.
Hilath, brother, your soul will never die because we will make sure you live on in our memories as a hero, your courage will live on!
Anyone who protest for the protection of Islam should be clean and complete all rukuns on Islam. If anyone would blame the others are wrong, first get cleaned himself/herself from all wrong doings. The characteristic to be fulfilled before you protest should be:
1. must have truth faith in Allah (Aqidha)
2. should not have missed any 5 obligatory prayers
3. should have observed the fasting in Ramadan every year.
4. should have given zakath without failure.
anyone who have failed complete any of the above obligations properly is not qualified to stand up to the rally.
ibbe,
you need a reality check.
first of all go look up the meaning for blogger.
Next this country does not belong to you nor the islamic extremists.
We haven't changed much from the period we converted (forced) to islam. We chopped off heads of monks & anyone who defied. The official decree stated that lands be snatched from those who did not submit to Islam. I guess we carry hypocritical genes that learnt to lie and appease - thus we survived. No wonder Maldivians remain passive cowardly flock. Look at maldivians in general - they don't dare say no to simplest of things.
Once in awhile there are those that manage to break away, and this is how we react.
Haa Dhaalu Vaikaradhoo Dhooburi Ali Ahusan is a the guy who makes anti-Islam (Laa Dheeni) blogs and websites to win the hearts of religious people.
Dhooburi Ahusan plays double game. He will develop a site in the name of a known person, and then report it on the stupid website dhiislam. So all the stupid psyco SHEIKS thinks he is doing a very good job for Islam.
But today the reality of Dhooburu Ahusan has been exposed.
Ali Ahusan Busted!!! Don't take religion for a weapon. Munaafiqukan Miadhu Mivani Falhaa Araafa.
Oh look at that poor coward :p
Hilath is a cop, and the whole thing is being masterminded by a Control Group embedded within the government (government within government structure) which is at the moment holding all the cards. Their intention is to artificially destabilize the country so that real instability remains at bay, and control of all situations remain within their fold.
Real 'fanatics' in the form of seculists and Christians (true dissenters and fitna) are being held hostage by this 'real government' at gun-point; because this country was, is and will always remain a Moslem Nation (hundred percent). We are a full member of the Evil Empire alliance since the time of Ibrahim Nasir, the former president (who again was in secret a close confidant and friend of Maumoon Gayyoom)
The Maldives shall become a Sultanate once more. I am their King.
most of the protestors are criminals recently released on second-chance by the president.. these protests are organised by the government
Release journalist Ali Ahusan now.
Dear brother, you are not alone there in the prision, we are with you and we will do everything we can to make you free. May allah give you steadfastness.
....because if a nation is left at peace, alone- ultimately dissent/ instability and fitna finds it;;;; so we enact instability in order we be left at peace, in order this dissent and fitna does not find its way to us... the irony eh...
So if we are to have a Real Peace, we dismantle this artificial chaos structure someday, once we have weeded out 'real fitna and fasada`, once we are sure of it, and secure.
Thus today, quite far from this Real Peace, we continue an artificial chaos, in order to keep real chaos far from us.
Anything that emerges from today's political cauldron or cock-pot is the result of the ever ongoing battle between the artificial chaos of our hero's and the never ending assault of real fitna/fasada` which ever creeps in at night while the innocent sleep.. well we say "never, again" to that.....
So, now we say to our enemy- in which ever form shape or energy- we say 'bring it on my friend' bring forth what ever imagination behold you in evil, for evil is familiar to us- we 'play' it all the time, you see...so on and so forth.
He is covered in his own blood, yet he smiles, a serene expression in his eyes. How can anyone with feelings not be moved to tears by this beautiful image.
For me, Hilath is not just a gay blogger, he has said so himself, he is confused about sexuality. I feel, that the orientation of Hilath's being is transcendental, being above labels such as gay or straight. His feeling gay may have been the force which thrust Hilath in this direction initially. But he is something greater. I personally think he has evolved into a symbol of freedom from fear,
Look at the calm in his beautiful, gentle eyes (I am not gay, but I see the beauty of a higher dimension of being within him...) This image reveals that Hilath is beyond fear, he has entered a dimension of freedom and creative expression which few other Maldivians will ever experience, as he has overcome the fear which inhibits the self realization of many Maldivians, without yielding to hatred.
dHeviL
"...this country does not belong to you nor the islamic extremists.
We haven’t changed much from the period we converted (forced) to islam. We chopped off heads of monks & anyone who defied. The official decree stated that lands be snatched from those who did not submit to Islam. I guess we carry hypocritical genes that learnt to lie and appease – thus we survived. No wonder Maldivians remain passive cowardly flock. Look at maldivians in general – they don’t dare say no to simplest of things.
Once in awhile there are those that manage to break away, and this is how we react."
i could't agree more. this is the truth. and yet these muslims think that islam is so holy when how we converted to islam is a lie, a SEX SCANDAL!!!
when i ask muslims about it they ask me "why do you wanna think about it?" this is the hypocrisy of maldivian muslims. and we have virgins involved, this makes the maldivian muslims brain tick, they are all perverts waiting for the sex fest in heaven. (and they still never wondered how a sea demon ask'd for a virgin girl. how the hell did it do it?)
and abul barakath is not credible at all. he is accused of stealing others stories and to have used it in his book, and many of the travel he journals are false and fable stories (you can imagine why)
your so right, i believe this man established islam with his sword here, butchered all the Buddhists who stood against him, the REAL ISLAM happened in the maldives.
and Maldivian muslims are refusing to exercise their brain, they are blind followers and they digest any shitty thing thrown to them by these so called Mulla's. its pitiful. and embarrassing.
@ beyond
why dnt u also go to jail so u can stare at his eyes forever and do other stuff with him.
i hope he is being held in the same cell as convicted rapists.
"Look at the calm in his beautiful, gentle eyes (I am not gay, but I see the beauty of a higher dimension of being within him…) This image reveals that Hilath is beyond fear, he has entered a dimension of freedom and creative expression which few other Maldivians will ever experience..."
I can experience this too, if I can get hold of the drug that he's on! Clearly the guy is high on something; he doesn't even the feel pain even though he's bleeding. Or is that because he's a Sufi? Sufi my a*se!
In total agreement with "Beyond". and btw, im not gay either. now, tell me sheikh. is it not true that the wisdom of islamic faith is a god given gift to only certain chosen ones among us humans. the thing is, yet with this knowledge, the 'jihadists' are fighting the holy war to cleanse this earth of infidals, to bring back the sunnah. but,no matter how much and how hard you fight, the world will not go back. the truth is, no matter what the religious zealots think, they can't change one bit of what is going on in this world. you are fighting a war that's already lost.
sheikh, yet you are following a system that was originally invented by the jews (if you think you guys are fanatic, then again you are wrong because the jews even more fanatic baby).... i don't think you even have the mind to think that that is funny beyond limits.
"Maldives Police Service has arrested Hilath Rasheed, an apostate who has advocated for gay marriage on Minivannews website."
http://www.miadhu.com/2011/12/local-news/police-arrests-heretical-apostate-hilath-rasheed/
Hilath's arrest is illegal since freedom of religion is allowed by Quruan. Maldives constitution automatically annuls any law which is contrary to quruan.
We do not want to look at Quran, on this.
No freedom of religion EVER on Maldivian soil. Even if Quran allowed to be so.
We want to be the purest form of living on Earth.
@Ahmed Nafiz,
Agree with you. We do not want to create divisions in the country by allowing other religions. From my point of view, this is not a religious issue but a nationalistic issue.
I believe Adaalath is going destroy our way of tolerance life. They are acting like they are the upholders of law, taking matters on their hand and threatening to kill anyone who are against them. Spreading fear among us.
Recently, there was crack down of punks in Indonesian Aceh province cause they does not fit their version of Islam.
Its time to government tackle the problem rather blaming Maumoon or anyone.
@hussain on 16th Dec @04:20am.
should attend the "sarcasm 101" lessons as it seems you have completely fail to see it from Nafiz's comment.
hilath is our hero, we will make him the president of maldives one day
The website hosted to the promotion of the 23 December protest is accused of cotaining calls for killing those against Islam while the Adhaalath party expressed fear in a letter to a government minister that the operation of Israeli flights will bring terrorists to attack them. This makes one think that who are the main enemy of Israel or vice versa.
Moslems are destined not to reconcile with Israelis as it is professed in the Koran. The history has so far proved that the Jews and Moslems are unable to coexist as one people or two proving the Koranic prophecy. Thus it appears that the Adhaalath's warning is about Moslems from around the world that will follow Israelis to attack the Israeli airplanes the only property that Israel will own for the operation of flights to the Maldives. How many Israeli planes are blown in a year in terrorist attacks? What's the reason to suspect if not to believe Adhaalath that terrorists from outside the Maldives will attack Israelis if they come to the Maldives in their own planes? Does Adhaalath mean that they would carry out such attacks on Israli planes and the passengers not wholly of Israelis?
Hence, Adhaalath's claim is also bound to criminal investigation in the same way as are the death threats by the 23-December-protest website and the protesters that called for rleigious tolerence or freedom. By the way, tolerence of something is not the same thing as freedom of it.
actually adhaalath is very right this time. but for ppl who are not able to comprehend other views, these warnings will not benefit.
If we look around throughout the world, we see the same mistake thats being done everywhere. namely, you touch the religious card and everyone burns. So will we and there seems to be no turning back this time.
its unfortunate that Anni also dived to this drama cooked up by Hillath and co and it seems certain that there will be a bitter fight everyone will regret later.
touch religion, any religion,and you will burn..
"Hilath’s arrest is illegal since freedom of religion is allowed by Quruan."?
Oh yeah? And would you care to enlighten us on what the Quraan says about those who want "freedom" from Islam? Awaiting you intellectual outpourings...