"No room for other religions" - President Gayoom.

The current government of Maldives will not give place for any religion other than Islam, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said today. Addressing a gathering at H.A Atoll Ihavandhoo island (on a campaign trip for the upcoming presidential elections), Gayoom said that some foreign entities are unhappy that Maldives remains a 100% Muslim country and they are working to create a place for other religions (in Maldives).  He assure that "there is no place for that" in Maldives.

He also said that the government gives a  high priority to protect the Islamic unity in Maldives and that it has been the very first and one of the most important tasks he began after coming to power (in 1978).

During Gayoom's rule the constitution of the Maldives have been amended to make president of Maldives "the supreme authority to propagate the tenets of Islam in the Maldives” (Article 38, Constitution). He also introduced a “Protection of Religious Unity of Maldivians Act” under which; Maldivian convert from Islam, anyone that express views contrary to the government approved version of Islam can be penalized. It allows punishments for displaying religious symbols of other faiths and possessing religious books of other faiths as well. Gayoom himself an Islamic Scholar with a masters in Islamic Sharia and Civil Law from Al Azhar University of Egypt, came to power using religion to portray his predecessor as "western" and "unislamic".

[Source: Official Website of The President's Office]

MDP sheikh warns against "dangers" of religious freedom

Ahmed 'B.A' Naseem, a member of the Islamic Advisory Council, National Council and the Congress of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has given a fatwa saying it is haraam to build places of worship for other religions in the Maldives, and warned against freedom of religion, describing it as a violation of (God given) rights of Muslims.

In his regular column on Minivan (a dhivehi daily connected with MDP) he wrote that "there is no way, building a temple on Maldivian soil will be legal in Islamic Shariah". Warning against the "dangers" of freedom of religion, he wrote that according to some Islamic Scholars; "it is obligatory for Muslims to destroy the existing places of worship (except mosques) after conquering a non-Muslim land". 

Here is a translation of the concluding lines of his article;

"Building places of worship for people of other religions, and letting them live in Maldives, with freedom of religion guaranteed by law, will leave Maldives in religious conflicts and unthinkable chaos, considering how things are these days. In such a situation it is most likely that, with the aid of millions and millions of dollars, and international conventions, and in the name of human rights; people of other religions will overpower Muslims of Maldives in the Maldives. May Allah save this country from such a humiliating fate! Amen! Right now it is important to think deeply about the assaultive activities of non-Muslims against Muslims in the name of human rights or in other such names.

O people of intellect. Is depriving Muslims of a right which have been given to them and giving that right to a people of some other religion in the name of human rights, acceptable to the sane mind? What glory is there being stuck in things, deceived by materialism?"

[Note:According to the constitution/bylaws of MDP, the Islamic Advisory Council's responsibilities are; creating Islamic awareness, forbidding the unislamic and enjoining the good, advising MDP on religious issues.]

[read the original article in dhivehi]

Constitutional Drafting Committee oppose freedom of religion

The Malaysian Professor Mohamed Hashim Kamali, currently in Maldives to advise the Special Majlis' constitutional drafting committee have said that the drafting committee was against allowing other religions to be practiced in the country.

He also said that the new draft constitution is 100% Islamic. Despite this, some members of the Majilis are demanding to make it more islamic it seems. I wonder if they are suggesting beheading of converts and stoning of adulterers.

“In my opinion it is not necessary to include the phrase ‘Islamic Shariah’ in every constitutional amendment. That is because the constitution says that Islam should be the (official) religion of the Maldives,” Professor Kamali said.“Despite my recommendations, it is up to the drafting committee to decide what to include in the draft. The recommendations include how Islam deals with other religions and the problems that could arise in Maldives if other religions were allowed to be practiced” he said.

“Many Quranic verses say so. It recognizes Christianity and other religions. To close the door to them is a disservice to….Islam.” said Kamali. He also warned that Islam does not allow followers to renounce the faith but the 64,000 expatriates living in the Maldives should be able to open schools for their children and practice their faith openly, he urged. However the drafting committee and all the political parties are against freedom of religion even for migrant workers livings in the country.

source: [haveeru] , [minivannews]