Islamic Affairs Minister dumbfounded by Maumoon’s words

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Former President Maumoon does not seem to have anything on the horizon, but counterattacks against his comments on the media during the last week. Latest rebuff comes from Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Baari, Minister of Islamic Affairs, who has said that he is dumbfounded by former President Maumoon’s comments that the Islamic Affairs Minister and his senior aides had criticized President Nasheed for his failure to protect the Islamic faith of the country.

Islamic Affairs Minister also said that the religious scholars under President Nasheed’s administration yields more power and authority than they had even dreamt of in Maumoon’s reign.

Speaking to Miadhu Daily, Minister implied that it is not Maumoon’s spirit of upholding Islamic faith in the country which had spared President Maumoon from his senior religious officials criticizing him, but his tight control over his scholars. Dr. Majeed also said that even when there were better scholars than Maumoon in his government, they had been not allowed to speak their minds. Dr. Majeed, who also had first-hand experience for working under previous administration, also said that Maumoon had asked to dissolve the radio/TV show itself, if any scholar had said anything which President Maumoon disapproved in those shows.

Unlike the previous administration, Dr. Majeed said that Ministers are given freedom to speak and act on their conscience and that the President Nasheed accepts the advice being offered by his ministers.

“President Nasheed does not dictate his Ministers. Now we are free to act as how we see fit. He does not ask us to do anything on a certain way, and if we find anything going wrong that’s being corrected when we ask him to do so. I think that’s quite different from how it used to be in Maumoon’s reign. Back then Maumoon used knows everything on Islam that he wouldn’t even listen to other scholars who might disagree with him. If a scholar becomes too critical he will be sidelined” he said.

Speaking further he said “Sheikh Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim once said that the women have to cover their entire body except palm and face in a TV programme. Maumoon ordered to stop that programme because apparently Maumoon interpreted Sheikh’s comments as an insult to Maumoon’s family. The next day Sheikh Rasheed asked me if he had said anything wrong and I said he hasn’t. That’s how it used to be back then. But now President Nasheed had given a mandate and flexibility to implement it. And above all, unlike Maumoon, President Nasheed does not use Islam as a political weapon” Dr. Majeed said.

Dr. Majeed is a graduate of Medina University and a PHD holder in Quranic Sciences. He had also served as a Director at the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and as the Rector of the Faculty of Quran, under President Maumoon’s government.

Reader Comments

  1. Maumoon still believes that he is the most educated person in all fields of life and no one is above him in anything to do with knowldege or even sports like cricket.

    Maumoon saw educated people as a threat and, in doing so, he silenced anyone who is ever able to be better than him in education or vocal and critical of Maumoon’s self-image by breaking their bones and putting them in solitary confinement or by buying them (people such as Seena Zahir.

    But these cunnings and cruel acts cannot go on forever! Maumoon had the chance to break backbones of all Maldivians, but he couldn’t do it in 30 years. There is no need to give him another chance to destroy Maldives.

    Posted by ablho | January 11, 2010, 7:54 am

  2. the difference between former president and now are former president being understand the religeous situation clearly and more concerned about ill effect of those fathwas by Shelkhs. you can easily compare with Maumoons 30 years and Nasheeds one year. Nasheed’s one year much worse then last 30 years. Here the interesting part if anything goes wrong it blames moumoon in his reign, but now all blames go to Dr. Majeed and Sheikh Shaheem.

    Posted by Hussain Rasheed Ahmed | January 11, 2010, 10:14 am

  3. this is not right? maumoon ensured that maldives is a moderate and free nation unlike what Dr. Majeed and adhaalth party is trying to make this country. If majeed and islamic ministry hijacked by them is allowed freely to do what they think is right then this nation will be the second afganisthan in asia.

    Posted by ali | January 11, 2010, 5:37 pm

  4. Still Maumoon is the best. Guys think of what is happening now. Compare between the previous government and now. Think well.

    Posted by Mohamed Jimee | January 23, 2010, 11:32 am

  5. That Dr. Majeed is the man who advocated that Credit/Debit Cards are Haraam, while he himself used Credit Cards. Just imagine this hypocricy…. So as the islamic Affairs Minister in the present government, you can imagine the whole concept within the present government. Maumoon knew these Sheiks’s well and so he kept them at arms length, while respecting their education.

    Posted by hayath | January 29, 2010, 10:18 am

  6. wold class scholars knew a very little about majeed president maoumoon is widly respacted all the leadind islamic scholars and islamic universities arround the globe

    Posted by haseen | February 9, 2010, 3:00 pm

  7. Mr. Maumoon and Rifat Afeef are of the same religious background. Who knows them?

    Posted by Abu Nidhal | February 15, 2010, 6:17 pm

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