Tag: Shaheem

Reported increase in practice of female circumcision raises alarm

Claims that female circumcision is rising in practice in the Maldives have triggered alarm across the government and NGO sector.

“We are beginning to hear reports of this occurring, and I have heard on radio and television people justifying the practice. It is quite disheartening,” said Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, speaking at a UN event last week.

Then-Attorney General Husnu Suood raised concern in December 2009 that female circumcision in the name of Islam had been revived in Addu Atoll, claiming that religious scholars “are going around to midwives giving fatwas that girls have to be circumcised. They’re giving fatwas saying it is religiously compulsory. According to my information, the circumcising of girls has started and is going on with a new spirit.”

Minivan News subsequently traveled to Addu to investigate the matter and meet with sources, but was unable to determine if the practice was indeed occurring.

Speaking last week, Dr Waheed did not pinpoint a specific area where female circumcision was taking place, but attributed the “general trend” to “rising conservatism and traditional values imported from other parts of the world.”

“Mostly this is a failure of education – there are not enough opportunities for higher education and many students receive free offers to go to madrassas in places like Pakistan, where they learn very traditional values,” Dr Waheed said.

A source from the Health Ministry’s Department of Gender and Family Protection told Minivan News that while female circumcision was widely known to have occurred in the Maldives, it stopped in the 80s and 90s but “now we are hearing media reports that it is happening again.”

The Ministry was not aware where the practice was occurring, but said it intended to investigate.

“There is no formal reporting happening in the islands,” she said. “We have been trying to get reports but health facilities are not aware of the situation.”

Deputy Health Minister Fathimath Afiya meanwhile confirmed that the Ministry was sufficiently concerned to launch a study seeking to identify where female circumcision was occuring.

“There are no reports but NGOs have been talking about it,” she said, stating the Ministry had held a series of meetings on the subject after it received a letter voicing concern from NGO ‘Hope for Women’.

Interim President of that NGO, former Gender Minister Aneesa Ahmed, confirmed to Minivan News today that “some Islamic organisations are advocating this and people are having girls circumcised. I don’t know where and when, but I have heard people say on various programs including Raajje radio.

“I heard two Islamic scholars speaking, and this woman called the radio station and asked two Islamic scholars on the program what Islam said about [female circumcision], and the scholar said yes, that the Prophet Mohamed advocated that girls be circumcised. My concern is that scholars are advocating this has to be done according to Islam, people will not question it and start circumcising girls.”

Aneesa said a representative from the NGO had met with State Minister for Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Hussein Rasheed, who said there was “no question about it: that girls had to be circumcised.”

When Minivan News spoke to Sheikh Rasheed today, he said he did not wish to comment on the matter as he had a meeting scheduled with the Health Ministry regarding the issue.

”If I say anything people might assume it was said on behalf of the Islamic Ministry, or that it was the ruling of the Ministry, so I will not say anything for the time being,” he said.

According to Aneesa, the concern was not whether female circumcision was indeed Islamic.
“I am not a scholar, I am not arguing whether it is right under Islam. If that is the case, we should not stop talking about it. We must undo conventions to which the Maldives is party.
“I don’t want girls to go through the negative complications such as infections and bleeding. I am not questioning whether it is Islamic, but if it is, then people need to be properly trained to do it. Some people are asking if boys are circumcised, why not girls? I am not questioning Islam, my concern is the negative [health] impact.”

According to information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), female genital mutilation is divided into four types: “clitoridectomy, the partial or total removal of the clitoris; excision, partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora; infibulation, the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal by cutting and repositioning the inner or outer labia, with or without removal of the clitoris; and all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes.”

Dr Akjemal Magtymova of the WHO’s Maldives country office told Minivan News that from her limited research into the practice in the Maldives, “it looks like this is not a very intrusive form practiced here. It is more just a following of tradition, a show to a higher power that something has been done about it and the responsibility has been fulfilled.”

Unlike male circumcision there was, she said, “no health benefit to female circumcision.”

“There are risks including infection, infertility, and complications during pregnancy and birth when the wounds are not healed or where there is scar tissue,” she explained.

According to the WHO, girls undergoing the procedure also risk cysts and recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, as well as more immediate complications including severe pain, shock, haemorrhage, tetanus or sepsis, urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue.
It was, observed Dr Akjemal, an ethical dilemma around whether to train doctors to perform the operation safely.

“I am not sure about it – if you train doctors to perform the operation, you open it up to business and supply-induced demand. Rather than a practice isolated to traditional healers, it becomes a lucrative business,” she suggested.

Female genital mutilation is widely practiced in Africa with an estimated three million girls undergoing the proceedure each year, the WHO reports. Across Asia only Indonesia reports the practice although it is also believed to be performed in Malaysia.

In 1997, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a joint statement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) against the practice, and in February 2008 received wider UN support to increase advocacy against it.

“Female genital mutilation is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women,” the WHO advises. “It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person’s rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.”

Former State Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, now the Dean of Villa College’s Faculty of Islamic Sharia, said he had studied the issue and determined that there was no valid hadith demanding females be circumcised.

”All scholars who say it is something that Muslim females should do are citing invalid hadiths,” Sheikh Shaheem said, calling for the practice to be stopped.

”Currently it is uncommon in the Maldives. When I was young I used to hear that it was something done, but now it is very uncommon and I think it was carried to this generation more as a cultural thing,” he said.

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Shaheem calls for studies in comparative religion at National University

Former State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has written an article calling for studies in comparative religion to be included in courses at the Islamic Faculty of the recently inaugrated National University.

The national university “should be a place that conducts research on issues that the Maldives faces today, especially issues related to human rights, comparative religion, terrorism and the rights of women,” Shaheem wrote in an article (Dhivehi) on the Adhaalath Party’s official website.

Shaheem first floated the idea in April 2010, emphasising that  the subject should not be taught at a secondary level “because [students’] minds are not [yet] prepared to deal with these philosophies.”

However at a university level, “it is very important to research and understand other religions,” said Shaheem. “You will not become an infidel for learning about other religions.”

”At Medina’s University Faculty of Shariah they teach comparative religion as well as at the International Islamic University in Malaysia,” he said. ”Terrorism is a rising issue today, and it is very important to know the difference between terrorism and jihad, and the obligations and reasons for jihad.”

He also said that it was the former government that paved way for the Maldives College of Higher Education to progress to a University.

The National University of the Maldives was inaugurated on February 15 by President Mohamed Nasheed, who appointed former Education Minster Dr Mustafa Luthfy as the university’s first chancellor and presented him with the institution’s seal.

The last time to the topic of comparative religion was raised in the Maldives, Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Hussein Rasheed told Minivan News the party would not support the prospect until an understanding of the basic principles of Islam were strengthened. will not support the study of comparative religion in the Maldives until understanding of the basic principles are strengthened.

While he did not disagree with it in principle, Rasheed said that before introducing comparative religion the government should teach Islam in more advanced manner.

President of Jamiyyathul Salaf Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Ibrahim said in April that people should understand Islam comprehensively before comparative religion was introduced.

Sheikh Abdulla said there were some necessary subjects of Islam many people in the Maldives did not yet understand or were not being taught.

”Only a few people understand the ‘Tafsir’ [exegesis] of Quran,” he said, adding that ”knowledge of other religions is already taught in verses of Quran and Hadith.”

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No clash within Adhaalath Party over statement criticising ‘fake wedding’ regulations, says Shaheem

State Minister for Islamic Affairs and Adhaalath Party member Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has refuted reports in local media yesterday of a “clash” within the party, following a press statement it released on November 11.

In the statement, the party expressed concern about the government’s new regulations governing ‘symbolic’ wedding ceremonies, drawn up in the wake of the humiliation of a Swiss couple in Dhivehi by staff at Vilu Reef Resort and Spa.

Resorts deemed to break the aggressive new regulations can now be fined up to Rf one million (US$78,000), or even have their license to operate suspended under the Tourism Act.

Non-Muslims are unable to get married in the 100 percent Islamic Maldives, but many tourists pay for elaborate ‘renewal of vows’ ceremonies, often requesting a ‘Maldivian flavour’ to the proceedings. The infamous Vilu Reef ceremony reportedly cost US$1300, with an optional US$440 photograph service made available.

In its statement, the Adhaalath Party condemned the government for failing to consult with religious scholars before publishing the new regulations.

“Marriages are not performed in the Maldives as a cultural ceremony. Maldivians marry according to the rules and regulations of Shariah,” the statement said.

“This makes it impossible to see how a Maldivian wedding can be regarded as a cultural act. It is an important religious rite. It is the view of the Adhaalath party that the performance of symbolic traditional Maldivian wedding ceremonies, or the performance of a symbolic Muslim wedding ceremony between two non-Muslims, are both acts that belittle the sacred beliefs of Islam.”

The statement raised several specific concerns with the regulations: most significantly that under Article 10(b) of the Constitution, “no law can be made in the country that is in conflict with the tenets of Islam. No Maldivian citizen is under any obligation to recognise as legitimate any laws that do not follow those Constitutional stipulations.”

The regulations were, the Adhaalath Party claimed, “therefore void.”

Furthermore, in allowing foreigners to choose the language of the ceremony, the regulations “leave the door open for foreigners to travel to the Maldives and verbally abuse Maldivians in a foreign tongue that Maldivians do not understand.

“It should be noted that these regulations do not make it an offence for tourists to denigrate Maldivians and use filthy language against them,” the statement added.

Adhaalath also expressed concern that the regulations did not stipulate according to which religion the symbolic ceremony should be practiced, and that such regulations theoretically allowed such symbolic weddings to be performed between same sex couples, “a practice that has become common in the West.”

“Introducing regulations such as these that allow practices of other cultures and religions to occur in the Maldives, and to use legitimate legal mechanisms of the country to do so, is a way of legitimising such practices,” the Party’s statement read.

“It is a way of legalising un-Islamic activities to occur in the Maldives. Such acts, even if symbolic in nature, are unconstitutional. Because of the various such problems with this law, and because of the doors that they open, we wish to draw the attention of our beloved citizens to these regulations.”

The party also accused the government of failing to implement the recommendations of scholars in matters such as the attempted introduction of the sale of alcohol to foreigners on ‘inhabited’ islands, “trivialising” the subjects of Islam and Dhivehi by suggesting they be made optional at A-level,and victimising the Arab-Islamic system of education at Arabiyya school.”

Senior members of the government were, the party alleged, disregarding “and [treating] as of no value the advice and counsel of the [Islamic] Ministry on such issues.”

If the government continued on its current path, the party warned, “Adhaalath will have to reassess its alliance with MDP, the ruling party.”

No clash

Local newspaper Haveeru reported yesterday of a “clash” among the Adhaalath Party’s senior leadership over the statement, claiming that the party’s President Sheikh Hussein Rasheed Ahmed – also the State Minister of Home Affairs – had sought to distance himself from the statement.

Haveeru reported Scholars Council member Mohamed Didi, also one of the party’s founders, as saying that Sheikh Rasheed “could not dodge the statement on any grounds as he chaired the council meeting.”

“Sheikh Rasheed was chairing the meeting when members of the committee, which drafted the statement, were selected. The statement was made in reference to the issues noted at the meeting,” Didi reportedly told Haveeru.

Speaking to Minivan News yesterday, Sheikh Shaheem said that while he did not wish to comment on the statement itself, reports of “a clash” within the party over the matter were erroneous.

“There is no clash within the party – there is strong unity within the party. Just because there is a different opinion doesn’t mean there is fighting,” he said.

The Adhaalath Party was not taking any action against the government, he said, and had decided to request a meeting with President Mohamed Nasheed after the holidays to resolve the issues through discussion.

“Adhaalath was just giving a reminder to the government that things are going the wrong way. If the government resolves the problems then there’s no issue,” he said.

The concern was rather the government’s failure to discuss the new regulations with scholars, he explained.

“Islam is an important part of this country and you cannot boycott scholars,” he said. “There will be big challenges if [the government] boycotts the opinions of scholars.”

The Islamic Ministry was part of the government and had a role to provide advice and discuss such matters, Shaheem explained.

“The Maldives has been a Muslim country for 900 years, but this doesn’t mean we’re against other religions. We have [foreign] doctors, nurses, teachers – these people live with us here and enjoy our life[style]. But the Maldivian people want to keep their culture and respect for their religion. If the regulations are not in opposition against Islamic principles, we are not against them.”

Islam did not recognise civil marriages, Shaheem said: “We don’t do fake weddings, we do serious marriage.”

“If we want to [provide ceremonies] for guests the regulations must be good – [for instance] there are strong laws for alcohol, so only foreigners can buy it.”

He highlighted some specific concerns with the new regulations, which are technically now in effect after being published in the government’s gazette.

“If the ceremony is conducted in a language we don’t know, there is a possibility people will come and do what the [Vilu Reef staff] did, if it’s in a language we don’t have. The regulations should specify what languages should be used,” Shaheem suggested, adding that he was also concerned about the regulations theoretically allowing ceremonies to be performed between same-sex couples.

The Islamic Ministry, was, he said, part of the government and aimed to promote moderate Islam by preaching respect for other cultures and peoples in Friday sermons, and providing the government with suggestions on matters such as how the subject of Islam should be taught in schools.

“I recently spoke to some children in grade 11-12, and they had some very extreme ideas,” he said. “It is important to teach Islam properly, by teaching about terrorism and what [concepts] such as jihad really mean, and that innocents should not be killed. An understanding of extremism and human rights – these are things that can be taught in Islam. But when Islam is not taught or is made optional, [students] will go to other places, such as [extremist] websites.”

Problems with the regulations could be resolved through discussion, Shaheem said. “There are some legal and religious concerns among some scholars, but we are not against guests coming to our country.”

Translation of the Adhaalath Party’s statement. Original available on the party’s website (Dhivehi).

11 November 2010

“Tourism is the backbone of our economy, it is very important that we develop our tourism industry.

But, tourism should be developed in ways that are compatible with Islam. As a 100 percent exemplary Muslim state for the last nine hundred years, it is within Islamic thinking that Maldivian culture and traditions have been formed. This is made clear in the Constitution.

In the same manner matrimony in the country has too evolved within the principles of Islam. Marriages are not performed in the Maldives as a cultural ceremony. Maldivians marry according to the rules and regulations of Shariah. This makes it impossible to see how a Maldivian wedding can be regarded as a cultural act. It is an important religious rite.

It is the view of the Adhaalath party that the performance of symbolic traditional Maldivian wedding ceremonies, or the performance of a symbolic Muslim wedding ceremony between two non-Muslims, are both acts that belittle the sacred beliefs of Islam.

This is the case whether the service is provided as a means of appeasing tourists, or to financially exploit them.

Islam does not allow anyone to benefit from the improper exploitation of non-Muslims. The alternative is to allow foreigners to renew their marriage vows in the Maldives according to their own traditions and wants. Neither the Maldivian Constitution nor its culture permits the display of any other religion in the Maldives.

It has been decided by the Maldivian Fiqh Academy that the display of any other religion on Maldivian soil is unacceptable both in terms of law and in terms of spirit. We condemn the government for delaying the implementation of this edict by the Fiqh Academy and express concern that the government has failed to accept the ‘formal recommendations’ made by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs towards the government’s efforts to draft new regulations on symbolic wedding ceremonies in the Maldives.

The Adhaalath Party fully supports the recommendations by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and their rationale. On behalf of all members of the Party and on behalf of its Advisory Committee, we would like to thank the Ministry for its limitless work in this regard.

The government has kicked the knowledge of scholars in the face, and failed to implement their recommendations. We call upon the government to immediately cease these activities that goad the beautiful culture of Islam and attempt to break the spirit of Islam.

Revealed below are the points of legal importance:

Article 271 of the Constitution states that any regulations that Maldivians need recognise as applying to them are regulations arising from a law approved by the Majlis. The regulations on symbolic wedding ceremonies refers to the Maldivian Tourism Act as its source and, having been published in the Government Gazette, are now legally binding.

Article 10(a) of the Maldivian Constitution states that Islam is the religion of the Maldivian state, and the source of its laws. Article 10(b) states that no law can be made in the country that is in conflict with the tenets of Islam. No Maldivian citizen is under any obligation to recognise as legitimate any laws that do not follow those Constitutional stipulations. The regulations are, therefore, void.

Law, as it is defined in Article 274 of the Constitution should be interpreted as: ‘Laws that have been passed by the Majlis and ratified by the President and regulations arising from such laws’.

Even though Article 43(a) of the Constitution does allow anybody resident in the Maldives to get married in the Maldives, Article 16(a) states that the right is dependent upon being compatible with the tenets of Islam. The regulations on symbolic wedding ceremonies is one that is aimed not at Maldivian but tourists. Even though the regulations stipulate that it is symbolic, the following issues can be noted when we contemplate the regulations from the perspective of law as well as that of the concept of marriage itself.

a) What a symbolic marriage ceremony is, and the degree of its legitimacy,

b) The regulations do not stipulate according to which religion the symbolic ceremony should take place.

Under the circumstances where there is no requirement that all tourists to the Maldives be Muslim, it is possible that some of these symbolic ceremonies could be conducted according to rituals of other religions. It also means that these regulations will allow such symbolic “wedding” ceremonies to be performed between same sex couples, a practice that has become common in the West.

c) Introducing regulations such as these that allow practices of other cultures and religions to occur in the Maldives, and to use legitimate legal mechanisms of the country to do so, is a way of legitmising such practices. It is a way of legalising un-Islamic activities to occur in the Maldives. Such acts, even if symbolic in nature, are unconstitutional.

d) The legitimacy of the person officiating at the ceremony is dubious. Right now, these ceremonies are conducted by Maldivian staff members at resorts. What are the legal or religious powers, it can be asked, of the registrar who performs these marriages, symbolic marriages or renewal of vows for non-Muslims. The question also arises of under what policy the management of a resort would certify the validity of the wedding vows that were so renewed or a wedding so conducted.

e) Article 5 (a) of the regulation says that the ceremony should be conducted in the language requested by the couple wishing to have the ceremony in the Maldives. This opens the door for ceremonies such as this to be conducted in a language other than Dhivehi, and for representatives of other religions such as priests to travel to the Maldives to conduct such ceremonies. Furthermore, it leaves the door open for foreigners to travel to the Maldives and verbally abuse Maldivians in a foreign tongue that Maldivians do not understand. That is, in fact, some have suggested, the reason why such a regulations was needed. It should be noted that these regulations do not make it an offence for tourists to denigrate Maldivians and use filthy language against them.

f) Article 7(a) of the regulations, which says that the ceremony can be conducted by someone other than a Maldivian, means there is a chance a priest may travel [to the Maldives]. As mentioned before, the representation of any other religion in the Maldives is a crime.

Because of the various such problems with this law, and because of the doors that they open, we wish to draw the attention of our beloved citizens to these regulations.

The Adhaalath Party is extremely concerned about the regular and continuous manner in which the Islamic personality of the Maldives is being confronted. The attempt to sell alcohol on inhabited island by using similar regulations, attempts to trivialise the subjects of Islam and Dhivehi in the school curriculum by trying to make them optional modules and victimising the Arab-Islamic system of education at Arabiyyaa are among such activities that can be noted here.

Adhaalath participated in the spirit of ‘the Maldives that the nation wants’ and decided to be a part of the government on the guarantee that religious affairs of the country will be conducted according to the advice of religious experts. However, it is with deep concern that we state today, the government has failed to seek the advice of the religious affairs ministry in various major issues regarding Islam.

We wish to note, also, that it is a matter of great concern and seriousness for Adhaalath that some members of the current government have chosen to disregard and treat as of no value the advice and counsel of the Ministry in such issues.

It is very clear what happened on the issue of the regulations governing religious unity. If these matters continue without change, Adhaalath will have to reassess is alliance with MDP, the ruling party.

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Islamic Ministry launches toll free religious helpline

The Ministry for Islamic Affairs has launched a toll free hotline for advice on matters of religion, reports Haveeru.

Launching the hotline on Thursday, State Islamic Minister Sheikh Shaheem Ali Saeed said Ministry scholars would be available to answer religious queries on 8003008901.

The Ministry also announced it had received Rf 25 million (US$1.9 million) in alms as of October 2010.

“We used to get about Rf13 to 14 million. Last year we collected Rf27 million and this year we have already collected Rf25 million. This is a huge improvement,” Haveeru reported Shaheem as saying.

The Ministry also released four free books covering alms giving and Islamic rulings on the practice. Media outlets were also awarded prizes for positive coverage of the Ministry’s works, Haveeru reported.

“Before I start my work every day, I check the websites of newspapers. I get encouragement from the media reports that praise us and try to correct mistakes identified in the reports that criticise us. I believe that media reports should be credited for the good name Islamic Ministry has been receiving,” Shaheem said.

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Comment: The role of women in civilisation

This is an extract from a manuscript written by State Minister of Islamic Affairs Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed. Translated from Dhivehi by Ismail Nizam. Full version including original Arabic citations is available here.

The notion of excluding women in building civilisations and developing the world is alien to the fundamental principles of Islamic Shari’ah and contradicts the very tenets of Islamic Law.

The reality is that Islam actually gained women their rights and uplifted her status to a dignified and honorable creation. History provides ample evidences that the light of Islam brightened the world during a time when other civilisations degraded women in the darkness of ignorance.

The case was especially severe in the Arabian lands. They traded women as commodities and buried female children alive. The news of the birth of a female was considered a sorrow.

“And when the news (the birth) of a female (child) is brought to any of them, his face becomes dark, and he is filled with inward grief.” [Qur’an 16: 58]

“He hides himself from the people because of the evil of that whereof he has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonor or bury her in the earth? Certainly, evil is their decision.” [Qur’an 16: 59]

These were the evil practices of men in history. They did not simply negate the rights of women but tried to eradicate the whole female posterity. In some civilisations, women were burned alive. Women were considered just a physical body to fulfill the sexual desires of men.

When humanity was in deep in ignorance and evil, Allah proclaimed and announced that all human beings (both men and women) are equal in terms of their human qualities and rights. Allah stated;

“O’ mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is one who has At-taqwa. Verily, Allah is All-knowing, All-wise.” [Qur’an 49: 13]

In fact, men and women have equal rights in the rites and rituals performed as ‘ibaadhaat’ and in establishing the Shari’ah jurisdictions. This reality was revealed in the Holy Qur’an as;

“Verily, the Muslim men and women, the believing men and women and the men and women who are obedient to Allah, the men and women who are truthful, the men and women who are patient, the men and women who are humble, the men and women who give sadaqaath (Zakat), the men and women who observe fasting, the men and women who guard their chastity and the men and women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues, Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (paradise).” [Surah Al-Ahzaab: verse 35]

The equality of men and women in establishing Shari’ah jurisdiction is elaborated in the following verse;

“The women and the men guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in their case in punishment prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness their punishment.” [Surah An- Noor, Verse 2]

Islam also granted women their due rights within the family institutions. This is confirmed in the Qur’an as;

“O’ you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take part of the Mahr (dowry) you have given them, unless they commit open illegal sexual intercourse. And live with them honorably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good.” [Suran An-Nisa, verse 19]

The preservation of the dignity of chaste women is commanded in the Qur’an as follows;

“And those who accuse chaste women and produce not four witnesses, flog them with eighty stripes, and reject their testimony forever. They indeed are the Faashiqun.” [Surah An-Noor, 4]

The verses above are the evidences in support of Islamic stand on the concept of justice. They are adequate signs of Islam’s superiority over other ways of life and the fairness prescribed by the religion of Islam. And they show the comprehensiveness of kindness and mercy Allah on humanity.

Indeed, under some circumstances where women are esteemed in dignity because of their huge responsibility in the family setups and in nation building.

One day a person came to Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked; “O’ Prophet of Allah! Who should I honor the most among the people?” Prophet replied; “Your mother.” The person asked; “Who next?’ Prophet replied; “Your mother.” The person asked again; “Who next?” Prophet replied; “Your mother.” The person asked for a forth time; “Who next?” And the Prophet replied; “Your father.”

This Hadith clearly indicates the position of mother in Islam who enjoys a dignified position because she borne the pains and difficulties of pregnancy, labor and nursing the child.

At the same time, if a man educates and takes care of a daughter or a sister and brings her up honorably, the man will be rewarded paradise, according to the Hadith of the beloved Prophet (peace be upon him).

The Prophet also ordered the men to be kind to their wives. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said;

“The best among you is the one who is the most kind to your wife and children. And the best among men in this regard is me.” [رواه الترمذي]

Muslim brothers! The Prophet (peace be upon him) described men and women in the sense of brotherhood and sisterhood in blood. Therefore, women participation in Islamic state and Islamic civilization must be recognized on a similar ground as that of men.

During the times of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) Muslim women used to take initiative to solve problems confronted by the Muslim women. And they used to attend the intellectual gatherings and meetings in order to develop their personalities. Further, upon the request of Muslim women, Prophet (peace be upon him) arranged a specific day for them to learn from him.

History teaches us that during the Prophetic era, Muslim women used to work as volunteers among the Muslim community. This is especially evident in their services to the poor and the needy and those with disabilities. Among them are the notable figure Asmaa (r. a), the daughter of Abu Bakur (r. a). During the events of sorrows and mourning, Muslim women used to send messages of condolence and visited such families.

The co-operation and mutual assistance rendered by both the genders in establishing the best community of Muslims was a historical lesson for today’s Muslim societies.

During the times of devastating disasters and wars, Muslim women played a proactive role in the Muslim society. In defending and escaping from the attacks of pagans of Quraysh, Muslim women made commendable sacrifices and efforts. When the Muslims are banned from having transactions with any tribes and were trapped in Shiub Abi Thalib, the mother of believer, Khadheeja (r. a) spent heavily on Muslims from her wealth.

Among the first Muslims who migrated to Madina included women. According to Holy Qur’an, there were Muslim women who made covenant with the beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) at the famous Covenant of ‘Aqaba.

The first person to accept and enter the fold of Islam was a woman. She was Khadheeja (r. a), the mother of believers. The first martyr who became the victim of Quraysh oppression was Sumayyah (r. a). At the Peace Agreement of Khudhaibiyyah, the mother of believers, Ummu Salma (r. a) played an important role in giving a constructive advice to solve a major problem faced by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).

All these events in the Islamic history provide ample support indicating that Muslim men and women worked in the front-line to establish the Islamic civilisation.

Therefore, the ideas such as Muslim women have no role in building civilization, educating female children is not necessary, and they must be confined only to household affairs, are contradictory to the principles of Islamic Shari’ah and cannot be accepted by any sane person.

As long as women involvement in community does not violate Shari’ah parameters and Islamic Akhlaaq they go along Islamic principles and values. Due to the nature of sexes, one is given superiority over the other in certain cases by Allah and have established justice among His creations.

Hence, I call upon all those who echo the voice of women rights to study Islam and its history. Women have been given honorable position in Islam and have dignified her by protecting her rights. It is apparent that Islam has given women their due rights and has established justice.

The extent and the scope of rights granted for women in Islam are superior to those found in any other civilization or philosophy. Islam protected women’s rights even durng wars by forbidding the killing of them.

However, the opposite can now be observed across the four horizons of the world. Old women, pregnant ladies and female children are being victimised in Ghaza. They are dying because they do not have access to food, drinks or medicine. And worse, they are heavily attacked with sophisticated weapons like fire-rain.

We also see women taking protection in horrific caves of Afghanistan. We often see pictures of women’s chastity robbed and taken away mercilessly in Somalia.

These are open genocides conducted daily against women, slapping the charters of international bodies established to preserve and protect human rights. Protecting those open to such genocides is a responsibility of every individual and state.

Indeed, oppression is prohibited by Allah. Oppression is not merely physical harm and damage.

Today, even in our society, we observe women being victims of violence. Women are being teased for the way they dress up. They are teased on almost every occasion. Our Muslim women are being defamed even in the newspapers and magazines. They are often subjected to rapes and blackmail, sometimes by gangs. These events are observed repeatedly.

Women are also discriminated in employment. The prohibition of women wearing Islamic dress by some agencies, institutions or offices is unacceptable in an Islamic country. If such discriminations and double standards are allowed, certain female segments of the population may be isolated and left unproductive.

The resulting consequences could be the loss of fairness and harmony in the society. It could also give room for waves of extremism which may drown the whole nation.

Protecting and preserving the rights of women involves honoring them and making their voices heard in the society.

It is not taking her away from the way of her Creator and making her a victim of lust and desires.

It is not making them actresses on various stages to give pleasure to eyes of the viewers.

It is also not making them models to advertise the products of businesses.

However, people who express these ideas today may be labeled as uncivilised and backward. In fact, reality is always bitter!

If we stand within the Shari’ah framework, we will be able to establish a society in which there is a balanced participation of genders.

May Allah show us the straight path and give us the strength to stand for what we proclaim! Aameen.

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Fiqh academy to reprint an amended version of Quran translation

State Islamic minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has said the ministry’s Fiqh academy will reprint an amended version of the Dhivehi translation of the Holy Quran.

“We discovered there were 180 symbols missing in the current translation, and verses of some Surahs were disordered,” Sheikh Shaheem said.

“The current translation was a version made with the assistance of a scholar’s council appointed by the former government, therefore the Fiqh academy will not invalidate the current version, but will rather reprint an amended version,’’ said Sheikh Shaheem.

Shaheem said as Quran was holy it should be well protected.

“If the incorrect version is not amended it could potentially lead to confusion in the long run,’’ he suggested.

In June last year the ministry sent a letter to the president’s office requesting the copyright of the current translation, which is required in order to reprint the translation.

“But the president’s office replied that they could provide us the copyright – it’s funny though, because everything related to religion is supposed to be kept under the Islamic Ministry,’’ Shaheem said. “We do not know when we will be able to start the [reprinting], until we get the copyright.’’

Press Secretary for the President, Mohamed Zuhair, was unavailable for comment at time of press.

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Corpses being stacked as Male’ cemetery reaches capacity

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.

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“Bad effects” if Dhivehi and Islam made optional, warns State Islamic Minister

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.”

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Religious unity regulations on hold

The new regulations under the Religious Unity Act of 1994 drafted by the Islamic Ministry will be reviewed and amended by the Attorney General’s office before publication in the government gazette, the cabinet decided yesterday.

While the regulations were completed last month, its publication was delayed due to “ambiguities and policy issues”, according to Mohamed Zuhair, president’s office press secretary.

Zuhair told Minivan News at the time that the president’s office received complaints from individuals and religious NGOs regarding some of the provisions.

State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said today he was “very happy” with the cabinet deliberations.

“They actually raised some good points. They’re not really policy issues,” he said. “I believe the recommendations and suggestions that were made could improve and strengthen the regulations so that they will be more beneficial to society.”

Shaheem said the changes recommended to the draft regulations were “minor” and to “a few provisions.”

“We are working together with the attorney general’s office and Insha Allah it will be published soon,” he said.

He added that he will reveal the specific amendments or changes at a later date.

The Islamic Foundation of Maldives called on the government not to publish the regulations yesterday as it had identified five issues that could be problematic.

On the criteria for issuing preaching licenses, the Foundation argues that requiring scholars to be at least 25 years of age was both unconstitutional and not specified in Islam.

Article 27 of the constitution states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought and the freedom to communicate opinions and expressions in a manner that is not contrary to any tenet of Islam.

The association “strongly condemns” sub-clause four of provision 16(b), which would disqualify anyone convicted under the Religious Unity Act, as the law was used to imprison religious scholars by the former government.

Religious scholars arrested under the former regime reportedly had their beards shaven with chili sauce.

Moreover, the Foundation argues, a provision that requires foreign preachers to be mindful of Maldivian culture and traditions was unnecessary as scholars should have the opportunity as long as the sermons were in accordance with the tenets of Islam.

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