Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has donated MVR18.4 million (US$ 1.2 million) to a mosque project with plans to build 10 mosques in the islands.
Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed confirmed that the money was transferred to ministry’s bank account yesterday (October 15) and that work on the mosques is scheduled to start in the next couple of months.
“This is just the first donation of a US$4 million full amount from the Saudi Prince. We are told that we would receive the rest of the amount as construction of the mosques goes forward,” said Dr Shaheem.
The Saudi Prince – who pledged to build 10 world class mosques in the Maldives in his visit to the Maldives earlier this year – told Shaheem he is willing to help the Maldivian government to preserve the Islamic identity of the nation and that Saudi Arabia sees the Maldives as a country of ‘special importance.’
For his visit in March, the prince – who also serves as the defense minister of Saudi Arabia – booked out three resort islands for nearly a month, reportedly leaving tourists unhappy as bookings were cancelled.
Hajj issues
Dr Shaheem also shared with Minivan News concerns brought forward by agents from Mecca who say that they have large amounts of money owed to them by Maldivian private Hajj companies.
“An agent from Mecca came to the Maldives and shared information about two Hajj groups who owes money in excess of US$300,000 to the agent not paid in over a year now,” said Dr Shaheem.
Recently, the government covered the expenses of the 121 defrauded customers of Al-Fathuh Hajj Umra group with an amount in excess of US$ 500,000.
“We have given the company one month to reimburse the government for the expenses and the company has informed the government via police that they are currently in the process of paying back the government,” explained Shaheem.
While speaking to local media after coming back from the Hajj pilgrimage, Shaheem said that the ministry had decided implement a policy which would require private Hajj companies to keep a deposit at the Islamic Ministry in order to acquire the permit from the government in order to prevent a repeat of this type of fraud.
Haveeru also reported the story of ten Maldivian students who were on their way to the pilgrimage from Medina when they were stopped at a checkpoint near Mecca and denied access being told that the permit was invalid.
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"The Saudi Prince... that Saudi Arabia sees the Maldives as a country of ‘special importance."
Saudi men need somewhere nice to take their Russian hookers on holiday. Maldives really is a special place for the chosen ones.
Oh dear, more Saudi funded Wahabism.
You should be building more schools and hospitals and providing drinking water on the atolls instead of building yet more mosques.
Get ready for more rampages through Male to 'save' islam
More attacks on moderates
More firebombing of opposition offices
More kidnapping of journalists
More hatchets left in the front doors of media offices
More CCTV cameras vandalised
Thats one way to think I suppose
waste of money!
I hope not only making way for big brothers. Why not try to help the future leader (drug addicts, gang boys) of the country. "Mosques- we can build "
Do you need 'world class' mosques to conduct prayers?
I wonder what the Prophet will say about this.
This is another move by the jaahil arabs to lead us astray from path of enlightenment.
Why Saudis always spend to preserve Islam and never do anything to help Muslims to get out of ignorance, poverty and strife. The answer is simple, ignorance, poverty and strife is required for Islamic extremism to survive. No Islamic extremism means fall of Saudi kingdom and ultimate demise of Saudi importance and downfall of Saudi religious tourism.
@MissIndia.
60% of Your population has no clean water, basic educational facilities, health , housing and you must first try to provide those basic needs to your own population
Even your PM are now trying to provide and may be in another 50 years time, you might be able to achieve them.
When you country compete the provision of those basic need to your own people then you start talking about Maldives.
No matter how much you hate Maldives, we will not allow GMR to come back to this country.
If you can fool the Saudis into believing you have arab ancestry, they might double the aid, which will pay for a madrasa on each atoll.
This con trick has been successfully used by your Sunni mates in Pakistan.
Just tell the Saudis that you are descendants of Ibn Batuta.
Maldivians need 5 star mosques to pray. Nevermind that this money could be better spent on providing essential services like clean water and sanitation.
Ah well if you get a bout of diarrohea from drinking feces infected water swarming with ecoli bacteria, just go to the 5 star mosque and pray for mercy. Thanks Saudi Arabia and the not-so-"Islamic" minister.
Such amount of money is enough to organize educational program and send many Maldivian children to get a perfect European education and it will be much better for Maldives
Its better we use the money to fight against radical Islam or for a better education system. What a waste of money!
MissIndiaAgrawal-the-Thug!
Why do you have to worry about us, Maldivians? What have we done you? Leave us alone.
If you only realised this is a small amount of money compared to what Maldivians spend in Saudi going to Hajj each year.
Saudis are just ensuring they have a ready supply of devotees to continue pouring money in their treasury when the oil runs out.
All they are doing is securing a future market for a small investment and you fell for it.
Saudi is true friend of Maldives & Islam unlike India especially since many Maldive people have ancestry from Arab trader.
@kashim
Can’t you be you, simply only you? Why you like to be from some variation of ethnicity; European are so white, African are so black, Arabs are too fat and psychos, Indians are dirty and stupid. Mongolians are too yellow and too small eye. You can be fish looking tiny Maldivian, you can try to be smart and different that is what matters.
@ Kashim
If you have arab ancestry.....he he he.....then I have Swedish ancestry!!
Don't they teach ancient history or anthropology at your Saudi subsidised madrasa?
The Indian visa office is closed. Our colleges are FULL, our hospitals are FULL. Go to Saudi Arabia.
The "preservation of Islam" can only be achieved by helping those who follow our religion to flourish socially and economically.
Worship alone cannot preserve an ideology. Our people need to be fed, clothed, housed, disease-free, educated and given the opportunity to earn an income through their own efforts.
Saudi investment in the Maldives has always focused on furthering their own political agenda. Their interpretation of Islam glorifies a modern-day clergy similar to the the pontiffs in the Vatican. The clergy the prop up absolute rulers who are shielded from criticism or question by ideologies and practices aimed at subjugating the masses. Their policies include the infamous closing of the doors to logical reasoning (ijtihad in Arab terminology) and the subsequent proliferation of interpretations of the Shariah that promote isolationism, xenophobia and superstition.
Is this what we want from our country? Are we so incapable that we cannot rule without condemning our people to the dark ages?
I am a Muslim and I sincerely believe that neither the Quran nor the Prophet's life or teachings require us to shut our eyes, stop up our ears and worship without understanding while corrupt leaders and despotic clergyman grow fat on the riches of the land.
The clergy and theocratic legitimization of dictatorship have no place in Islam. They are a vile innovation (a 'bid'a' in Arab terminology) that threatens to prevent Islamic communities from ever achieving stable self-governance, intellectual enlightenment or economic prosperity.
We must fight these proselytizers and false prophets by being true to ourselves. We must take pride in Islam as a religion of enlightenment and hope rather than what the clergy represent it to be. We must fight ignorance by being sincere in our efforts to educate our young - we mustn't let them think that education is a rat race to achieve made-up accolades by any means necessary. We must fight poverty by truly working for a living - we mustn't let welfare and wage slavery sap our creativity and vigor.
We are not Arabs but we are inspired by the teachings of an Arabian Prophet whose life and lessons should be the basis of our moral beliefs. The Prophet asked his people to unite for the common good while tolerating differences. He taught us to value logic and reason not superstition and clerics. He wanted us to work for a living rather than beg for scraps from those who would enslave us.
Blind faith in a higher being has helped us achieve miracles. But unquestioning faith in men who claim to be the final arbiters of the divine message have led us astray.
@MissIndia.
U better start focusing on improving your own country India before telling us what to do.
We don't need you help and your hatred to Islam and you can not eradicate Islam from Maldives even.
No matter what sort of comments you make here on this forum we will not allow to come back the most corrupt GMR into this country.
You and your GMR will not be able to step on our soil.
@tsk tsk
You are Munafiq. Who are the absolute rulers in the world.. it is those in power at Washington or Israel that cannot be question and true dictator in the world. Yet when we question them or protested them Munafiq like you say we must first protest our own leaders or Muslim faith.
miss India new Delhi should control the language used more mature when u talk
@miss India. I think u should try to improve ur own contry india is not the country who have 99% litrecey rate its maldives and we have good schools and water too trying to solve other countries problems while ur own country is nothing but a dump. Huh typical Indian.
@Kashim: Varah maafah edhen. Alhugandu ge comment ingireysin othumuge sababun thiya beyfulhaa ah eyge maana olhigen dhiyai kamah vedhaane. Ehen kamun miothee thireega eyge Divehi tharujamaa:
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"Dheen himaayai" kureveynee dheenah thabaavaa meehunge iqthisoadhee adhi ijthimaaee haalathu rangalhu kurevigen.
Hamaekani alhukamakun ehves dheenee fikureh nudhemehehteyne. Aharemenge mi Islam dheenah thabaavaa meehunah eba liben jehey bandufuraana muhthi kuraane gothakaai, unu oriyaan nivaane kuraane gothekaai, boahiyaa vahi kamaai, beys faruvaa aai, thauleemaai adhi amihla halal masekkathun aamdhanee eh hoadheyne mageh.
Zamaanuhsure Suoodi sarukaarun raajjeah kharadhu kohfaivanee hamaekani emeehunge siyaasee maqsadh thah haasil kurumah. Anehkolhun, Suoodin Islam dheen maanakuranee Vatican ga thibey faadhireen fadha faadhireen thakakah (Dhivehi raajjeyge nama Sheikhun) baaru libey fadha gothakah. Mifadha faadhireenge masekkathakee emeehunge fatwa thakaai nazariyyaathuthah beynun kohgen khudmukthaar verin himaayai kurun. Emeehun fathuraa visnun thakuge maqsadhakee efadha verin zimmaadhaaru kuruvumaai emeehunge amalu thakaa medhu suvaal kurun huhtuvaalun.Efadha siyaasathu thakuge thereygaa himeney buhdheege hamathakun visnun huhtuvaalumaai (Arabi bahun nama "ijtihad" ge dhoruthah bandhukurun) dhuniye aai ekaheri vumaai, thimaage qaum noon qaumthakuge meehun dheke birugathumaai adhi fuloaku qaboolukurunthah kurieruvun.
Aharemenge qaumah gennan beynunvanee efadha verkamuge nizaameh tho? Aharemenge rayyithun jaahiliyya zamaanah anburaa nugengos aharemennah verikan kureven nethee tho?
Ahannakee Muslimeh. Aharen hithuge adin qabool kuraa gothugai, Quran adhi sunnathuge gai ves angavaafai vanee khudhmukhthaaru verinnaai faadhireen thakeh qaumge mussandhi kan kai kai fala vaairu dhe lo maraigen kanfathuga ai alhaigen thibumakah noon.
"Dheenee ilmuverin" nuvatha "Shaikhun" ge namugai faadhireenthakeh ufehdhumaai efadha baehge rahmathun hingaa khudhmukthaaru verikanthakakee Islam dheenuge sifaeh noon. E ee muslimunge medhugai onna hamajehun nagaalaa, fikuree adhi iqthisoadhee kurierumah huras alhaa nubai nulafaa bid'a eh.
Rasool kamah dhauvaa kuraa mi nubai faadhireennaa dhekolhah thedhuveveynee aharemen amihla nafsah thedhuverivegen. Gofalha kamaai thandhoru neyngumaa dhekolhah masekkai kureveynee aharemenge dharinnah ikhlaastherikamaa eku thauleem ungannai dheegen - thauleemakee ufahdhaafa huri vana thakeh hoadhumah konme gothakun namaves mathee marks hoadhun noon kan bunedheegen. Fageerukamaai dhekolhah thedhuveveynee amihla masekkathun aamdhanee eh hoadhan ulhegen - meehaage heevaagi kamaa ufehdhuntheri kamah huras alhaa gothah sarukaaru thakun dhey eheethakaai musaara ah alhuvethikuraa fadha "vazeefaa" thakah noonekey bunegen.
Aharemennakee Arabinneh noon. Namaves aharemennah ilham libifaivanee Arabikarayah ufanvi ummathuge rasoolaage hayaathaai ekaleygefaanu ungannavai dhevvaafaivaa kan kamun. Ekaleyge faanuge risaalathakee aharemenge akhlaaqiyyathuge asaas kamah vaan jehey. Ekaleyge faanu govaalavvaafaivanee ummathuge faidhaa ahtkaaa ehbai vaairu ekaku anekakuge thafaathu thah ves balaigathumah. Ekaleyge faanu govaalavvaafaivanee visnumaai, ungenumaai adhi buhdhiyah iskandhinumah - sihura haahooraa aai kaahinunnaai faadhireennaa (emeehunah "sheikhun" kee kamugai viyas) dhekolhu hedhumah. Ekaleyge faanu govaalevvee amihla halal masekkathun dhiriulhumah - alhuvethikuraa faraaithakuge athun libey kuda ehchakah salaan jehumakah noon.
Suvaalu kurumeh nethi Allah ah eemaan vumuge sababun aharemennah mu'ujizaai thah fadha kan kan haasil kurevifaivey. Namaves Allah aai ekaleyge faanuge rasoolaage risaalath maana kurumugai enme fahu bas buneveynee thimanna menah kamah bune dhauvaa kuraa faadhireen thakakah suvaalukurumeh nethi eeman vumuge sababun aharemen mihaaru mithibee magu olhifa.
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Mihaaru alhugandah yaqeen Kashim ah alhuganduge vaahaka fahum ve vadaigannavaane kan. Adhi alhugandaa dhimaalah "munafiq" ey vidhaalhu nuvaane kan.
US aai Israel fadha baarugadha qaum thakaa dhimaalah chuppu ves buneveynee alhugandumen kuriaraa amihla fai mahchah thedhuvevigen. Ekan kurevynee qaumugai hamajehun qaaim koh, aniyaaveri verin verikamun dhurukoh, rayyithunnah olhuvaalan masekkai kuraa faadhireennai sheikhunge bas suvaaleh nethi qabool kurun huhtaalaa amihla ah kan kan ninman kerigen.
Looks like you've stopped being of use to them, tsk tsk.
Try not to get "Gelluvaalu"'d, okay?