Customs officials at the Male’ Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) on Thursday seized 11 books about Christianity, typed in Dhivehi, from a Bangladeshi expatriate who came to the Maldives via Sri Lanka.
Speaking with the press last Thursday inside the Customs Building, Chief Customs Officer Ahmed Samah identified the Bangladeshi expat as Jathish Bisvas, 44.
Samah said the 44 year-old man had arrived to the Maldives on a tourist visa and that it was the first time he visited Maldives.
According to Samah, customs officials were suspicious that the expat who had tried to bring the banned items into Maldives had links with a person in Male’. Samah said the Bangladeshi man had made a booking with a hotel in Male’ but did could not identify which hotel it was.
Samah said later the same day a Maldivian national was caught with similar books, after arriving to the Maldives from Sri Lanka.
The books he brought were not typed in Dhivehi, according to Samah.
Furthermore, Samah said it was highly possible that a Maldivian was behind the illegal smuggling operation given the quality of the Dhivehi language used to type the book. He also said it was a “very serious case if a Maldivian is behind this.”
He told the press that it was difficult to identify or provide further details about the suspected Maldivian man.
The pair have been handed over to police and customs and police are conducting a joint investigation into the case.
According to the Maldives Religious Unity Regulations, it is illegal in the Maldives to propagate any faith other than Islam or to engage in any effort to convert anyone to any religion other than Islam. It is also illegal to display in public any symbols or slogans belonging to any religion other than Islam, or creating interest in such articles.
It is also illegal in the Maldives to carry or display in public books on religions (other than Islam) and books and writings that promote and propagate other religions, and the translation into Dhivehi language such books and writings on other religions.
Violation of the Religious Unity Act is subject to two to five years in prison and fines up to MVR 20,000 (US$1300).
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Lol. All this can be downloaded online. Silly 7th century laws. A dhivehi Jesus mmovie is on youtube. Keke.
Islam must be so weak that a christian book can have all Maldivians converting to Xtianity. Birugathas thee bodu varu. Haha Bodu jokeh.
Books about Christianity? My god! All airport staff must now have automatically converted to Christianity!
The funniest thing about muslims is how insecure they are about their belief.
Abul Barakaatul barbary also imported a new religion to Maldives. So glad we didn't have these customs officers back then. Otherwise we would stii be *gasp* Buddist..
@ Nasora. I agree
Someone forgot that we are in 21st century, an era of technology where everything is online for free, including the Maldivian dictionary.
The shipment of hard copies by this simple Bangladeshi is just a beginning or maybe part of the hundreds of items Maldives imports from bangladesh. We first thought they (Bangladeshi) were just laborers, little did we know one day they would control our lives and we become dependent on them:
1.They control the garbage industry
2. They control the metal/tin recylable waste
3. They control the taste of what we eat as all cafes/restaurants are 99% bangaladesh
4. They control our hygiene and sanitation even if they themselves are very dirty
5. They control our transport system
6. They control the bazaar market now flooded with products from bangladesh
7. Bagladesh energy drinks are No.1 in maldives
8. They have started controlling medicine industry as more cheap and sub standard come from bangladesh
9. They drive the rich and their families round male in posh cars
10. They SLEEP with house wives whose husbands are busy in offices or travelling
11. They SLEEP with young buruga girls locked up in high rise buildings in the name of islam
BANGLADESH HAVE F...KED OUR ECONOMY, OUR LIVES, OUR BRAINS, and now ISLAM! why??? ask yourself why because everyone of us is a cause to this huge problem
Customs officers: can't detect drugs, can detect Bibles.
Are they Bible sniffers?
Christianity is just as good or bas as any of the other multitude of religions that humans take comfort in. For some weird reason, we humans love to embrace these "faiths", mostly for psychological comfort.
Having said that, anyone who believes in the Pope must be out of their minds. Just during the last few weeks, the holy man's butler has made some interesting revelations about corruption and less than "holy" behaviour inside the Catholic faith's most esteemed institution. Clearly, they will try to shut him up as best they can.
Now, I'm not just taking sides against the Catholic faith. Nowadays, Muslims are some of the most intolerant in human society. They seem to think that no one but they have the right to live on this earth. They demand all sorts of rights to be given to them, but never reciprocate!
As some posters have pointed out, Bibles, and other assorted religious materials are freely available on the internet for all to see and study. By all means, people should study them, and make up their own minds. Any intelligent person will sooner or later realise them for what they are, i.e. just pure hogwash!
Enjoy your Bible, Quran, Torah or whatever other else satisfies your mind, but don't take it too far.
I think if we can allow Christianity without compromising on the sovereignty of the Maldivian state, there is nothing wring about it.. I am wearing my lawyer hat here, not the MP or political one.
@New Technology on Sun, 30th Sep 2012 6:40 PM
This shows how intolerant Maldivians are to other people. You could learn a vast amount from Bangladeshis, they are hard working people who aren't affraid to leave their familys behind to earn money whatever the abuses they receive at the hands of muslim brothers.
Thousands travel abroad to do the jobs most people believe are below them, UAE, Saudi, Bahrain, Maldives treat them like slaves and often refuse to honour the contracts they offered them on employment.
Only last week the Maldives government stated that people are free to worship whatever religion they wish behind closed doors, but once again the truth appears to refute this claim, follow Islam or be damned to 5 years in prison.
Intolorance isn't a tennant of Islam unless it's the twisted Maldivian version.
A new Abul Barakaatul barbary in town?
What was the ailment this time? Has politics become so corrupt that it equals the Rannamaari?
They might ban the internet too. Back to dark ages for us.
The interesting thing is ; When Maldivians are so renowned for our jealously-driven-hate of any one who is lucky to have made it up the ladder, why are we trying all our best to ensure we are all shackled to the good-old-Islam, under the pretext of guidance? I wonder, could this be the green-eyed monster himself, rearing his head?
Because Maldivians are to lazy to do anything them selves. Why are there so many form your country in western countries abroad. Oh I forgot, for opportunity and a good life.
New Technology on Sun, 30th Sep 2012 6:40 PM
@ Nasora. I agree
Someone forgot that we are in 21st century, an era of technology where everything is online for free, including the Maldivian dictionary.
The shipment of hard copies by this simple Bangladeshi is just a beginning or maybe part of the hundreds of items Maldives imports from bangladesh. We first thought they (Bangladeshi) were just laborers, little did we know one day they would control our lives and we become dependent on them:
1.They control the garbage industry
2. They control the metal/tin recylable waste
3. They control the taste of what we eat as all cafes/restaurants are 99% bangaladesh
4. They control our hygiene and sanitation even if they themselves are very dirty
5. They control our transport system
6. They control the bazaar market now flooded with products from bangladesh
7. Bagladesh energy drinks are No.1 in maldives
8. They have started controlling medicine industry as more cheap and sub standard come from bangladesh
9. They drive the rich and their families round male in posh cars
10. They SLEEP with house wives whose husbands are busy in offices or travelling
11. They SLEEP with young buruga girls locked up in high rise buildings in the name of islam
BANGLADESH HAVE F…KED OUR ECONOMY, OUR LIVES, OUR BRAINS, and now ISLAM! why??? ask yourself why because everyone of us is a cause to this huge problem
Of course it is ludicrous to think that the christian expats living in Maldives all park their religious beliefs at the airport. These people practice their faith openly and without suspicion but Maldivians would not recognize that since they have been restrained from knowing what christianity preaches. The matter of open evangelism by christians is only one aspect of the faith and even that is being curtailed as even more discrete and productive means of sharing the faith is being practiced. The internet is an open source that can be accessed anywhere by anyone and, really, there is no good way for Maldives mullahs to censor that.
@Ahmed
What do you mean muslims are intolerant? IS it out of toleration that US is bombing ppl in AFganistan, pakistan, yemen, Mali etc? Those who were bombed by drones are also ppl. They never got their day in court. Just somebody makes up their mind from thousands of miles away that this is a terrorist and this is a pacifist and bombs him/her sometimes with whole families, does that sound very tolerant for you?
compare the useless demos we have in muslim countries to the actual killing and suffering they are imposing on us and then say who is intolerant.
Listen Idrees - If I went out on a street in Male' and announced that I don't believe in Allah or any religion they would kill me on the spot.
No American bombs involved. No Al Qaeda involved. Ordinary Maldivian men would kill me. How's that for tolerance?
Now everything can jump up and down singing songs about American bombs, but it does not hide the truth about Muslims themselves.
Draconian laws lol, fricking frog in a well. Even in Arabia at the inception of Islam they didn’t have such law. Maldives should invest in infidel sniffing dogs.
Sad the way the Maldives is trying to copy Saudi Arabia.
This was produced by Jeffery Salim Waheed
@ Derek Postance on Mon, 1st Oct 2012 11:25 AM
"Sad the way the Maldives is trying to copy Saudi Arabia."
Indeed. At least the Saudi's have a vested interest in what they are doing. For example, Hajj is an eternal tourism business for that country! Alright, faithful, don't start telling me that swirling around a stone temple isn't anything but a pagan ritual.
Allah, the all knowing and all powerful, surely do not want those who believe in him to do such silly acrobatics as yelling his name whilst spinning around a stone temple.
But, hey it's good tourism and millions spend their life long earnings on this venture. And then there are some vultures who feed on those poor souls, such as those who ran away with the Hajj funds of several Hajj tourists in the Maldives in the last week or so.
Of course, all those Christians who delude themselves with the belief that Jesus is the son of God must be on some serious crack. C'mon, who the bloody hell knows that Mary was really a virgin? She got knocked up by some geezer and she won't own up to it! If she happened to live in modern day Maldives, she would have gotten a right old flogging for her "miracle".
People, get real and forget this hocus-pocus and engage your brains!
Importing bibles would not be an issue in any 'civilised' country in the world but hey this is Maldives.....the 100% sunni muslim nation where no other faith but islam is tolerated.
I think all airports in India should have special arrangements for receiving visitors from Maldives.
Maldivian passport holders should be made to join a special queue then taken to a special room to be frisked for Class A drugs.....I mean bent over and bodily cavities searched.
Then their luggage should be searched and the following items confiscated:
Korans
Prayer mats
Prayer beads
Bottles of Zam Zam water
Soil from Mecca
Rocks from Mina
Dust from the Great Mosque
Framed pictures of the Kaba
Framed pictures of the prophet's horse
Framed pictures of the gates of heaven
.....and especially those irritating battery operated 'allah o akbar' alarm clocks!!
You wouldn't like it one bit would you?.....I can see you rampaging through the streets once again on your tedious 'save islam' marches.
Why do you expect all 'infidels' and 'cow worshippers' to show respect to islam when you show no tolerance or respect to other faiths?
Few will be sad when the Maldives slips below the waves.
Swiss Air flight should not be allowed to land on Maldivian Airports ... with that Big Red Cross painted on the body of the Plane. Bloody Christians ... If I have the power I will send all the little kids with toy AK47s and chase the non-Muslim Kaafaru Farangee tourists.
Good. There'll be a snowstorm in Addu before I allow my children or countrymen to be exposed the insane rantings and lunatic texts of the heretics.
The fact that there is a Maldivian behind this heinous crime further strengthens my resolve that we should start garrotting MalDeviants.
My favorite commenters are Indira and Hanguraama. I want to see them married and produce babies.
Printed books are crap and a crime, but what about the internet??? I really wait for the time they are actually restricted it online!!
until then the whole custom is a joke
@Idrees the Syrian on Mon, 1st Oct 2012 7:03 AM
I think you will find that the muslim brothers of the countries you mentioned are doing a grand job of killing each other without the help of Western Countries.
Afghanistan - Taliban killed more Muslims than the Russians and American combined.
Pakistan - Tribal fueds between Muslims continue to kill more than the annual floods and disease.
Yemen - Internal fighting between Muslim factions kills more than the Saudi backed Military who have crossed over the border to colose the terrorist training camps, Yes Saudi troops not American, Saudi by the way are Muslim.
Mali - Internal power struggle between Muslims.
Syria - Let me guess? Muslims fighting themsleves without Western intervention.
Iraq - Muslim Tyrant killing his own people and invading another Muslim country Kuwait, not to mention the 8 year war with Iran that killed over 1 million Muslims. And just to highlight the fact the use of chemical warfare on the Iranians so people still continue to die today from those effects.
Now tell the rest of the world what a tolerant religion Islam is when you continue to destroy yourselves.
@Democratic friend...Thank you for that interesting viewpoint on world affairs.
I agree with your final paragraph, however if you did some basic research you would also find that behind the conflicts in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Iraq, Christian western powers initiated or encouraged the killing of Muslims by Muslims for the benefit of the western military industrial complex..i.e. for financial profit, or as part of wider US plans for hegemony.
if there is sign of the cross maldivians becomes furious.if one tells his point of view about islam they stab & murdered you in the middle of the night.
WHAT AN EXAMPLE OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY!!!THIS IS JAIL....IF PEOPLE ARE SO SCARED TO LOOSE ISLAM MEANS THEY KNOW IS ALREADY HAPPENING....IN THIS COUNTRY YOU NEED TO LEARN TO RESPECT ALL RELIGIONS...KEEP YOUR OWN BUT RESPECT OTHERS!
@Derek Postance on Tue, 2nd Oct 2012 10:55 AM
I actually have done more than basic research i work on Security Sector Reform for Internationl bodies so i know what i am talking about.
It is a myth that western powers are behind Middle East troubles, check the histories as far back as you can and tribal factions in these countries have been killng each other for centuries, way before oil was discovered.
Yes, western powers get involved because these countries can't contain the violence and it spreads into neighbouring countries causing untold misery for innocent people.
Ideally the west would like nothing more than to close the borders and tell you all to get on with it and kill each other. The problem is those in the west remember men like Adolf Hilter and Stalin and they are not about to let tin pot dictators put the world at risk again because the stakes are much higher with nuclear weapons being developed by these lunatics.