Sunday
28th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
President Nasheed. Photo: TMJ
Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed heads an online petition to criminalize acts of extremism.
The petition was created by an anonymous Twitter user by the name of Hassan Kurusee calling for the abolishment of labels such as “kafir” and “laadheenee”, words that describe non-Muslims and heterodox Muslims. In a petition published on Change.org, the petition said that the use of such labels is the domain of the "legal justice system".
The petition claimed that people have justified murder in the streets with these labels for the past decade, with the May 6 attack on former President Nasheed being evidence of the uncontrollable extremism and intolerance.
The petition states that extremists use labels to garner public support for their personal agenda. Islam is a religion of peace, and Maldives wishes to be a modern, moderately liberal state.
It adds that the proposition will help better define hate crimes, what comprises hate crimes, and the legal repercussions for such acts.
The proposal concludes that children today will face difficulties living in Maldives in the future. It has taken far too many incidents for the public to take action.
Many prominent figures and organizations have spoken out against the proposed bill claiming that it curtails freedom of speech, religious freedom, and would serve as a stepping-stone to state-sanctioned secularism in the Sunni Muslim country.