The Islamic Ministry has added two million rufiya to its Zakath-funded scholarship programme, reports Haveeru.
Haveeru reported that there was now seven million rufiya in the Zakath fund’s scholarships programme.
Points for applicants would be given according to academic results and financial conditions, Haveeru said.
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(0)The cemetery (Aa-sahara) in Male’ has reached capacity and Male’ municipality council has begun burying dead bodies on top of one another, by adding six feet of soil to the burial ground.
Islamic burial practices state that bodies must be buried six feet under the earth, and must not be stacked above other bodies – a logistical challenge for densely-populated Male’, where space is at a premium.
Head of Municipality Council Adam ‘Sarangu’ Manik said the council had no other choice because there was no other land in the city to bury dead bodies.
”We have to do it like this because every day one or two people need be buried there,” Adam explained.
”The soil was put on top of the graves and prepared by the former government,” he said. ”We have no other place to bury dead bodies, so we continued burying them there.”
State Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed reiterated that under Islam it was prohibited to bury dead bodies in this manner.
”It is allowed only if there is no other way,” Sheikh Shaheem said, noting ”it is not a must to only bury dead people in Male’ – there is space in Hulhumale and Villingili. We should take the dead bodies in a speed boat to Hulhumale’, Villingili or another nearby island,” he said.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Islamic Ministry has said that Rf600,000 of its Zakath fund will be allocated Quran classes, reported Haveeru.
Haveeru reported that the funds will be divided only among Quran classes that are operated by ministry scholars.
According to Haveeru, the Islamic Ministry said that all Quran classes have the opportunity to be taught by scholars of the ministry.
Haveeru reported that more than 80 Quran classes would be funded using the money.
(0)Dislikes(0)Farhat Naik, wife of well known Islamic speaker Dr Zakir Naik who recently conducted a talk on ‘Misconceptions of Islam’ in Male’, has been admitted in ADK Hospital after falling from a banana boat yesterday.
Spokesperson for the Islamic Ministry Sheikh Ahmadulla Jameel said that Mrs Naik was not injured but was unable to swim and so was admitted to ADK as a precaution.
”She was not injured,” Ahmadulla said, ”but we brought her Male’ because she might have been injured as she did not know how to swim, and she is a very special guest for Maldivians.”
”She will be discharged today very soon,” he added. ”Dr Zakir Naik and his family will depart today.”
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that police had also been informed of the case.
He confirmed the incident had taken place on a resort but declined to give further details upon a request by the Islamic Ministry.
A staff member working at Coco Palm Boduhithi Island resort meanwhile confirmed that the incident happened yesterday afternoon. He said that she suffered no injuries.
Dr Zakir Naik and his family arrived to the Maldives on May 25 and was due to leave on May 31. Naik delivered two speeches during his stay in the Maldives, which attracted over 10,000 people. His wife also spoke on Islam last week.
(2)Dislikes(1)State Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has warned on the Adhaalath Party website that making Dhivehi and Islam optional subjects at A-Level would risk “bad effects” to the country.
Shaheem said that changing the subjects from compulsory to optional was one of the biggest disputes regarding the new developing school curriculum.
”In my view it would wiser to instead revise the school curriculum and keep Islam and Dhivehi as compulsory subjects,” said Shaheem.
He recommended that A-Level Islamic studies be improved through the inclusion of topics such as ‘human rights in Islam’, ‘freedom of expression in Islam’, and ‘the Quran and science.’
”It would prove to the students that Islam is a religion fit for all ages, and will lead students to understand how developed it is,” Shaheem said.
He said that changing Islam and Dhivehi to optional subjects was like ”breaking down a good habit attached to the country.”
He said the school curriculum should be designed in a way that would make Islam an interesting subject for students.
”We do not have to demolish mosques because people do not pray,” he said.
The controversial decision to make Dhivehi and Islam optional subjects for A-Level students has sparked a series of protests outside the home of Education Minister Dr Mustafa Luthfy.
Dr Luthfy recently said the decision was not finalised and was ”just a suggestion proposed by the Education ministry’s steering committee.”
The move led Independent MP Ibrahim Muthalib to push a no-confidence motion against the Education Minister over the decision, while the Adhaalath Party meanwhile warned that Dr Luthfy “has put the final nails in his political coffin.”
(0)Dislikes(0)Islanders of Thaa Atoll Buruny have been protesting since last Thursday demanding the government build a new mosque on the island.
Moosa Abdul Gadir, councilor of Buruny, told Minivan News that the protest began when the Islamic Ministry decided to upgrade an old mosque on the island instead “of building a new one with the Rf4.6 million that the government of Brunei gave the Islamic Ministry.”
”Our people are disheartened because the Islamic Ministry told us last year in October that they would build a new mosque for us with the money from the Brunei government, which would be large enough for 700 people. But later they said would upgrade the existing old mosque,” said Moosa.
Moosa said that 90 percent of the island’s population took part in the protests outside the gate of the island office, wearing white bandanna’s on their head to represent that they were peaceful protesters.
Moosa said that the protest was peaceful, and was proceeding according to the law, but warned that ”humans can only be patient for a certain amount of time.”
He said the Islamic Ministry had not discussed the change in its decision with either the islanders or the island office.
”When the protesters gathered on Thursday they gave a signal that they would build a new mosque,” Moosa said, ”but again now they have disagreed on building it.”
Moosa said there five mosques on the island: one of them which he claimed was large enough for only 10 people and was built near the graveyard, the second was 100 years old, the third “was built for Villifushi people who migrated after the tsunami incident” and the remaining two mosques were “woman mosques”.
”I think the Islamic Ministry is trying to make people hate the government,” he said. ”Why else they would do something like this?”
State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed meanwhile guaranteed that the Islamic Ministry would not make a decision that would make the islanders unhappy.
”They were having a dispute among themselves over whether to build a new mosque or upgrade the old mosque,” Shaheem said. ”That’s why the Ministry was confused. We will do it according to how the people wish.”
(0)Dislikes(0)The Religious Unity Act, proposed by the Islamic Ministry, was discussed at the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
It was noted that some provisions needed to be reviewed and some amendments required before publication in the government gazette.
The Attorney General has been assigned with proposing the necessary amendments.
(0)Dislikes(0)Minister for Human Resources and Youth, Hassan Latheef, has agreed to release the Maafaanu football grounds to the Islamic Ministry to host visiting Islamic scholar Zakir Naiks’s sermon.
The decision comes after Latheef said yesterday that the venue requested was ”only for football’,’ and would dishearten the youth who practice football there every day.
Latheef said that the decision was made yesterday ”despite the difficulties.”
”It was very, very difficult to release the land for any purpose other than sport and music,” Latheef said, ”but we have decided to give that land as the Islamic Ministry has requested.”
Latheef said the football ground will be given to the Islamic Ministry for three days.
”This type of land belongs to the Youth Ministry,” he noted. ”We have drafted a law that determines which place can be used for what purpose.”
Spokesperson for the Islamic Ministry, Sheikh Ahmadulla, said that the ministry was writing a letter to the Youth Ministry to confirm the decision.
”We also heard the Youth Minister saying that in a television programme,” Sheikh Ahmadulla said, adding ”we will send a letter to the Youth Ministry asking for the confirmation.”
Press Secretary for the President, Mohamed Zuhair, said that the land was used by youth to play football every day and the minister was concerned about social issues that might be raised due to the restriction of the grounds during the days of the lectures.
”But now they decided to give the land because the Islamic Ministry, after checking several venues, said that the requested football ground was the best,” Zuhair said.
”This is a time where all the Islamic NGO’s are acting in a very competitive spirit, with one NGO trying to hold a bigger event than the other,” Zuhair said. ”It will be very difficult if everyone starts requesting such land for other purposes.”
Zuhair said that there is now another request by a religious NGO to use the Galolhu National Stadium.
(0)Dislikes(0)Religious NGO Foundation of the Maldives has called on the government to amend the new Religious Unity regulations, saying it opposes several articles that are contrary to the ”freedom of expression” given under the article 27 of the constitution.
Other articles could potentially be used as a political tool, the NGO warned in a press release issued today.
Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair has similarly expressed concern over the new regulations, claiming they contain ambiguities and policy issues.
The Islamic Foundation NGO highlighted several articles in the regulations it believed should be amended prior to publication of the regulations in the government’s gazette, such as the criteria for issuance of preaching licenses.
The Islamic Foundation noted that under the regulations, the preaching license requirement that a person be older than 25 years of age was not a criteria required under the tenets of Islam, and furthermore claimed it was contrary to article 27 of the constitution guaranteeing freedom of expression.
The NGO also raised concern over Article(16)(b)(4), which claims preachers must not have been found guilty in a Sharia Court of having violated any clause of Law 6/94 of Religious Unity Act.
It condemned the articles as ”many religious scholars have been given several punishments under the religious unity Act in recent years for political purposes,” and added that that article 27 of the constitution did not restrict a person’s right to express their opinion even though he had been found guilty in a court of law.
The NGO also expressed concern over Article(19) requiring foreign preachers to respect local norms, claiming it was not necessary for all foreign preachers to understand the traditions and culture of the Maldives.
Article(27), which governs illegal actions while preaching or giving sermons, was also concerning, the Foundation claimed. In particular point (2), which prohibits encouraging violence; inciting people to disputes, hatred and resentment; and any talk that aims to degrade a certain sex and gender in violation of Islamic tenets, and the telecasting and broadcasting of such speeches, could be interpreted in different ways and “used for political purposes”, it said.
The Foundation also criticised Article(27)(4), which bans the promotion of any opinion contrary to religious ruling as unanimously agreed upon by the Fiqh Academy of Maldives, claiming that the Fiqh Academy “was not a committee based on independent scholars.”
”We believe that there should be the freedom for a scholar to express how he thinks on a specific doubtful issue,” the press release said.
On Article(38), concerning punishment as prescribed in Law 6/94 of the existing Religious Unity Act, the Foundation claimed the law narrowed freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution and said was “not acceptable.”
Moreover, it referred to the constitutions article number 63, article 64 and article 268 and called on the government to amend the mentioned articles of the new religious unity act.
State Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed however stated that while the Ministry respected opinions and comments on the new regulations, it had been drafted with the assistance of 11 reputable scholars and widely approved by both government and police.
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