Tag: maldives

Regional action on piracy threat essential: Shihab tells SAARC

Dinghies suspected of being associated with piracy are arriving in the seas around the Maldives and a regional mechanism to counter piracy is needed, said the Maldivian minister of home affairs Mohamed Shihab at the SAARC home ministers meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, reports Miadhu Daily.

The SAARC Drug and Terrorism Offences Monitoring group also needs to be strengthened, Shihab said. Police chiefs, immigration controllers and home secretaries attended the meeting which was held from 23 to 26 June.

This month a dinghy with 6 men aboard was found floating in Maldives waters and rescued by local fishermen off Maamakunudhoo atoll in northern Maldives, reported Miadhu Daily. In May the MNDF rescued an Iranian fishing boat with 20 people aboard 75 miles west of Huvadhu atoll in southern Maldives, and an abandoned boat suspected of belonging to pirates was discovered off Laamu atoll just north of Huvadhu in April. In December 2009, fishermen from Addu atoll spotted a similar boat with seven Somalis in distress drifting off Hithadhoo island in southern Maldives.

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Protect Islam in the Maldives – don’t use it as a political tool: SAAG

The Maldivian constitution places a heavy responsibility on the present government to tread a careful path in developing democracy and at the same time ensure that there is no deviation of any citizen from his/her adherence to Islam, writes Dr S Chandrasekharan for the South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG).

It is claimed that it is possible to establish such a balance and it will be interesting to see how Maldives under the present President Nasheed who in many ways is a liberal himself is able to manage his country and keeps it safe from extremism.

In the days of Gayoom, it was easy to keep track of visitors and prevent elements holding extremist views from visiting or from preaching, but in a democracy as is being practised now, it is difficult for the present government to prevent such visitors from coming in or from such persons making rigid interpretation of Islam.

The result is that on the invitation of religious NGOs within the islands or from the Islamic ministry itself, visitors with dubious background are allowed to come preach without restraint.

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Woman on Kinbidhoo attempts suicide after death of 10 month-old child

An Indian woman living on the island of Kinbidhoo in Thaa Atoll has been admitted to hospital after allegedly smothering her 10 month child and attempting suicide in Kinbidhoo this afternoon, an island official has claimed.

The woman was discovered by people on the island and rescued before she could kill herself, the official told Minivan News.

”Her husband is from Kinbidhoo, he works in the island court as a court secretary. She is quite young,” he said. ”They both had some disputes two days ago and it continued until today.”

”After killing the child she attempted to kill herself, but people discovered her and rescued her,” he alleged. ”She was taken to the health centre as she was in a bad condition. The health centre said that she had taken pills and tried to hang herself.”

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the woman was hospitalised in Kinbidhoo health centre, but said it was too early to establish murder charges.

”We cannot say whether the child was murdered yet,” said Shiyam. ”There are more investigations to be conducted.”

He declined to give more information as the investigation was ongoing.

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“People should be free to pray according to any sect of Islam”, says Adhaalath president

The Islamic Ministry and the Adhaalath party have expressed concern over certain amendments proposed in the religious unity act by Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Dr Afrasheem Ali.

The Islamic Ministry on its website said that while the amendment bill was useful, it was concerned about an article stating that the Shafi sect should be enshrined as the basis of Islam in the Maldives.

The Islamic Ministry described the article as “unIslamic”, and that it was against the constitution of the Maldives.

Furthermore, the ministry called on parliament to gather more information and to cite that information when amending the proposed bill during the committee stage.

The ministry said that “many scholars” were concerned over the amendment proposed to make the Shafi sect the main basis of Islam in the Maldives.

Sheikh Hussein Rasheed, President of the Adhaalath Party, refuted the article which making the Shafi sect the official sect of the Maldives.

”People should have the freedom to pray according to any sect [of Islam] they wish,” said Sheikh Hussein. ”There are many people in the Maldives who follows different sects when worshiping.”

Sheikh Hussein said that although the bill was passed, ”nobody will follow it.”

”Until 1997, on the island where Dr Afrasheem comes from, they did not perform the Friday prayers because according to the Shafi sect there should be a minimum of 40 people in order to conduct them,” he said. ”So if it becomes a law to follow the Shafi sect, again we are going back to those days.”

He said that Dr Afrasheem’s comment in parliament that in Malaysia people followed the Shafi sect was “a big lie.”

”In Malaysia people perform prayers according other sects as well,” Sheikh Hussein said.

He said that in many other Islamic countries there were no laws that specified which sect to follow.

”Laws can’t force people to follow a specific sect – people should be rather trained to follow a specific sect,” he said. ”I strongly refuse that part of the amendment bill.”

On May 21, Dr Afrasheem Ali presented a bill to amend the religious unity act.

Dr Afrasheem said that social unity among Maldivians was weaker than it had been in the past.

”One reason for this [disruption] is issues of religion, particularly disputes over worship and [scholars] criticising each other,” said Dr Afrasheem.

He proposed that the Shafi sect be chosen as the basis of Islam in the Maldives.

”I selected the Shafi sect because it is the sect most friendly, most accepted and most widely followed sect in Islam,” he said.

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Extremism impacting Maldivian women: Inter Press report

Authorities in the Maldives view women’s issues as a core human rights problem and are keen to tackle them head on, but cultural and religious issues often stand in the way, according to an Inter Press Service report by Feizal Samath.

‘No doubt the government of President Mohamed Nasheed recognises many problems and is willing to tackle them, but there’s limited ability to do so because of deep-rooted cultural and religious issues,’ according to a Maldivian journalist, who declined to be named.

Member of parliament Eva Abdulla, who belongs to Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) — which won power in May 2009, thus ending the 30- year-old reign of dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — said the government firmly believes in affirmative action policies benefiting women.

‘The President has called for gender mainstreaming in both formulating and implementing government policies,’ she said. She stressed, however, that lack of staff and resources are undermining Nasheed’s good intentions.

Particularly worrying, she said, is the growing religious extremism in the Maldives and its impact on the lives of Maldivian women, who comprise around 48 percent of the country’s population of around 340,000.

‘Religion is all too often used as an excuse to limit women,’ she added.

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Education Minister fights back against no confidence motion

Education Minister Dr. Mustafa Lutfy has sent information to members of the Majlis regarding issues raised by 10 MPs who have filed a motion of no confidence against him, reports Miadhu Daily.

It is important that members of the Majlis are given the real facts about these issues, says Miadhu, and in a document on the Education ministry’s website Dr. Luthfy has responded to seven issues raised by the MPs.

Dr. Luthfy says that he has taken steps to strengthen Islam and Dhivehi at Maldivian schools, including the separation of Islam and Koran which was previously taught as one subject, offering innumerable opportunities for professional classes for Islam and Koran teachers, obtaining assistance from the ministry of Islamic Affairs to establish prayer rooms in schools and encouraging schools to make time for prayers, and for schools to take in the lead in promoting the practice of praying.

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President Nasheed makes first official visit to Singapore

President Nasheed will make his first official visit to Singapore starting today, reports ChannelNewsAsia.com.

The two-day visit is at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. President Nasheed will deliver the keynote address at the Asia-Pacific Water Ministers Forum held in conjunction with the Singapore International Water Week.

On Monday, there will be a welcome ceremony for him at the Office of the President of Singapore, followed by a meeting with Prime Minister Lee and a call on President S. R. Nathan. President Nasheed will also visit the Singapore Airport Terminal Services’ Coolport @ Changi facility and the National Orchid Garden where he will have an orchid named after him.

The President will also participate in a business forum organised by the Maldives High Commission in Singapore, and inform Singaporean business people and potential investors of the opportunities in the Maldives.

He is accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Shaheed, Housing, Transport and Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam, President of Male Municipality Adam Maniku, and other senior officials.

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New Maldives Museum to be ready for Independence Day: Minister Dr. Sawad

Maldives new museum in Male will be inaugurated on Independence Day 26 July, says the minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad., according to Miadhu Daily.

The new museum has been donated by the Chinese government, and Dr. Sawad says that work to transfer artifacts from the old museum is underway. A task force including officials from the President’s Office, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Tourism Ministry, Environment Ministry and the MNDF is taking part in the transfer. The new building is still under construction and some difficulties have arisen during the transfer process, says Ali Waheed, who is in charge of the taskforce.

Sultans Park would become the museum park, says Dr. Sawad who confirmed that the Chinese government would assist in that development.

“The Chinese government and the Tourism ministry are working to train staff at the museum, with added assistance from a Singaporean NGO,” Dr. Sawad said.

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Celebrity football games help children with heart disease in Maldives

Two fund-raising football matches featuring Maldivian celebrity players are being organised by Tiny Hearts, a local NGO, to help children with congenital heart disease, reports Haveeru.

Coaches were assigned to the four teams during an inaugural ceremony held at Holiday Inn, Male. Men and women television presenters, actors and vocalists would play in the games, said Fiunaz Mohamed, a member of the organisation. Tiny Hearts has scheduled the matches for 9 July to raise funds for surgery for around 20 children with heart defects, she said, because their families are unable to afford the costly operations.

Donation boxes would be set up at Galolhu National Stadium and tickets are on sale.

Tiny Hearts was established by the parents of a child who died of congenital heart disease. The organisation has identified 125 similar cases in Maldives.

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