Are we blind followers?

Following the end of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s regime, many believed they would have more freedom in their practice of Islam.

Up until that point, it was widely acknowledged that Gayoom controlled religion by forcing a form of Islam he had learnt from Egypt onto Maldivian society.

With this in mind, Gayoom did not necessarily pervert Islam on purpose. He only tried to spread Islam as he had been taught. He tried to implement the five pillars, which is what his scholars had taught him to do.

After all, he was a student of many prominent Islamic scholars and was awarded his graduation certificate by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the second president of Egypt.

But today, many consider the Adhaalath party to be the new threat. So can we compare Gayoom with Sheikh Hussain Rasheed Ahmed, the president of the Adhaalath Party?

No. Gayoom is more qualified.

And now the Adhaalath party have been given control of the Islamic Ministry. Not in any formal manner of course, but the ministry is operated by Adhaalath party members, so it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together: the Adhaalath party makes all the decisions and the ministry does what it can to implement them.

Moreover, the power has gone to their heads and they now consider themselves to be an influential party. But I would disagree.

Before the elections, the now-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) asked Adhaalath to support their candidate, Mohamed Nasheed, on many different occasions.

But at that time, Adhaalath thought the well-known business tycoon and leader of the Republican Party, Gasim Ibrahim, would win the elections.

And so to ensure they would have a slice of the political pie, the party decided to join Gasim’s coalition. Much to their disappointment I am sure, Gasim only secured 15 per cent of the vote.

Maybe it’s a good thing they didn’t join the MDP in the first round of the elections otherwise some people would have assumed the MDP got over 40,000 votes because of the Adhaalath party.

But, the MDP’s popularity cannot be denied and the Adhaalath party can’t claim responsibility.

Unfortunately, as many have already noticed, the Adhaalath party is spreading their ideals as the norm under the banner of Islam.

If the religious minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari thinks beards should be grown, then it’s not against the religious unity act.

But if he thinks independent prayer groups and discos are haram (forbidden in Islam), it is against the religious unity act.

So the reality is that there is no difference between him and Sheikh Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim, the former president of the supreme council of Islamic affairs.

Before Bari came to power, he issued fatwas denouncing the alcohol trade as prohibited in Islam. But now that he is in office, it is no longer a problem. Since when were haram and halal interchangeable?

Obviously, there would be a public outcry if he was to ban the sale of alcohol to tourists considering the huge revenue it generates.

On a more hirsute note, previously, Bari’s beard was so long it covered his neck and chest. Today, he is far too shy to grow it longer. The beard fatwa has obviously changed.

When Gayoom was president, it was said he was spreading “Maumoonism” in the name of the Shafi'i sect; the stream of Islam adhered to in the Maldives.

So what is the Islamic ministry spreading today? We all know how religion can be twisted and how the religious unity act can be used; Gayoom after all tried to get rid of full veils and beards in the same way.

If I am not mistaken, Bari had studied at the prominent Islamic University of Saudi Arabia. In that institute, they teach Sharia and ask their adherents to follow these laws.

During the elections, when Gayoom was critical of the death penalty, the Adhaalath party were vociferous in their support for it. But now he is head of the ministry, is he talking about it? No, because he knows what a contentious issue it is and that it would most probably lead to a backlash.

I was even shocked when the ministry announced the members of the allegedly independent fiqh academy – a council which will be responsible for interpreting Sharia law and issuing rulings based on their decisions. I would describe the academy as similar to the Guardian council of Iran.

And just who comprises the board of this independent academy?

None other than minister Bari, state minister Shaheem Ali Saeed, minister Dr Mohamed Jameel and Adhaalath party president Sheikh Rasheed. You don’t need to be too imaginative to appreciate just how independent this board will be.

Even though the Islamic ministry is making full use of its political powers – and I think we are just seeing the beginning of what they have in store for us – believers will continue to believe and non-believers will continue to be sceptical.

Society today is more aware and informed than it used to be and so, it will tough to recruit blind followers as the previous regime did.

But I am confident that President Nasheed will know how to play this game of political football. It will be interesting to see just how he tackles the blind followers and their leaders.
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This article was published in Minivan News 'Comments & Opinions' by Ibrahim Mohamed
Picture by artist Makan (Max) Emadi

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