Renowned Qari (Quran reciter) Hussain Thaufeeq has been charged with possession of pornographic material by the Prosecutor General’s Office, on top of multiple counts of child molestation.
The Criminal Court held the first hearing of the pornography charges this morning.
Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem confirmed to Minivan News today that additional charges had been pressed against the famed teacher.
“Police discovered [the pornographic material] on his computer,” he said.
Qari Thaufeeq, widely considered to be the best Quran reciter in the Maldives, was arrested in August last year on allegations of sexually abusing a number of under-aged girls.
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News at the time that Thaufeeq was arrested in connection with “many” child sex offences against girls, “some cases going back a long time.”
Prior to his arrest, Thaufeeq hosted a daily Quran teaching programme with school children on state television every night after Maghrib prayers. He also led Friday prayers and conducted religious sermons.
Under the Child Sex Offenders (Special Provisions) Act of 2009, the penalty for child sex abuse is 10-14 years but can be extended to 15-18 years if the accused was in a position of trust with the children he allegedly abused.
In child sex abuse cases, the court usually exercises its authority to conduct closed hearings, excluding journalists and the public from observing the trial.
While the Criminal Court initially extended Thaufeeq’s detention in police custody to 15 days following his arrest on August 17, 2010, the court later transferred to the Qari to house arrest.
Thaufeeq was also sacked from his post at the Centre for the Holy Quran by the Islamic Ministry after it received reports of misconduct.
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No way. These are white clothed angels who can not commit such offenses.
Minivan news, please do not publish comments which are abusive and degradatory towards islam.
Respect the laws and regulations of maldives.
Also note that we are closely following your website regarding its anti-islam contents.
Eyy Meesthakunney, kaleymenna halaaku huri!
Is it any wonder that those of pious faith and excellent breeding, would fall victim to their own most lascivious desires - when our society as a whole is corrupt and unheeding of those that know better!
Consider, if a wolf wanders into the proximity of a horse, that has strayed from its stable - will that horse not be eaten, even if the canine had been tamed and taught to do otherwise. If it does not indeed commit the deed, would he not salivate afterwards, and keep the picture of unattainable flesh in his imagination!
So then, even among the most pious of men, when they live in a society where women are immodest and do not cover their hair, will they not be tempted? And some, rather than Zina, some may commit a lesser offense. Fathers and husbands, take heed of my good advice - and punish your daughters when they go outside, or attire themselves in ways that will lead men astray. Not all have the strength and wisdom and fortitude of Ayatu'llah Khomeini, who would garrot both the wrong-doers and the immodest ones on the spot, may his name ever be praised.
I knew Ahmed Nazeer will write this article.
Eyy Minivannews! Kaleymenna Halaaku Huri!
Why do you selectively report everything that even vaguely pertains to Islam and those that practice it, and always in a negative light!?
Yet you promote bizzare scientific theories, publish the deranged ramblings of secularists, venerate women refuse to wear the headscarf, link to hate and gleefully report when - nay! - gleefully encourage zionists and Jews to visit our shores!
It is clear where your loyalties lie!
*hate sites
I condem this person for doing such evil acts. I wish the courts will give him the harshest possible punishment, not only for his crimes but also for misusing his position in society. We all know that it is the person who commits the crime who is the criminal and not his job.
I also commend the min. of islamic affairs for immediately firing him from the job when this accusation of sexual misconduct first surfaced. (the presidents office still employ people who had 'web-cam sex' with minors of under 18 years)
I also condem this website for selective anti-islam bias in news reporting and publishing opinions and letters. I also condem this site for publishing hateful comments that unfairly target islam for abuse.
@dhivehi hanguraama
because other locacl media fails to report these, especially in english. why? because maldivians are friggin hypocrite living double lives. we want tolerant peaceful muslim image for foreign affairs....and dhivehistan image internally. local media are bullied in to (with threats and all) and forced with political power to censor these news. bravo minivannnews for covering these issues everyone else try to hide.
and why is everyone defending this guy?! just because he learned the quran doesnt mean he is a good person, let alone a good muslim. no one is after islam. islam doesn promote pedopheila. some cults who take the name of islam does however. so stop blaming minivan for bringing us the news!!!
@ me
Haveeru online in their English section has covered this story. I suspect that Minivan news has extracted chunks from that haveeru report.
No one is telling reporters not to cover news. But when one type of news (i.e. the news that portray muslims negetively) are always given a preferential coverage then i believe there is a problem, like in this website.
Regrettable.
Possession of pornography - no big deal.
Pedophilia - a huge deal.
Pedophilia through the abuse of one's position - even bigger.
All of you good people out there,please don't connect this abuse with religion.Some of the most disgusting world-wide child abuse was by Catholic priests..The be-all and end-all of this,is that the perpetrators are peadophiles and must be severely punished..You can guarantee that the children did not expect to be abused and therefore no blame can be laid on them..
If Minnivannews publishes even one more article that is Anti-Islamic, I shall complain. You have been warned.
still you blame minivannews and ahmed nazeer?
Most of the online news sites wont publish what you would cause of their ego for Islam. infact this has not much to do with Islam. cause i do not believe that if an Islamic scholar abuses a child it means all muslims are child abusers. same goes to the rest of the religions and even atheists. if an athiest abuses a child does not mean all atheists are child abusers. This is common thinking around the world. Thank you Ahmed Nazeer and Minivannews for the news.
I personally dont think pornography is crime but since Maldives is the so called %100 muslim country and this qaree pretends to be 'angel' like. all i could do is LAUGH OUT LOUD!!! HAHAH. hypocrisy to the max.
me on Thu, 6th Oct 2011 9:37 PM
I am sorry to hurt many but Islam DOES promote Pedophila.
Muhammad married Aisha when she was six, and had sexual intercourse with her while she still remained pre-pubescent at the age of nine lunar years. This fact has been recorded many times in Sahih ahadith.
ويستفتونك في النساء قل الله يفتيكم فيهن ومايتلى عليكم في الكتاب في يتامى النساء اللاتي لاتؤتونهن ماكتب لهن وترغبون ان تنكحوهن والمستضعفين من الولدان وان تقوموا لليتامى بالقسط وماتفعلوا من خير فان الله كان به عليما
an-Nisa` 4:127
In summary what the above arabic verse means: When Muslims asked Muhammad who the "Nisa" were, he said they were the:
Orphans, Female wards, Those you desire to marry,The weakened from the children or new born.
Given the evidence from the Islamic texts themselves, this interpretation is not the 'most reasonable' as asserted. We have ample evidence that Muhammad (who is considered the uswa hasana - perfect example) married and had sex with a pre-pubescent Aisha, we have evidence that Muhammad's companions also did it and that Muslims to this very day are marrying pre-pubescent females and having intercourse with them. In none of these cases are the husbands comparable in age to the wife. So even though this is a possible interpretation, it is by no means the only reason that Muhammad revealed this verse - as evidenced also in the tafsir's provided above. Simply put, Muhammad did not specify an 'iddah for those whom menstruation was not present, so one had to be sent regarding these 3 groups of women. Nowhere in the Qur'an or the ahadith does it discuss teenagers marrying teenagers (ie. to 'explain' this verse) and all the evidence that we have points to [much] older men marrying and having sexual relations with pre-pubescent females.
enough of research for now.
By the way is he aged 54 and did he molest a 9 year old girl?
The Qari is a fake. The whole twisting and turning of tongue is useless, in practical life.
Imagine a raivaru - ballad is used to read the news on TV. Apart from taking a lot of time, who the hell cares. Much better would be a clean, nicer message read out.
So, he is a fake. I imagine, if you dig an inch deeper, you would even find same-sex activities as well.
Shame on these hypocrites.
"Prior to his arrest, Thaufeeq hosted a daily Quran teaching programme with school children on state television every night after Maghrib prayers. He also led Friday prayers and conducted religious sermons."
I suppose this is the paragraph where minivan news tries to imply that that Muslim clerics commit crimes of this nature
Everyone including those from the cleric fraternity of all religions commits crimes of this nature
September 23, 2008
An Italian bishop has forgiven a priest discovered in bed with a parishioner saying that the woman had "led him astray".
The Times Online reports that the woman's affair with the priest at Chioggia, near Venice, came to light when her husband returned home unexpectedly from work and found them in flagrante delicto.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1973914,00.html
In an interview with TIME, Dr. Huth paints a portrait of the priest known as Father H., accused of sexually abusing boys in the archdiocese of Munich and Freising, then run by Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI. Father H., says the psychiatrist, "was narcissistic, like other pedophiles, and I repeatedly warned church officials in the 1980s that he shouldn't be allowed to work with children or young people." Dr. Huth says the priest came to him in 1980 after he was transferred to Munich to undergo therapy. As Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Ratzinger approved the transfer from Essen to Munich and the decision to give Father H. housing in the Munich diocese to undertake therapy. "A Jesuit father in Essen sent me a letter telling me about Father H.'s pedophilia and the priest then approached me directly," says Dr. Huth. The psychiatrist says Father H. initially didn't want any therapy, and he lacked self-awareness, refusing to acknowledge what he did was wrong. "Father H. was a pedophile — there's no doubt about it — and he was also a gifted actor," Dr. Huth says, recalling the fact that the priest boasted that he was a budding actor as a child.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1900120,00.html
James Quinn and his classmates called it the blackjack — five layers and 18 in. (46 cm) of leather, studded with coins and other metal objects. The priests at the school Quinn attended in rural Ireland in the 1950s each carried a blackjack and used it, along with bamboo rods and other objects, to dole out almost daily beatings to hundreds of children. "Whatever class you went to, you got a beating from whoever was in charge," says Quinn, now 70. "But knowing what other people went through, I know I was one of the lucky ones."
Quinn was one of more than 2,000 people to give evidence in a nine-year inquiry into child abuse at educational institutions, orphanages and hospitals run by Roman Catholic religious orders in Ireland from the 1930s to the 1990s. On Wednesday, May 20, the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse released its findings. The five-volume, 2,600-page report is a catalog of horrors, describing "endemic sexual abuse" at boys' institutions and the "daily terror" of physical abuse experienced by the estimated 30,000 Irish children who were sent to them
Maybe what I am trying to say is, it is not the religion that commits the crime but the person
And the person committing these crimes must be punished to the full extent of the law as they are trusted with their charge for the purpose and intent of education
@Dhivehi Hanguraama:
If I'm a Maldivian gay, does it mean that the next time Maldivian national team plays football wearing short shorts, they are inviting and tempting me to rape them?
@Rooster:
Was that praise or criticism of Ahmed Nazeer?
Surely Mr. Nazeer should be appreciated because he is brave enough to bring us every news to educate us how the Wahhabis are trying to create disorder in this society.
So Mr. Nazeer should be praised because he is not afraid to fight Islam's enemies even at the risk of getting labelled anti-Islamic from the very hypocrites' groups he and we are all fighting against.
Keep up the good work, Mr. Nazeer, and I pray that Allah never lets the ink run out of your pen. Amen.
Thaufeeq was arrested last year. Kept in jail for more than a month for police to do their investigation. Then he was put on house arrest. Its more than 1 now, but he still has not been convicted of anything. Now he is charged with pornographic material! That's pretty lame I would say. Who doesn't??? So guys, I don't think anybody has right to presume he is guilty yet!!!
This is clearly an anti-Islam hate site.
We are going to take action untill this website loose its registration. We are going to launch a campaign against companies which give advertisments to this site. We need to teach the people runing this site that what they write here do have consequences.
@dhivehi hanguraama
No person irrespective of his/her profession is above law. Guilty must be punished even if the person is a renowned reciter/preacher, politician or a bureaucrat.
Please do not blame girls for his mischievous conduct. He should have known what he is doing and what could be the consequences.
@ Grand Mullah,
What happened 2000 years ago should not be allowed now. Why we have to follow Saudi form of Islam? They do not have copy right over it. The socio-politico conditions are totally different from what were 2000 years ago. Today, we have gender equality (except in Islam) and girls are moving ahead in all fields. Its time that we Maldivians should allow our girls to educate themselves and do not follow the dictats of these beardee Mullahs who in the name of "teaching" abuse our children.
What Thaoufeeq has done is condoned by the religion of Islam. Maldivian courts have no legal authority as far as Sharia law is concerned to punish him for having multiple woman for sex with under aged girls. It is absolute rightful for a man to have Harem and they can have sex with any number of girls if they are captives in war or slave girls, In Thaufeeqs case these girls can be considered as slave girls. Anyone who refutes this is ignorant of Islam. Most of Muslim apologists do try to cover up the truth as these acts are uncivilized acts. Mullah and Qazeen in Maldives are well aware that these are legal in Islam and they will not penalize these acts. Please do read Islam and the history of Sex slaves and multiple woman for sex that was practiced in Islam.
to Dhivehi Haguraama
so what is problem?you can complain even to holy Harry Potter/
@aisha just when i thought Maldivians cannot get any stupid, then came you.
"In Thaufeeqs case these girls can be considered as slave girls. Anyone who refutes this is ignorant of Islam". I think the one who is ignorant is yourself. Mr. Thaufeeq should endure a severe penalty for his crimes. I personally would prefer they hang these bastards. But ppl like you with your reality distortions only makes such clear cases all blurry and worse. Do Maldivians, muslims, or even the whole of humanity a favour, and think a bit before you type such nonsense, lest someone actually believes it.
Dhivehi Hanguraama is a troll. Ignore him.
@Riko
Konn Harry Potter eh tha? Harry Potter ah Halaaku huri!
Mikahala Anti Islam news items adhi enme faharakuves publish Koffiah, aharen shakua kuraanan! Kaleyaka kure veyne kame nen.
Kaleya Halaaku huri!
@Dhivehi Hanguraama: Kaleyah ves halaaku huri!
Man, that felt good 😀
I suppose I'm a heretic now, having said "halaaku huri" at the Great Defender :p
As for the honorable Qari, there's a very simple solution. Cut off his fingers and his c*ck so he doesn't have any appendages to diddle little girls anymore.
That outta dissuade other men, both holy and unholy; make them think twice about diddling little girls.
And whoever says that's harsh, can join Hanguraama and take yourself a nice big halaaku huri as well :p
@Hungaamaa ho jaa ay
If they are gay, then they must be garroted on the spot. What they might do to me should my shorts be too short, (which they never are, incidentally) is irrelavant.
@Zeenat
I do not say the man is blameless, but shall we ignore the social context which tempts them into such deeds? Specifically a society wear women are at liberty to wear, what does not cover all that needs to be covered!
Nonetheless, there are those of us willing to speak up againt the lewdness that infests our society and corrupts our youth. Through a united voice, stern, harsh and unblinking in delivery - we shall disabuse women of their immodesty, and they shall be safe from the depredations of those they have tempted, through much fault of their own!
@Dhivehi Haguraama
"Konn Harry Potter eh tha?"
Hey bro you don't know who is Harry Potter?oops he is Holy complains master!
ok complain to Lord of The Ring(part 3) and do not worry God accept you in paradise with coca-cola!
@Zeenat on Fri, 7th Oct 2011 11:13 AM
"What happened 2000 years ago should not be allowed now. Why we have to follow Saudi form of Islam? They do not have copy right over it. The socio-politico conditions are totally different from what were 2000 years ago. Today, we have gender equality (except in Islam) and girls are moving ahead in all fields. Its time that we Maldivians should allow our girls to educate themselves and do not follow the dictats of these beardee Mullahs who in the name of “teaching” abuse our children."
then why do you even need a Quran or Muhammed's 'hadhees' when you can live a more decent and peaceful life without following it. why reject only part of it why not the whole book? you don't need to follow Saidi or Americans just to know whats good. for me i know if i hit someone it would be painful so i wont do it. whats so hard about it.
i do believe in gender equality but quran or Islam dosn't. if you try to prove me that gender is equal from quran verses i ll also you its not equal from the same book with reference and with 3 translations. shoot me.
@ Aisha on Fri, 7th Oct 2011 11:53 AM
you might not know this as (i assume) you are Muslim, I think you are on of the Sadomasochist. not that Sadomasochism is bad thing. read more if you want know what it means.
@ Nazeer Zindabad
I imagine Ahmed Nazeer as someone who likes to feed the atheists. That was why I said what I sad. Its up to you to judge whether I complimented or complained.
@ Dhivehi Haguraama
I have been reading your inflamatory nonsense here for a while and I am now suspecting you are yaamyn. Whoever you are, plase do not say things like "Kaleya Halaaku huri!" Meehunah badhu dhua kuraakah nuvaane.
@Arey
I respect your personal opinion about Thaufeeq case, but I do not like hanging any human being. However, what I have mentioned was what is legal in Islam; Please do read Quran and Hadhees and Siyarath Mohamed. Multi woman sex, under aged bride, is absolutely right in Islam you can ask any Mullah he will give you Hadhees and Quran permitting these acts.
Child marriage is allowed in Islam. Those men who love Islam, must marry a young underaged girl, simply to follow on the foot steps of our prophet. And following him is commanded by God.
For those who find the concept disgusting, don't just take a piece, but take the whole cake and acknowledge the fact there were hideous practices in the history of Islam, which is vomited upon now. But deviants want to explore and exploit them, in the name of prophet and god.
Sounds like some of the commentators don't want this news to be reported. I wonder what they are protecting. Feeling guilty for any reason?
I hope they aren't openly supporting this monster and paedophelia in general.
Rooster the notable Maldivian philologist can decipher indentities through text!? Or thinks he can. I'm a Johny-come lately I'm afraid, but I'm here to stay.
Now, I have said nothing objectionable or inflammatory, and my words are sagacious, true and self evident to those that are discerning and well bred. My main contention, is that we must take social norms and values into account when analysing phenomena. How you choose to interpret my words is your prerogative.
My logic is very simple really. Immodesty attracts harrasment. If our women are modest, they will not be harassed - nor will they implant visions of their flesh on the imaginations of men, who then, would turn to pornography and the like as an alternative to commitnig Zina. Thus through the instilling of proper viture and modesty, these types of incidents shall decline. Do you follow!?
I have also noted that this site wants to convey a certain image towards Islam, that does not render it in a positive light - and they are quick to jump on the misadventures of some poor fool who happened to be a Muslim, and squash him into a pallette with a paint-brush ready. If they continue to do this, I shall complain! Am I being Objectionable?
I think not!
Also, please do not aspire to such temerity that you would presume to have control over my tone of discourse, or entertain the notion that it is proper of you to remark on my level of civility.
@Riko on Fri, 7th Oct 2011 3:57 PM
"Hey bro you don’t know who is Harry Potter?oops he is Holy complains master!
ok complain to Lord of The Ring(part 3) and do not worry God accept you in paradise with coca-cola!"
Have you suffered a blow to the head recently?
@ rooster
you maybe right. that person writing as 'dhivehi hangurama' may as well be yaameen.
because most of these secularists seem to suffer from multi personality disorder. we have the famous case of a secularist blogger who writes threats to himself and then goes on telling that he is threatened. ultimately he got drug overdosed.
i also think that most of the anti-islam comments originate from minivan news itself or from a same group of people who use multiple names.
also the whole point of putting ones own website on the comment is to give the chance to secularists to advertise their hate blogs.
Minivan news please post the link to your commenting guide line. (if you have any).
So that i can print it out and tear it to pieces.
Although Thoufeeq recited and taught quruan several times daily, he was not immune from Satanic influence. Satan was so successful in corrupting his mind in to committing grave crimes against undefended kids.
@ Dhivehi Haguraama
You are hardly a Hanguraama. You are just stirring the pot.
So when Satan was corrupting his mind to hurt children, Allah just sat in his throne? Did Allah enjoy that?
The whole issue is not what Thaufeeq has done with underage girls; this could have been done by any individual with any background. The issue is that Mullahs think that the criminal activities are limited to drugs, alcohol, bank interest and woman freedom. Violation of human rights, like child abuse and violation of woman rights are seen something normal to these Mullahs what a civilized person sees as criminal act. The mullahs always talk about social evils what they believe is wrong which may be not as derogatory as child abuse, rape, killing and violating women’s rights to a rational thinker. Why Mullah always behaves irrationally is because of the teaching of Islam and their blind believe to its teaching. So naturally anyone who has common sense reads and knows the Islamic teaching with critical mind will express their feeling about the Mullas and their ideology
@ hameed
you are a fact twister, i guess.
we opposed to the fact that minivan news ALWAYS project islam in a bad light in their news coverage. we opposed to minivan news overlooking other big stories and always running after islam, muslims, adhaalath, religious NGOs, etc.
we opposed to the fact that minivan news continuously publishing anti-islam slurs in the form of comments & opinions in contravention to maldivian constitution and religious unity regulation.
once again let me categarically condem Qari thaufeeq and his actions.
Let those who break the law be punished including him & those that break the law on this website.
@Dhivehi Bikini on Fri, 7th Oct 2011 3:05 PM
(Prophet) Muhammad is a troll too if you haven't realized it yet.
Haters of Minivan news(the only thing the religious hypocrites knows best to do). You need learn to tolerate. there is a lot more to come in the future it will be way tougher.
I really appreciate what minivan news is and their writers are doing. you have been trying with patience to bring up issues which no other Maldivian (biased) news blogs or sites do.
cheers
@Rooster
I don't think it's fair to judge a book by the cover. Why don't we call Minivan office and directly ask Nazeer whether he is a Muslim?
Would that be appropriate? Some Muslims think religion is a private matter and therefore, like asking a lady her age is not nice, that we shouldn't also ask about one's religion.
But then if we can't establish Nazeer's beliefs - or lack thereof - how to react appropriately to Nazeer's writings here, that is the question, right? Which leads us to a dead end as we can't question Nazeer's beliefs because it is a private matter.
Which then leaves us with the option I initially offered: since we cannot know what is in Nazeer's heart, and as long as Nazeer does not publish a personal OPINION COLUMN filled with direct anti-Islam hate speech, then we should not make false assumptions about Nazeer and his beliefs and his supposed agenda.
As I said we should just be grateful that at least one newspaper is bringing us news that cowardly media like Haveeru and DhiTV are afraid to bring. And I know that a lot of editors, for ease of process, assigns certain journalists with topics like 'tourism', 'religion', etc, in order to "specialize" them in the topic and make them focus only on it so that any news or incident involving that topic is not missed by the newspaper.
That's why I say that Nazeer or Minivan News for which he works for, should be praised for making sure that we Minivan readers at least do not miss a single mischief created in the Maldives by these I-Know-It-All Mullahs.
So Nazeer and Minivan, keep bringing us EVERY news that concerns our personal lives. Thanks again. You guys and gals are doing a great job.
I am not judging a book by its cover. In fact, I have never seen even a bit of the cover. lol
Nazeer Zindabad may have surfaced only with this article. But Rooster has been around for a while. I have (irregularly) read Minivan News for a few years now. And what I said was based on observations I have made.
Unlike Haveeru, Minivan news is very selectivie in choosing their articles. They will not publish each and every news item. They do not publish the news articles about everything that is happenning in this country. They will not publish many things that brings a bad name to the President or the government. But they will publish every little thing that can open debate on religious topics.
It is not my interest to find out whether Ahmed Nazeer is a Muslim or not. I have observed his writings on Minivan News long enough for me to think what might or might not interest him. So when I first saw the news of this Qaaree on Haveeru, I immediately thought this will be posted on Minivan News by Ahmed Nazeer. Was I wrong? 🙂
The abuse and exploitation of young girls in islamic societies will continue unabated till a mimimum age for marriage is put in place. I can't see this happening anytime soon. In the more 'pious' (aka backward) islamic countries of Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan, pre pubescent girls are routinely married off to old men and suffer extreme mental and physical torture. The laws in these coutries do not stipulate a minimum age of consent thereby condoning this odious practice. Any attempt to change the law bring out the mud mullah brigade. Don't muslim families care for their girls? Educated muslim women should fight for change.