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by boadhaabas | Monday, May 24, 2010 | via Boadhaabas
Prior to the 'dawn of the new democracy' we always blamed Gayoom and his regime for politicizing Religion. For using Islam as a 'weapon' to enslave people and to consolidate their 'absolute and divine' power to rule over us minions. We loathed the regime for that and used it as a powerful campaign against him in the elections - and it worked!
Sadly we now see a situation where one of the minor partners in the Nasheed government (one who does not even command a single parliament seat) - the Adhalat party with their control over the Islamic Ministry trying to do exactly the same. Textbook Gayoomism I would say. In fact, their effort is even 'better and more targeted' that Gayooms. I was dumbfounded when I looked through the religious unity regulations which they tried to publish! It is one the most extreme piece of religious unity law I have ever seen (and I have briefly gone through ones in Iran and some of the states of Malaysia and Nigeria). There is a component in the regulation which allows the Ministry to poke into anybody's business. From an absolute restriction on freedom of speech to potentially dictating on the standards of advertising and marketing materials of tourist resorts! Just imagine the consequences! The only thing they fell short of was the creation of a religious police who would roam around the streets like they do in Saudi. Or perhaps, they will claim they have the authority to do this under some section of it later on!
Nevertheless, this cannot be tolerated.
Sadly we now see a situation where one of the minor partners in the Nasheed government (one who does not even command a single parliament seat) - the Adhalat party with their control over the Islamic Ministry trying to do exactly the same. Textbook Gayoomism I would say. In fact, their effort is even 'better and more targeted' that Gayooms. I was dumbfounded when I looked through the religious unity regulations which they tried to publish! It is one the most extreme piece of religious unity law I have ever seen (and I have briefly gone through ones in Iran and some of the states of Malaysia and Nigeria). There is a component in the regulation which allows the Ministry to poke into anybody's business. From an absolute restriction on freedom of speech to potentially dictating on the standards of advertising and marketing materials of tourist resorts! Just imagine the consequences! The only thing they fell short of was the creation of a religious police who would roam around the streets like they do in Saudi. Or perhaps, they will claim they have the authority to do this under some section of it later on!
Nevertheless, this cannot be tolerated.
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