Protesters who toppled and then set fire to the controversial Pakistani SAARC monument in Hithadhoo, Addu City, are “national heroes”, the Progressive Party of Maldives has said, vowing to “do everything we can” to defend those arrested for attacking the allegedly “idolatrous” monument.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim ‘Wadde’, lawyer of PPM figurehead and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, said the party would provide legal assistance for the two men arrested for toppling the monument last week.
After a group of people set the monument on fire Monday night, the top half of the monument, containing a bust of Pakistan’s founder Mohamed Ali Jinah with an Islamic crescent moon symbol, was stolen last night, police have confirmed.
Waheed meanwhile contended at yesterday’s press conference that the monument was “illegal” and erected in violation of the constitution.
“No one should give any room to consider any kind of act against Islam lawful,” he said. “Even if it’s the People’s Majlis or any other state institution, no law that conflicts the religion of Islam can be made in the Maldives.”
The arrest of those who toppled and vandalized the monument was therefore “questionable,” Waheed continued, insisting that the arrests were “unlawful” as they were opposing “something the government did in violation of the constitution.”
Speaking at the press conference, MP Dr Afrashim Ali argued that damaging a monument erected in violation of the constitution and law could not be an illegal act.
Afrashim also contended that the ostensibly pagan symbols on the monument amounted to denial of the oneness of God, the central belief of monotheism.
“The most clear and important sign of a people’s shirk [denial of God] is erecting idols,” he explained, adding that displaying “idols” in the Maldives was “most definitely haram [forbidden].”
Afrashim claimed that the monument was “proof that President [Mohamed] Nasheed encourages the spread of other religions [in the Maldives].”
“We have always been saying he has been trying to introduce other religions in the country,” he said. “He has tried to freely sell alcohol in the country. He has also appealed to MPs to not include Islamic punishments in the law.
Meanwhile the religious conservative Adhaalath Party sent a letter to the Prosecutor General yesterday requesting the office to look into the matter and prosecute those responsible for erecting the monument.
The party claimed that the monument was erected by the government under a “plan to defile the beloved citizens of Addu and the beloved citizens of Pakistan.”
In a press statement on Sunday, Adhaalath Party called on the authorities to “immediately release” those arrested for toppling the monument.
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very good.
Welcome to New maldives
standing with adhalath party and PPM.
You guys rock!
i hope the prosecutor general has enough courage to prosecute those responsible for importing and erecting something which is clearly illegal under maldivian constitution and regulations.
This mass social experiment by the government is yielding good results for our next next.
the maldivian foreign ministry headed by a zionist stooge clearly lied to the pakistani deplomats. the pakistani high comission wanted to remove the monument when they came to know about the illegality of it. they approached maldivian foreign affairs and were told the whole story of people protesting against it was a rumour cooked up by the opposition parties.
ok, here is the same story again - in a new format
several mosques in addu city were damaged and their sound systems stolen by the secularists few days back. but this news will never appear in this website.
Afrashim was wrong in that Nasheed is trying to introduce other religions into the Maldives. There already ARE other religions and belief systems all over the Maldives. The difference is that Nahseed accepts this fact, while Afrashim and PPM is in denial. Please try to get this through to your head. (it shouldn't be too hard considering all the nonsense that gets in there)
Our hats off to the two brave heros currently in Nasheeds dungeon.
Dear heros, you are the equivalents of modern day Mohamaed Thakurufaanus. You are the warriers who fought in defence of our constitution. You are the ones with true maldivian blood and you made us proud.
Heros, we have not forgotten you. We will be launching a massive media/ leagal campaign on your behalf very soon. We will not rest till you breath freedom.
They are openly inciting vigilante justice and barbarism yet they call themselves the Progressive Party. Anywhere else in the developed world, they would be the laughing stock.
Heroes? Are you kidding? What version of islam are you practicing? Defacing public property and a gift from another islamic nation is distasteful. You who believe otherwise have drank too much of the AP/PPM koolaid! You all need to pull your heads out of your asses - idiots!
nasheed, the traitor to the nation & religion should immediately release the two innocent citizens who tried to defend the constitution.
disrespecting other religions, so PPM supports it
such a progressive party
@free the innocent!
..go to school and learn a few things. When you understand the meaning of traitor, then you can start writing whatever nonsense you have in your head
By your reasoning the whole national museum should burn, and then Indra Gandi Memorial Hospital should too, because it carries a heathens name.
what a bunch of morons, the general level IQ of Maldivian people at 82, sadly.
@Briko - sorry beg to differ here, IQ of 82? way too high for Maldivians - idiot score is less than 25 so I've read the average for the country is 26!!!
It makes sense... the national museum and Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital needs to be burnt down!
How dare the government allow an impious centre be run under the guise of a museum! Its corrupting the minds of our children with its Buddhist nonsensical gobbledygook.
F*** IQ's, its for losers. Lets burn down the heathenish IGMH. I'm almost certain when babies are born there, their gay genes get turned on. They are everywhere!
Won't someone please think of the children? Our social fabric is being destroyed by these irreligious villains.
if ppm gets to know that there were temple rooms built in IGMH than ADHAA will come to burn it too/
PPM have to stop acting like a child and act like a mature party. This is like children playing for a bar of candy.
PPM is this desperate to get into power they are willing to go to this extreme to support radical islam in the maldives.
My vote will never go to PPM
Great image of tolerance maldivians,
Hope to see the day religious oppression will end!
According to Afrasheems warped logic putting up the monument is illegal then burning it is not illegal. By the same token should then those in the public who beleive that Maumoons order killed people in Jail the day Evan Naseem was killed, go and kill Maumoon. After all in Islam the sentence for murder is killing the muderer. Is it not?
No worries,
The family of late ABDULL GAYYOOM SEEDHI's FAMILY is history. Not Future of Maldives.
Me being an employee of IGMH can assure that there is no temple room in the hospital.
Also, i'm concerned about all this talks from the secularists to burn down a hospital.
There will be a time when our neighbouring says this is too much and we can’t tolerate the barbaric acts of Maldivians. Let us boycott this country. Let us withhold entry visa to this barbaric country. Let us deprive them our hospitals, schools and educational institutes.
I sincerely hope that this happens and dirty-birded Mullahs and the PPM learn a lesson.
This isn't about religion at all. This is about jealousy and envy.
Maumoon and Yaamin's gang they said that it's impossible to have SAARC in Addu because they can't finish on time. They were proven wrong. Then they tried to disrupt the Summit. They failed.
Now they are trying to destroy the monuments.
I hope there's 24 hour security in the Equatorial Convention Center. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to burn the place.
Shall we burn all the barbie dolls tomorrow and create more national heroes?
actually the secularits are too intolerant in this. The ppl who really oppose these imagery are religious minded simple people. However their ranks have been infiltrated by the PPM party activists whose only goal is to score political points. Still I say the original oppostion to these statutes originated with the people, so how about respecting their views? Can't our secularists allow this much? Is this even too much to ask?
PPM i am with you. We should also hail all the heroes who bomb the kafirs and kill their children too. and if a maldivian does that we shall hail him the biggest hero of all time. PPL i love you.