The Indian Ocean paradise Maldives, until recently a moderate Muslim state, is the latest Asian country to witness a troubling rise in ultraconservative Wahhabi Islam imported from the Middle East.
On June 2, Ismail Rasheed, popularly known as ‘Hilath,’ was attacked outside his home when his throat was slit through his trachea, missing a vital artery by millimetres. Rasheed, an outspoken blogger advocating freedom of religion and a fierce critic of the growing religious extremism in the archipelago country, is expected to survive the near-fatal attempt on his life, the second. The gruesome assault on Rasheed cannot be treated as an isolated episode. It is an upshot of the rising religious radicalization in Maldives, whose constitution does not allow any national to practice a religion other than Islam.
Religious intolerance has been rising steadily in the country, which lies about 700 km south of the Indian coast. According to a 2010 US State Department report, “NGO sources …stated that in general the media practice self-censorship on issues related to Islam due to fears of being labelled ‘anti-Islamic’ and subsequently being harassed.” The Ministry of Islamic Affairs blocks antic-Islamic websites as well as sites featuring information on Christianity. Statements contrary to government policy or to the government's interpretation of Islam are blocked by law. Full story...
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On June 2, Ismail Rasheed, popularly known as ‘Hilath,’ was attacked outside his home when his throat was slit through his trachea, missing a vital artery by millimetres. Rasheed, an outspoken blogger advocating freedom of religion and a fierce critic of the growing religious extremism in the archipelago country, is expected to survive the near-fatal attempt on his life, the second. The gruesome assault on Rasheed cannot be treated as an isolated episode. It is an upshot of the rising religious radicalization in Maldives, whose constitution does not allow any national to practice a religion other than Islam.
Religious intolerance has been rising steadily in the country, which lies about 700 km south of the Indian coast. According to a 2010 US State Department report, “NGO sources …stated that in general the media practice self-censorship on issues related to Islam due to fears of being labelled ‘anti-Islamic’ and subsequently being harassed.” The Ministry of Islamic Affairs blocks antic-Islamic websites as well as sites featuring information on Christianity. Statements contrary to government policy or to the government's interpretation of Islam are blocked by law. Full story...
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