Tag: mohamed nazim

Cabinet Ministers attend parliament committee despite President’s orders “to shun”

Minister of Defence and National Security Mohamed Nazim and Minister of Education Ahmed Asim have attended Parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee despite President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s orders to “shun” committees.

The committee summoned the two ministers to attend its meeting at 10:00am on Tuesday over a decision to construct an airport in the island of Maafaru in Noonu Atoll, and the ongoing protests in the same island since December 30, 2012 due to a lack of basic services.

The committee, in its meeting on Monday, had also agreed to send out an official parliamentary order summoning them if ministers refused to attend the committee meeting as they were initially asked to.

Meanwhile, President Waheed had informed Parliament Speaker Abdulla Shahid through a letter on Sunday that cabinet members, government officials and members of the security forces will “shun” the committee. Waheed had stated then that this “shun” would be in place until Shahid is able to ensure parliament actions are “in line” with the Constitution of the Maldives and the parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

Speaking at the committee meeting today, Nazim said the government would very soon be announcing openings for bidding to construct the island’s airport.

Nazim is reported as saying that since the project is not included in the state budget, it could only be carried out through corporate social responsibility projects. He stated that the government is willing to give “one or two” islands to persons willing to take on the project.

Maafaru Councillor Anwar Abdul Ghani, who was also present at today’s committee meeting, responded that they did not want the airport if it would not come with a sewerage system and jetty as per the initial plans.

Minister of Defence Mohamed Nazim and Minister of Education Ahmed Asim were not responding to calls at the time of press.

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Declined foreign intervention on February 7: former President Nasheed

“There is no government worth maintaining at the cost of the death of any citizens,” former President Nasheed told supporters at a rally on Saturday night, explaining that he had rejected offers made by foreign allies to intervene during the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 2012.

Speaking at a rally of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the party’s presidential candidate Nasheed stated, “We are hearing many versions of what brought about my resignation on February 7. I am certain that the huge number of citizens who were watching that days events on TV would know very well that the events that unfolded then were unlawful. The question that remains in our minds is, what caused these events to unfold as they did?”

Nasheed said the country’s parliament, although it had existed for over 70 years, had only begun functioning in the active manner presently seen following the killing of Evan Naseem, a 19 year-old who was tortured and killed in prison on September 19, 2003.

“On that day, we can see how violence was utilised just to hold on to power. After the shootings in the Maafushi jail. After shooting at civilians and killing many unarmed people. After staining the sand of Maldives with the blood of the sons of Maldives,” Nasheed continued, “I, for one, certainly would never support clinging to power at the cost of violence against our people.”

He alleged that if the commanding officers in the Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF) who were on the scene on February 7, 2012 had made a genuine effort to control the mutineering police and army officials, they would have succeeded.

“After things escalated to the worst levels, some among the soldiers requested access to the armory. I realized it would come to that, and that it was a decision I would need to make,” he said.

Nasheed, who had denied authorising access to the armory on that day, continued, “Maintaining power through violent measures is not something we would ever do. This party, from upon formation, always promotes human rights of our citizens and stands against violence.”

“Many friendly states did offer to make an intervention on February 7. Some even said they could make interventions without the use of any weapons. However, I believe that what we have at hand is a Maldivian problem. How I see it, even the events of November 3 was a problem for Maldivians. An undesirable act, yes, but nevertheless a Maldivian problem.

“I did not think it would be a wise move for any foreign country to make an intervention to solve a defence issue of the country, which is why I declined the offers,” Nasheed said.

Nasheed spoke of the moment he had resigned on the state broadcaster, which had earlier been stormed and taken over by the mutinying police and demonstrators. He stated that current Minister of Defence and National Security Mohamed Nazim had strongly cautioned him against saying anything that might create public panic, and had ordered him to ask senior officials of MDP to remain calm.

“On that day at 1:00pm in the afternoon, I talked of both these points I have just shared with you here. My statement that day included what I wanted to say, as well as what ‘Baaghee’ (traitor) Nazim wanted me to say,” Nasheed said.

Referring to the defamation case filed by Nazim against Nasheed for having referred to him as “baaghee” (traitor), Nasheed said he would prove to the people the court proceedings that Nazim was indeed a traitor to the state.

“I wonder if he [Nazim] intends to go ahead with the defamation case? I certainly hope he does. With the help of my lawyers we will prove that he has actively taken part in a coup and is, without a doubt, a ‘baaghee’,” Nasheed said at last night’s rally.

Nasheed then spoke of the testimony given by Brigadier General Ahmed Nilam to the parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee, saying he had always held Nilam in the highest respect, and even more so after reading the testimony.

Brigadier General Nilam was suspended from his duties at MNDF on January 19, after providing testimony to the parliament committee. The official MNDF statement read that the former intelligence head had been relieved of his duties as an investigation into the officer was being being carried out.

Nasheed stated that according to the laws of the state, the term “baghawaiy” (coup) was only used in the Defence Forces Act.

“In this country, a coup can only be orchestrated with the participation of military force. The current constitution does not define any ‘acts against the state’. The word ‘baghawaiy’ can only be found in the Defence Forces Act. Hence, only the defence personnel will be guilty of partaking in a coup. Everyone else would have committed unlawful acts,” he said.

Nasheed said that he believed only about 5-10 people from the defence forces had willfully participated in the coup, adding the same was true of the police forces.

“I understand that the law stipulates both police and army personnel to refuse to obey unlawful commands. However, I do not believe that every time an officer issues a command, each soldier should have to decide in their individual capacity whether or not the given command is lawful,” Nasheed said.

In conclusion of his public address, Nasheed referred to the elections which are scheduled for the last quarter of the year.

“We have been calling for early elections since the day of the coup, in vain to date. Some people might now say that the elections are very close, and suggest that we just wait for it. Well, I say that that simply cannot be done. We cannot go into an election while we are in the midst of a coup d’etat,” Nasheed stated.

“Elections are a very modern concept which is done in a modern manner. We cannot enter elections while the country is run by coup orchestrators. We must first rise out of this coup,” Nasheed said, in conclusion, pledging to his supporters that the party would work to achieve the goal and to cleanse the country’s reputation in international circles.

Defence Minister Nazim was not responding at time of press.

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‘I will not take action against army in relation to CNI’: Defence Minister

“I will not take any action against the army in relation to that [Commission of National Inquiry] report,” said Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim, according to an audio clip leaked by Rajje TV.

Nazim has confirmed to local media that the recording was taken during a speech given to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) soldiers on Wednesday night, saying that a full transcript would soon be made available on the MNDF’s website.

Speaking with Minivan News today, Nazim clarified his comments.

“As we have seen on numerous video footage, a very small number of very junior ranked soldiers of MNDF may have acted outside the bounds of law on 7 February. However, the situation at that moment was very chaotic, and there was no command and control over them and they were not following any orders,” he said.

“They were doing what they thought was right in the absence of orders. Therefore, it does not make any sense to take any action against these very junior ranked soldiers, who may not have realised the implications of their actions at the time,” continued Nazim.

The Commission of National Inquiry (CNI), created by presidential decree in order to investigate the circumstances surrounding the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed, is scheduled to publish its report on August 30.

Elements of the military, including Nazim himself- a civilian at the time, have been implicated in the alleged coup that led former Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan take over the country’s leadership.

Reports produced by the (pre-reform) CNI and the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) attest to the heavy involvement of MNDF troops in the transfer of power.

Hours before former President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation on February 7, uniformed police and 60-70 officers from the MNDF were filmed joining with opposition protesters and attacking military headquarters.

Nazim told the press in June that an internal MNDF investigation into the events had been completed, although he opted not to disclose the details for fear of influencing the CNI’s ongoing investigations.

Military anxiety

Nazim explained that the publication of the report was prompting particular concern amongst the MNDF’s ranks, due to fears that it may spark further violence.

“There is no more anxiety among the ranks of MNDF pending the CONI report than there is among the general public. Our only concern is that the Maldivian Democratic Party has declared that it will take to the streets of Male’ once the report is published, regardless of the outcome,” he said.

The MDP last week announced it would continue its protests until any person implicated in the CNI report was brought to justice.

The CNI’s work does not constitute a criminal investigation and its findings will be forwarded to the relevant government departments before being released to the public.

“Once its findings are published, it is up to the relevant authorities to take any action if necessary,” said Nazim.

Last week, former President Nasheed released a statement expressing his dismay at the flurry of recent dismissals from within the MNDF and the Police force.

“It saddens me to note that during the past six months, senior officers of these institutions have been unfairly dismissed and continuously intimidated,” said Nasheed.

Deputy Commander of Medical Services of MNDF, Captain Dr. Dr Fathmath Thahsyna Ibrahim was removed from her post as Deputy Commander of Medical Services after expressing outrage on social media after her father was allegedly injured by an MNDF officer during a protest on August 2.

In an excerpt from Wednesday night’s speech already available on the MNDF’s website, Nazim urged all soldiers to be vigilant and to avoid “spreading false gossip” via social media.

On July 16 Brigadier General Ibrahim Didi, a national hero following his exploits in preventing an attempted coup in 1988, resigned “prematurely” after the government filed charges against him for the detention of Chief Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

Chief of Defense Force under Nasheed, Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel and Vice Chief of Defense Force, Farhath Shaheer, resigned from the MNDF shortly after Nasheed’s departure.

In Nasheed’s statement, he urged the military not to promote, demote, dismiss or intimidate any of its soldiers, but to wait for the CNI to conclude.

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“We will arrest traitor Nazim and Abdulla Riyaz”: Nasheed

Speaking at an International Labor Day rally, ousted President Mohamed Nasheed raised fears over a military dictatorship emerging in the Maldives and vowed to see Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim and Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz arrested.

Nasheed resigned from office on February 7, but later claimed he left office “under duress” in a coup d’état orchestrated by remnants of the former dictatorship, funded by several resort interests and carried out by mutinous police and military units.

Nasheed gave his speech in front of the historic shrine to Abu al-Barakath-ul Yoosuf al-Barbari on Medhuziyaaraiy Magu. The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had gathered on Medhuziyaarai Magu after police and military blocked an MDP rally from marching towards the area encompassing the President’s Office, Republican Square and the police and military headquarters.

Dozens of police and military in riot gear watched Nasheed speak from behind barricades. Minivan News observed water cannons on standby.

“Do not worry. We will arrest traitor Nazim and Abdulla Riyaz. We will do it. Do not worry. It will be the Maldivian police and the military that will do it for us,” Nasheed told hundreds of supporters.

Video footage on February 7 show Nazim addressing mutinous police and military units gathered in Republican Square, saying he had delivered an ultimatum on their behalf demanding Nasheed’s resignation. Another clip shows Riyaz meeting senior politicians inside police headquarters to brief them on Nasheed’s resignation.

Former VP Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s first appointments as president included employing Nazim as Minister of Defense and Abdulla Riyaz as Commissioner of Police.

In his speech, Nasheed laid blame for the change of government on senior police and military officials, claiming they had accepted bribes from business tycoons and distributed bribes among the lower ranks.

“Even though senior police and military officials, specifically Abdulla Riyaz, Nazim and the Chief of Defense Forces Shiyam took bribes and sold their institutions, we, as citizens or as a responsible political party cannot declare the two institutions to hold no value,” he said.

The military as a 117 year old institution had not seen an internal attack on its leaders and barracks in all of its history until February 7, Nasheed claimed.

“We are in this situation today because very few senior military and police officers took bribes from the wealthy and distributed the money within the two institutions,” he alleged.

“They [security forces] will now have to sustain the coup. Because their leaders, in fear of what may happen to them if the coup ends, will until their dying breath force the lower ranks to maintain military rule,” Nasheed said.

Nasheed was summoned to the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) today to be interviewed about his treatment by police on February 8, during the police crackdown on MDP supporters that followed his resignation.

International partners have privately expressed concern over how a re-elected Nasheed administration would handle the police and armed forces, given their role in his ousting.

Nasheed raised concern over military rule in the Maldives and said “I call for an election in 2012 because I fear we may never hold an election again.”

“We learn from other countries’ experiences. When a middle-ranking military officer overthrows a civilian government, he will have to complete the revolution, the coup. The last colonel we saw was Colonel Gaddafi. Now we are seeing Colonel Nazim,” he continued.

“I note with concern that Nazim will try to complete his coup. Then, all political leaders including Abdulla Yameen, myself, and Thasmeen Ali will try to arrest him. Because [Nazim] will try to establish a military dictatorship. This is what we must be most concerned about. As long as our hearts continue to beat, we must not allow a military takeover of the Maldives. The police and military must not become political. They are technical staff,” he said.

Nasheed pledged to continue the MDP’s campaign for early elections in 2012. The Commonwealth and EU have supported the call.

“I feel pain when I get hit. I get scared when people come at me with anger. I get melancholic when I have to sit in a cell for long. I get sad when I have to leave my wife and children. But I will not give up. I will not step back,” Nasheed said.

Nazim today responded to Nasheed’s statements, claiming that the military was not empowered to arrest people.

“I always operate within the constitutional laws of this nation. I will not do anything that violates the laws governing this country. If and when an order to arrest political figures is issued, I will no longer remain in this position,” local media reported Nazim as saying.

Nazim and Riyaz had served in the security forces under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, but resigned after Nasheed took office in 2008.

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Blog crack-down “is just the beginning”, warns censored blogger

The website of controversial Maldivian blogger Ismail ‘Hilath’ Rasheed has been shut down by Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM) on the order of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The Ministry made the request on the grounds that the site contained anti-Islamic material, a CAM statement read.

CAM Director Abdulla Nafeeg Pasha told Minivan News the Islamic Ministry has the power to regulate website content.

Pasha did not wish to comment on the procedures for closing down a website, but said “if the ministry tells us to shut it down, that’s what we do. We do not make the decision.”

Once closed, Pasha explained, a website can only be re-opened by order of the court.

Islamic Minister Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari had not returned calls at time of press, and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mohamed Didi had not responded to enquiries.

In a statement issued today Hilath defended his blog as an expression of his Sufi Muslim identity.

“I am a Sufi Muslim and there is nothing on my website that contradicts Sufi Islam. I suspect my website was reported by intolerant Sunni Muslims and Wahhabis,” he claimed.

Under the Maldivian constitution every Maldivian is a Sunni Muslim. The constitution also provides for freedom of expression, with Article 27 reading “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and the freedom to communicate opinions and expression in a manner that is not contrary to any tenet of Islam.”

New regulations published by the government in September, enforcing the 1994 Religious Unity Act, bans the media from producing or publicising programs, talking about or disseminating audio “that humiliates Allah or his prophets or the holy Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet (Mohamed) or the Islamic faith.”

“This also includes the broadcasting of material (on other religions) produced by others and recording of such programs by the local broadcaster, and broadcasting such material by the unilateral decision of the local broadcaster,” the regulations stipulate. Under the Act, the penalty for violation is 2-5 years imprisonment.

Hilath claimed he was being censored for expressing his version of Islam, and called for more freedom of interpretation within the faith.

“I call upon all concerned to amend the clause in the constitution which requires all Maldivians to be Sunni Muslims only,” his statement read.

“‘Unto you your religion and unto me my religion,’ and ‘There is no compulsion in religion’,” he said, quoting Qur’an 109:6 and 2:256.

Hilath believes the block of his website has a political edge. “If Sunni Muslims are the conservatives, then the Sufi Muslims are the liberals,” he told Minivan News. “I think this is a conservative attack on the site. They think if you’re not a Sunni, you’re an unbeliever.”

Hilath said he would approach the issue from its constitutional roots. “If I want to unlock my blog I will have to go to court, where they will say I’m an unbeliever which is illegal. So I will have fight the larger issue of the constitution,” he said.

The label of ‘unbeliever’ was tantamount to ‘enemy of the state’, he said, adding that bloggers such as himself were afraid of the consequences of being labelled as such. Hilath is one of only a few Maldivian bloggers who write under their own names.

In January 2009 the Islamic Ministry shut down several blogs for allegedly publishing anti-Islamic material. The action closely followed then-newly elected President Mohamed Nasheed’s statement that the Maldives would be a haven of free expression.

Hilath said he was ashamed of the government’s maintenance of its original declaration for a liberal democracy. “I know the President said this was a liberal democracy, but I am ashamed that the Islamic Ministry has assumed so much power,” he said. “I call upon the president to address this issue.”

A 2009 review endorsed by UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication defined freedom of expression in the digital age as dependent on “neutral” networks “in the sense that the flow of content should not be influenced by financial, cultural or political reasons.”

“In particular, in the case of filtering, the origin of filtering lists and the underlying criteria and processes should be publicly available,” read the report.

The report made three recommendations for the Maldives:

1) To stop blocking websites as was done in March 2009;

2) If blocking is necessary, it should only be pursued following a favorable court decision;

3) To foster open discussions on internet regulation among citizens, government members, NGOs and international parties.

To Hilath’s knowledge, this is the first time a websites has been blocked since January 2009. He believes his website is part of a “bigger conservative fight against the [ruling] Maldivian Democratic Party” and is only the beginning of a new wave of censorship.

“This time I think the conservatives behind the Islamic Ministry think they can put pressure on the government to see all these things as anti-Islamic, like with the SAARC monument issue. More blogs will probably be blocked. I think this is just the beginning.”

The opposition to Hilath’s blog “is a minority of the population, but it’s very vocal and active,” he said. By contrast the younger generation, which composes approximately half of the Maldives population, may take a different view, he claimed.

“The younger generation is educated and enlightened about religion and freedom and Islamic principles. I think the majority will support my move. But few feel free to speak out,” he said.

Mohamed Nazeef, President of Maldives Media  Council (MMC), said he was not familiar with the blog in question. However he said that the media – even bloggers – were subject to the society it served.

“Even when you talk about democracy there are ethics, and you have to respect the prevailing culture of the country and the needs of its people. Even in the name of freedom there are boundaries. That’s why we have a media code of ethics.”

When asked whether a citizen’s blog could arguably represent or oppose the greater good, Nazeef explained that a balance between people and the law was important.

“The constitution must be respected because people are under the constitution. Nobody is above the law. If you want to do something that is not allowed you have to properly amend the law.”

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Mother of self-declared Addu apostate launches media appeal seeking scholars’ help

The mother of a 22 year-old girl from Addu City who publicly declared her apostasy has launched an appeal in the local Maldivian media seeking the help of religious scholars to make her daughter repent.

“She’s been a bit odd ever since she was in the seventh grade, but at the  time she did not say the things that she says now,” the 49 year-old mother told Minivan News.

“Every time I try to advise her she shouts at me and asks me what I was trying to make her believe, and says that she cannot believe the existence of Allah,” the mother said.

The mother said her daughter was currently being held under house arrest while being investigated for allegedly giving birth to a child out of wedlock.

“She has misbehaved since she was young, and is saying things that should not be said in front of the children. She has even been calling me balhu (dog).”

The mother said that whenever she tried to inform her daughter about death, the afterlife and the punishments for apostasy, her daughter would reply that it was “not a problem for her, and not to worry.”

“I admit that it was our negligence as well that allowed her to come this far. We knew about this a while ago and we could have been more careful then,’’ the mother said. “I have been asking around my neighbors and everyone about what to do, but all I can do is remain in this grief thinking about her.”

The mother said she “had no solution” to her grief.

“There’s still some good inside her. I know that because she has been advising her younger sisters not to be like her,’’ she said. ‘’It’s because she can believe that she is not going the right way.’’

The mother said there “was a reason why this had happened to [her daughter],” but said it was “a long story”.

President of Islamic Foundation of the Maldives, Ibrahim Fauzee said the organisation had heard of the appeal and that its local branch was looking into the matter.

“For sure, we will provide her assistance,’’ Fauzee said.

The Islamic Ministry said it had not received official notice of the matter.

The Maldivian Constitution states that the Maldives is a “100 percent” Sunni Muslim country, and the country maintains a reservation to article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on freedom of religion.

The last Maldivian to publicly declare apostasy, Mohamed Nazim, did so in front of an 11,000-strong audience attending a lecture in May 2010 by well-known Islamic speaker Dr Zakir Naik.

Nazim was escorted from the venue by police for his own protection after members of the audience attempted to attack him, and was held in police custody. The Islamic Foundation of the Maldives subsequently issued a statement calling for Nazim to be stripped of his citizenship and sentenced to death if he failed to repent and return to Islam.

After two days of religious counseling in police custody, Nazim declared that his misconceptions had been clarified and gave Shahada – the Muslim testimony of belief – on national television during a press conference held at the Islamic Ministry.

In a later interview with Minivan News, Nazim said that he did not regret his actions.

“Somebody had to do it, it needed to be spoken about. The repression of thought, the lack of debate and a lack of a proper public sphere in which such discussion can take place, is dangerous,” he said.

The reaction, he said, was mixed – angry and supportive, superficial and profound. He lost 65 friends on Facebook, the social networking site to which almost every computer literate Maldivian subscribes. He did, however, gain 246 new ‘friends’.

His own friends and colleagues, he said, were uneasy talking about it, and very few actually discussed it with him. However, he told Minivan News he could feel the presence of the issue, “unspoken yet potent”, in every social interaction he had with another person.

In July 2010, 25 year-old air traffic controller Ismail Mohamed Didi hanged himself from the control tower of Male’ International Airport after seeking asylum in the UK for fear of persecution over his lack of religious belief.

Over two emails sent to an international humanitarian organisation on June 23 and 25, obtained by Minivan News, Ismail confessed he was an atheist and requested assistance for his asylum application, after claiming to have received several anonymous threats on June  22.

In the emails, he said he “foolishly admitted my stance on religion” to work colleagues, word of which had “spread like wildfire.”

“Maldivians are proud of their religious homogeneity and I am learning the hard way that there is no place for non-Muslim Maldivians in this society,” Ismail said, in one of his letters.

“I cannot bring myself to pretend to be something I am not, as I am a staunch believer in human rights. I am afraid for my life here and know no one inside the country who can help me.”

A colleague of Ismail’s told Minivan News that it appeared the 25 year-old had sought the early 3:00am shift and “came to work fully prepared to die.”

“His mother said she called him in the morning at 5:30am to tell him to pray, but there was no answer. They found his cigarette lighter on the balcony.”

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Apostate publicly repents and rejoins Islam, after counselling

A Maldivian man who publicly declared himself an apostate during a speech by Islamic speaker Dr Zakir Naik on Friday evening has repented and offered a public apology on Television Maldives (TVM).

Mohamed Nazim gave Shahada – the Muslim testimony of belief – during a press conference held at the Islamic Ministry today.

He also apologised for causing “agony for the Maldivian people”, and said “major misconceptions I had regarding Islam have been clarified.”

He further requested that the community accept him back into society.

After describing himself to Dr Naik as “Maldivian but not a Muslim” on Friday night, Nazim was escorted from Maafaanu stadium by Islamic Ministry officials into police custody. Several officers were attacked for trying to protect Nazim when members of the crowd turned violent, calling for his death.

The following day the Islamic Foundation NGO issued a press release calling for Nazim to be executed under Islamic law if he failed to repent.

Apostasy is considered a grave sin under Islam, although scholarly opinion varies as to its punishment: in response to Nazim’s question, Dr Naik clarifed that the penalty was only death “if the person becomes a non-Muslim and propagates his faith and speaks against Islam. Just because a person who is a Muslim becomes a non-Muslim, death penalty is not the ruling.”

Speaking after the press conference today, Deputy Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Farooq told newspaper Haveeru that Nazim had reverted to Islam “on freewill” after the Ministry had sent two scholars to counsel him while he was in custody.

“[After] two days of counseling he said that his misconceptions had been clarified and that he wanted to become a Muslim,” Sheikh Farooq told Haveeru.

President of Islamic NGO Jammiyyathu Salaf Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohamed Ibrahim told Minivan News he was very happy to hear of Nazim’s repentance and thanked God, adding that incident has “damaged the good name of the country.”

He further said that there were “many people trying to introduce other religions to the Maldives underground”, and that he would “release the names of these underground people at the appropriate time.”

”The incident was the result of a lack of Islamic studies in the school curriculum,” he said. ”That is one of the reasons why such things as this happen.”

The Adhaalath Party said it welcomed Nazim’s repentance and congratulated him for re-embracing Islam.

Police have meanwhile yet to reveal whether Nazim has been released from custody.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the court had decided that Nazim should be released, but he would not reveal whether police had yet done so.

“Police will analyse the situation,” Shiyam said, regarding Nazim’s safety.

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Islamic Foundation calls for death sentence if apostate fails to repent

The Islamic Foundation has called for self-declared apostate Mohamed Nazim to be stripped of his citizenship and sentenced to death if he does not repent and return to Islam.

Nazim claimed he was “Maldivian and not a Muslim” during a public question-and-answer session with Islamic speaker Dr Zakir Naik, the first time a Maldivian has publicly announced he is not a Muslim.

According to the Maldivian constitution all citizens are required to be Muslim, and the country is always described as a “100 percent” Muslim country.

The 37 year-old angered many in the approximately 11,000-strong crowd with his statement during Dr Naik’s ‘Misconceptions about Islam’ lecture on Friday.

Dr Naik responded that Nazim had read the wrong books and “deviated from Islam”, and requested him “to read correct books on Islam, and Inshallah, you’ll come back to Islam.”

However Nazim did not relinquish the microphone and pressed Naik to clarify the penalty for apostasy.

“In Islam, there are many cases, it doesn’t mean death penalty,” Dr Naik explained. “But if the person who reverts who was a Muslim then converts to and becomes a non-Muslim and propagates his faith and speaks against Islam, and if it’s Islamic rule, then the person should be put to death. But just because a person who is a Muslim becomes a non-Muslim, death penalty is not the ruling.”

Nazim was escorted from the venue by police for his own protection, after members of the audience attempted to attack him.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said two men who tried to attack Nazim were arrested after they attacked the police officers protecting him. Nazim himself “was not injured because police protected him,” Shiyam said.

He was taken to a police building where a crowd of protesters had gathered, calling for him to be punished. Shiyam confirmed that Nazim is now being held in an undisclosed location for five days while police investigate “in consultation with the Islamic Ministry and the Prosecutor General’s office.”

Today the Islamic Foundation of the Maldives issued a press statement calling on judges to give Nazim the opportunity to repent “and if he does not, then sentence him to death as Islamic law and Maldivian law agree.”

“The Islamic Foundation believes that the person who announces apostasy should be punished according to Islamic laws,” the NGO said, warning that Nazim represented “a disturbance to the religious views and the religious bonds that exist with Maldivians.”

“Hereby if this man does not do his penance and come back to the Islamic religion, the Islamic Foundation of the Maldives calls to take the citizenship away from this man as mentioned in the Maldivian constitution.”

If case crossed into areas not covered by the laws of the country, “then the judges should rely on Islamic law,” the NGO stated, as per article 142 of constitution which says judiciary shall look into Islamic shar’ia on matters not covered in law, and sentence accordingly.

“So it is requested that the commissioner of police run the legal research on this man and take this to the Prosecutor General’s office. We also request the Prosecutor General to go through this matter and to take this man to the criminal court for trial,” the Islamic Foundation said.

A government official involved in the legal process, who requested that his name and department be kept anonymous, said he was “really worried” and described the case as “a very sensitive subject”.

“Police are investigating the case,” he said. “My understanding is that the court authorities will give [Nazim] opportunities to change his mind. I think he will be given every opportunity to think about his decision.”

Minister for Islamic Affairs Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari told Minivan News that Ministry officials had acted quickly to remove Nazim from the venue “for his own protection”, and had now handed the matter over to the legal system.

“I don’t know if there is a penalty for apostasy according to Maldivian law,” he said.

The Adhaalath Party issued a press statement claiming that the act violated the constitution of the Maldives and called on the government “to strengthen Islam and protect the constitution.”

Religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf declined to comment on the matter during a press conference held today on another matter, however NGO Jamiyyathul Musliheen expressed “concern and regret” over the incident.

”Not a few number of Maldivian youths are moving further from the religion, and many of them are going renegade,” the NGO said in a press statement, adding that “it is a responsibility of the government to strengthen Islam in the country.”

President of the Human Rights Commission to the Maldives (HRCM), Ahmed Saleem, said “what happened was really unfortunate.”

“I think the best thing will be to talk to him and to make him understand the situation and the repercussions, talks which HRCM will welcome,” Saleem said.

He said he was unsure how the Maldivian government would handle the incident.

“I’m afraid of the reaction from the international community should we resort to harsh action,” he said. “I don’t think it would be in our interest – we have just been given a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. This is something we need to think seriously about before we start using harsh language.”

Minivan News contacted several local human rights NGOs however they had not responded at time of press.

A senior government source, who requested anonymity, said he felt the case “will be a real test of how the government will abide by its international commitments.”

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair was on medical leave and unable to comment.

Minivan News was unable to reach Nazim himself for comment, however a person close to the matter described him as “a very sensible guy who will think of the people around him. But he will not give up on calling for people to be more honest about themselves. I think he will become a genuine refugee if he refuses to take back his words,” she said.

A transcript Dr Naik’s response to Nazim is available here.

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