The Maldives Media Council (MMC) has issued a statement concluding its investigation into Minivan News at the behest of the Islamic Ministry concerning the publication of comments by an individual “who assumed the name of Allah and had harassed Islam and Allah.”
The case concerned a comment located on a story dated November 28, 2012 titled: ‘Government “cynically used xenophobia, nationalism and religious extremism” to attack foreign investor: former President’, in which a reader posted a comment under the pseudonym ‘Maai Allah’.
Minivan News at the time complied with a Criminal Court warrant dated December 3, seeking both the comment’s removal and the provision of the commentator’s email and IP address on the grounds they had violated Islamic principles.
Following the removal of the comment, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs sent a letter to the Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM), dated December 5 and obtained by the Minivan News, calling for the site to be shut down.
“It has come to this ministry’s knowledge that among the comments published on an article named “Government ‘cynically used xenophobia, nationalism and religious extremism’ to attack foreign investor: former President” there were some comments made under the name of’ ‘Maai Allah’ offending Allah and Islam,” wrote Minister of State for Islamic Affairs, Mohamed Didi.
“Hence, the management of the prior-mentioned website has breached Article 8 and 10 of the regulation made under the Religious Unity Act. We therefore request you to close down that website at the earliest possible convenience, and to take action against online newspapers and websites which publish writing of this manner,” the letter reads.
Deputy Director General of CAM, Abdulla Nafeeq Faashaa, referred the matter to the MMC on December 10, stating in a letter that it was “in the mandate of the Maldives Media Council to govern codes of conduct and ethical standards, and because it is also in the council’s mandate to look into complaints sent in regarding media content.”
Faashaa further advised the MMC that “we would like to assure you that this authority will extend any technical work that needs to be done regarding this matter.”
The original letter was sent to the MMC on December 11.
In a statement this week, the MMC said the investigation panel had been informed by “those running Minivan News that the concerned comment has been removed from the website and have assured the council that no such comment has been published anymore. And the newspaper has also assured that such a thing would not be repeated by its editorial board. The council believes that Minivan News has therefore taken steps to make amends following the action and have been also informed the complainant.”
“Also, while looking into the case, the council strongly believed that Minivan News editor should adhere to the laws of the Republic of Maldives, therefore the council has decided formally request the owners of Minivan News website to ensure that its editor remains in line with the laws of the country,” the MMC stated.
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To those anti-muslim secularists running this website:Note that we will be observing your actions closely in the future also.
Urg, so the internet is not free anymore either I see.
This website has never been anti Muslim and it never will be.
@IFM ...go on! Threaten some more! There is nothing you can do about it! The more you send threats out there the more you prove to us Maldivians about your ignorance and stupidity.
Lead could have stated the decision made by MMC rather than stating that a decision has been made. The most important news item is at the bottom now.
@ IFM - who gives a SH-T about your narrow minded bigoted point of view.
www.hide-my-ip.com
Back to the stone age everyone. Give me a minute though, I need to stone some adulterers.
When Maldives does something to protect our values, we are going back ward for thousand years.
When countries like India arrest a person who had tweeted of his dissatisfaction of an action to shut the entire Bombay to commemorate the death of a priest is OK.
These people who have been controlled by people like Nasheed will politicize things for their personal gain.
Kuribee
Who said indian's arrest was ok? stop making baseless claims.
Maldivian values? Our ancestors have been trashing that for ages. We even got rid of our writing to embrace thaana.
IFM,
May you speedily seek out your 72 virgins & let others be.
those who are making fun of 72 virgins are alluding to an islamic concept of paradise where the successful ones will have multitude of women as wives and abundance of happiness in an everlasting place. the kuffar being the hollow brains they are make jokes about islam all the time. but let their ignorance be with them. The god who created this vast universe is able to create heaven and hell and every other thing that is described in Quruan. If you mock at these blessings of Allah then think not you are far away from the creation of Allah. You and me, we are both living on a planet that is just like a spec of dust on an astronomical scale. The holy quruan described the insignificance of this world as the likeness of a part of an insect's wing. just think about the appropriateness of that similitude. who cares about a apart of an insect's wing? what value does it have? yet its just about the size of this world that we live in astronomical size. mock Allah at your own peril. you know today how to mock at the creator who created you from a babe.. just a few years ago.. and you will return to the dust you were created from the first time...
@human being. If anyone speaks to Got, this is a prayer. When someone hears voices, the voice of God too, if Got talking to someone, then that is a psychosis, a mental illness. The book that is sacred for you was written by other people. What if the story with the 72 virgins is a trick for you to voluntarily sacrifice your sole life for whatever? You will be manipulated.
"Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you. Unfold your own myth." Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi.