"Too many people are going to challenge me this time...

Gasim, Munavvaru, Anni and now Hassan Saeed... "

Come on Sheikhs: You got some explaining to do

Abdullah Waheed's Blog

It's high time one of these sheikhs told us what they have been preaching to simple Maldivians for the last 20 years. What we have been hearing from them are sermons on beards and buruqas. After that we saw people in islands like Himendhoo sporting exactly such beards, not to mention the black veils surrounding the women folk. We thought that was what the sheikhs were promoting. Then suddenly a bomb exploded in the Sultan Park and now the Sheikhs are telling us that Himendhoo people have gone badly astray. That won't do, my dear Sheikhs. It's high time you put your acts together and explained the difference between what you say and what Himendhoo people say. more

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom - the father of Maldivian extremism

DO Editorial

The Himendhoo Mosque siege is sadly the latest of a growing problem in extremism in the Maldives, the culmination of events in the attempt to find the perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Sultan Park. While many Maldivians were deeply saddened and shocked by the incident, it did not come as a total surprise. Our society has been on this path for a long time now. It was just a matter of time before something like this would happen. more

Allegations repeated that Gayoom's abuse of Islam introduced extremism in Maldives

DO News Review

The MDP has restated the concern that President Gayoom's duplicity for political survival (after awarding himself the prerogative of being the final authority in the propagation of the tenets of Islam since1978), had introduced religious disharmony and extremism into Maldivian society. The MDP had voiced repeated concerns to friendly countries from 2004 that there was a fear that if President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom continues to renege on his promises of reform, extremists (including religious fundamentalists) may take recourse to violence. more

We Shall Not Succumb to Terrorism

DO Editorial

When innocent people are hurt, injured, maimed, or killed, that is TERRORISM, irrespective of their nationality, cast, creed or religion and despite who carried out the attack. In recent times, terrorist attacks mainly directed at tourists have been on the increase around the world. However, for those of us on these shores, they seem distant, remote, and often at times surrealistic. That is until yesterday. What we witnessed yesterday is real terrorism targeted against tourists. This is frightening and menacing. By the grace of the Almighty, no one was killed in this particular incident. But it could have been otherwise. And we as a country need to get to the bottom of this and find out who carried out this dastardly act. more