One of the five members of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) have said that music is haraam or completely forbidden and a sin. He was among the 22 Islamist Mullahs who was seen declaring music haraam in a special video presentation at a Jamiyyath-uh-Salaf (a local Islamist NGO) meeting. Disapproval of music and arts is a common feature of Islamist groups around the world, with some of them going to the extent of banning and burning musical instruments and cassette players. In the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, it was a crime with severe punishments. Today, many fear that Maldives is headed in the same direction.
Sheikh Kareem, according to the official profile on HRCM website, got his secondary and tertiary education at Jamaia Daarul Salaam, Umar Abad in South India. And like the majority of Islamist/Salafi mullahs in Maldives, he obtained his First Degree from the Islamic University of al-Madinah al-Munawarah in Saudi Arabia.
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| Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Kareem preaching in a mosque |
Sheikh Kareem, since his return to Maldives have been promoting Saudi-endorsed Islamist ideas in Maldives. An Imam and preacher in local mosques, Sheikh Kareem also appears on national TV and Radio to spread the message. His articles appear regularly on some local newspapers (mainly for papers owned by president Gayoom's friends and family members; Miadhu and Aafathis dailies), in which he discuss religious and social matters along with international politics from an Islamist perspective. Articles on international politics will usually have him praising terrorists as martyrs of Islam at times and bashing western nations.
He is among many other mullahs that used the education system to spread the Islamist ideology with President Gayoom's blessing. He was a lecturer at Kuliyyathul Dhiraasath Al Islamaiyya and Faculty of Education (Maldives College of Higher Education) and wrote several books on "Islamic Education" for primary and secondary level teachers and students. He is also the external examiner for Islamic Studies at the Department of Public Examinations since 2002, responsible for setting and marking Islamic Studies Examination for secondary and higher secondary school leavers.
Several State employed Mullahs, including senior members of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and the Centre for the Holy Qur’an can also be seen in this video. Influential political figures like the President of Islamist Adhaalath Party, Dr.Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) religious council member Sheikh Adam Naseem also appeared declaring music haraam.
Islamism which was rejected by the Maldivian society for a long time is now going mainstream with more mullahs are in positions of great power and influence. They are becoming more and more organised in Maldives while any opposition or any voice to counter their ideology are suppressed whether it is Islamic (Dr.Afrasheem) or rational (Aaniyaa).
Dr. Afrasheem Ali who completed his doctorate studies (in Islamic Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh) at the Islamic University of Malaysia was denied the license to preach publicly by the the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs. He have been accused of blasphemy and humiliating Islam by several Mullahs and was even attacked by an angry mob after a Friday prayer he lead in a Islamist dominated mosque in Male'.
The Information Minister Mohamed Nasheed (Kutti) who supports moderate Islamic views have been endorsing Dr.Afrasheem for a while now, even defying the Islamic Council by allowing him to preach on national Radio and Television. However, the Sheikh is much hated and criticized by Islamists and even the local media. Several articles critical of Mr. Nasheed and his 'Sufi' Sheikh (who says music NOT haraam in Islam) have appeared on Jazeera, Haveeru and other local dailies.
15 comments:
Questions for your:
1-How do you define "moderate" islam?
2-Why do you want secularism in Maldives?
3-What are the sources of islamic teachings?
4-What does islam means?
If you can answer these honestly and sincerely, you will not be writing such rubbish anymore!
God bless you!
No music, no drawing, no dancing, no laughing, no sex. Like Zuleykha said to Yusuf: Aharen kuran beynunvaa hurihaa kameh kaleyge kalaange vany manaa koffa. No wonder those poor young people blow themselves up. Does this then mean we wont have the pleasure of listening to the cacophony of azans at prayer time or the a capella poetry recitation during Tarawih? Do we also go to the extent of surgically removing our vocal chords? Perhaps the Chief Meanie would be satisfied if the whole country took a vow of silence and made the national language Ameslan. After all, speaking could arouse wanton desires and lead to unspeakable acts. (GASP! Heaven forbid!!) I did watch that little video going around on YouTube prepared by those troglodyte-aspirants. A Razzie-award-winning performance by the voice actor at the end. Maybe thats why pictures of volcanoes and Israeli military funerals were required. The bit where the Chief Justice's words were echoed, now that was entertainment. It was like the fading of Gargamel's laughter. Other than that, all I saw were some sad balding middle-aged men saying music was haraam according to an ancient poetry book dictated by a schizophrenic illiterate plagiarising desert-merchant. How pathetically repressed these men are. Just like that beadle in King Lear, these people want to punish an act only because they crave for it themselves. And they say religion is good for your psychology, while all these men are badly in need of some counselling. Heaven knows what lewd fantasies abound in the minds of our Chief Meanie and his minions who probably would masturbate to them and then flagellate themselves for their weaknesses. Do they repent after watching Pussycat Dolls videos and ejaculating prematurely like a easily-aroused teenage boy? Would their infantile brains overheat and shut down if they watched a hardcore pornographic movie? And all because of an imaginary human-oven. Well, its time we all educated ourselves and our childen on our own about the dangers of religion, because the state media or schools arent willing to do that for us. Otherwise we'd end up in that dystopia MM predicts in the post. So let the dark ifrit in burning row, their loud uplifted devil-trumpets blow. And meanwhile this so-called human-rights-activist-sheikh (oxymoron?) should be hanged and blasted: hanged with bells and blasted with Lennon's Imagine over and over again. Plus a French horn where the sun dont shine, so that he makes beautiful music everytime his bottom breathes.
fisrt anon;
1.moderate islam is islam with out all the barbarism in it.we dont care how you cut it out, through ijthihaadh or what ever. by rejecting certain ayahs, hadiths or what ever. its up to muslims.we need an islam compatible to this century,and can coexist with others.thats all.
2.Because it is better than a theocracy or an islamist 'democracy' in every way.
3.Quran, Hadith, Actions of sahabah and salaf.some believe ijthihaad, ijma and .whatz the point of this question anyway?
4.Islam means following the religion brought by Mohamed, no matter what it says, no matter how hard it is or how crazy it is; because we might burn in hellfire if we dont.
Foolhudhigu handi bless you.
dear zambrool.
1. you gotta funny name.
2. where is the barbarism you so frequenttly attributes to islam? wouldnt it be a good idea to do some reading first to get your facts straight?
3. what whomsoever does in the name of islam cannot be attributed to islam.
4. nobody is saying that there aren't immoderates and moderates in islam. the same goes for christianity and judaism. do you register this? ever heard of christian fundamentalists? or jewish terrorists? now its 60 years since naqba i think its a good idea to brush your knowledge about this terrorist country called israel and how it was born? are you aware that even their supporters do not call those pioneering terrorists peaceful ppl. irgun. searc that word.
5. by asking to reject certain verses in the holy quruan you are forgetting to apply the same law to others. why can't you also ask the christians to abolish their famous trinity verse? even their own scholars admit its a fabrication.
6. 'islamists decmocracy' now where did you get this term? are you aware that islam and democracy are not compatible and that this word should never have been in the first place? since i expect you not to know then i will clarify it. in islam we are saying that the soverignity belongs to god. we humans are mere trustees. in democracy they are telling that all power is from humans and that they would rule for the ppl by the ppl . etc etc.
7. yes you will burn in hell fire if you dont believe in the message of muhammad peace be upon him. this law applies not only for the present day kuffar but it did for the ppl before also. from prophet adam peace be upon him to the last prophet every nation has had their warner and their law book by god. now if they disbelieved it thats by choice and they would reap the rewards of their disobediance.
may you be of the guided! and saved from error.
i think you nailed it when you say - one day listening to music might become a punishable crime in Maldives; if some people does not stand up against this madness
they are being raped even now...just the other day the Egyptian educated man at Presidents office was discovered molesting his daughter..
Question is, when will we stand up to these mullahs, discredit them and remove their stranglehold on the minds of Maldivians?
afghanistan has an Afghan Idol! (based on american idol) good for them. maybe we ought to have one too, just to spite the clerics. and also make satanic music with subliminal messages
if the question is ever about god, weather god exists or not then with as much conviction the athiests would say that god there is not, so would i say there is god but you percieves it not.
questions:
1) if there is no god then how can all this be? how can all these things we see from microscopic level to telescope level be? does something not have to be created for it to be? from the standard big bang theory they say that time started some definite time... prior to that is not known. now for the thing to have started or to have a beggining is ok. but why shall there be no end? what will happen if time ends? does athiesm answer this?
2) the problem with those ppl who are continously attacking the prophet of islam is very simple. they are a little bit mentally unbalanced. for what will you call a person who is visited by the postman with a letter addressed to him and he the reciever without even opening the letter curses the postman and attacks him? a bright fellow? nop, you will call him a mad fellow. right? because its not a mark of brightness to abuse the messenger without looking at the message.
I wish all the anons would at least make an attempt to differentiate themselves... it'd be more convenient to reply to each one.
@first anon:
1. I define 'Moderate Islam' as an enlightened version of Islam that derives from the principles of that book of wisdom called 'Qur'an', rather than follow the mind numbing stupidity of the modern day mullahs and arab war mongers.
2. Secularism in practice is the best form of governance. Religion is always open to interpretation, including interpretation by those who interpret it otherwise.
Thus we can't have this indefinite thing incorporated into a state machinery. Religion is personal, governance is not.
Chew on this. There was once a man who was arrested in the Maldives for refusing to obey a fishing ban in a particular season. His argument? The fish and the sea and ocean are provided by Allah.. the government has no right to stop me.
See the contradiction? Religion needs to be kept out for smooth functioning of the state.
@ anon2 : Yes, certain rigid, meaningless interpretations of the religion take it to absurd heights. No music, no dancing, no singing.. it's all bullshit. GIve a free reign to mullahs and they'll ban your middle finger.
@zambrool: I believe the Hadith needs to be revised, or reinterpreted to fit in with the modern times. Again, the Turks have committed themselves to this task. The hadith has been the cause of much of shitty laws thrust upon us by the mullahs. Outdated sayings, and even misattributed sayings, are used completely out of context.
Take for example the case where the Prophet had 'banned' women from traveling alone for more than 3 days. This seems like a backward law subjugating women.
Now, the prophet has also said elsewhere that he LONGS TO SEE the day when women can travel alone. So it's obviously a safety precaution and not a religious ban
These things need to be taken in context, thus the hadith needs to be reinterpreted for the 21st century.
@ the remaining anons:
Xian, Jewish and Hindu fundamentalists abound in the world, but they don't link all their problems to religion. The arab warmongers and terrorists who act violently, do so in the name of Islam. The purely political problems in Palestine and Kashmir, the oil war in Iraq, the freedom fight in Afghanistan and the immigrant problem in the west are all answered by the same mob - who paint everything in religious hues and dream up a fancy world vs Islam war. The western media of course, has blown it into a 'clash of civilizations' as well.
Numerous surveys and reports and features on 'the Muslims' and 'them' and 'their culture' have alienated one sixth of humanity into a 'they' category. one sixth of humanity are under microscope, their faith ridiculed and their every action observed through the lens of religion.
This is why religion should be reclaimed from the mullahs, the taliban and the bin laden brand of fanatics and their arab masters... and restored to the majority of the worlds muslim population most of whom haven't even SEEN the middle east.
Defy the Mullahs. Usher in secularism.
Talking about marrying babies...ever heard of the breakaway Amish church in the states that have got practicing polygamists and marry underaged children.I heard they were Christians.Christians didn't leave barbarism...most of the Christians in west left the religion to be athiests...thats how Christians leave barbarism. Gotta be fair to the religions, u know
thi hurihaa aalaathun fada boe ba. gadda ee yaa thee kon bae kan ingey gotha thi dhakkaa vaahaka dhakkan v nun dho, konmehen vagga ulheyne kama neiii
@woteva: You want me to stuff you in the gas chamber?. HUH?!. :D
You cannot be speaking about moderate Islam if you are withing the fold of Islam. And you cannot be writing this type of nonesense if you are Muslims. If you are not Muslims do not talk about things you do not know. The whole univerese and everything including humans is created by Allah. He revealed Islam. How can we make it moderate. When the constitusion is made by the parliament can the ordinary people change its clauses saying we do not like it. Are you people crazy. There is a covering on you sights, hearing and on your minds. You people cannot see the manifest truth because of that.
I want secularism in the world because I am sane, unlike the mentally ill Bible thumpers and Qu'ran whackers.
sigh. im ashamed to call myself a maldivian. i just wish everyone followed islam the way they see it and just get on with ur lives. others lives is none of ur bussiness... so as u know ure a true muslim. good. now lets get on with our lives shall we?
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