MDP VP Shifaz Opposes Allowing Face-Veiled Teachers From Working

Mohamed Shifaz, Minister at the President's Office and Vice President of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has spoken against letting teachers who wore face-veils from teaching in public schools.

Shifaz's comments come while the Adhaalath Party, one of the members of the ruling coalition, had recently requested the Ministry of Education to lift restrictions on teachers who chose to wear face-veils.

A letter sent to the Ministry, signed by Imran Abdullah; the Adhaalath Party's President and the Minister of Home Affairs; read that the norms of dress in the Maldives should be within Islamically-acceptable boundaries, and that a good number of Maldivian women wear face-veils. The letter read that a person's dress does not affect their competence, and therefore teachers who wear face-veils should be allowed to work.

Shifaz tweeted his statement that everyone ought to be respected, and that students should know the teacher who was teaching them.

In addition, Shifaz claimed in his tweet that stability in Maldivian society was based on being able to identify each other.

Despite Shifaz' comments, many elites within the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had previously taken to social media to mock and criticise several aspects of Sunni Islam, including the wearing of face-veils.

In addition, party-leader Mohamed Nasheed's own statements at an event held in Denmark regarding the need for an "alternative narrative" to Sunni Islam has been construed by many as being Islamophobic speech.