Shafaa Hameed
Shafaa Hameed is a senior journalist at the Maldives Independent. She first joined the newsroom in 2015 and reported for more than four years until its closure in 2020. Before returning to journalism, she worked as a programme coordinator at the American Center Malé and later with the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) and the International Republican Institute (IRI). During her time there, she served as programme officer and later as monitoring, evaluation and learning coordinator, focusing on assessing impact and delivering training under US State Department and USAID-funded initiatives, including the Strong and Inclusive Maldivian Democracy (SIMD) programme. Shafaa rejoined the Maldives Independent in August 2025 following its relaunch.
Q&A with Meekail Naseem, the 32-year-old pitching himself as MDP's neutral broker
On factional strife, the Nasheed switch, and the road to 2028.
39 minutes ago
Inside the Adhadhu raid: qazf, seizures, and a state closing ranks
An unprecedented religious charge against a newsroom and what followed.
23 hours ago
Nothing to see here: central government lagging on right to information
Incapacity or intransigence? Why are public authorities failing to comply with RTI?
20 Apr, 17:00
"We will sense even if we cannot see"
She co-founded an NGO after being told blind people couldn't run one.
15 Apr, 14:45
MTCC's MVR 13 million taxi app: closed bids, family ties, and leaked ID cards
Developers unravelled the app's failures within hours of its launch.
09 Apr, 16:51
"No party represents me": young voters on the April 4 elections
We asked young Maldivians what it would take to bring them to the polls.
01 Apr, 16:08
"A linked chain": how Faathun helped write the Maldives' first disability plan
Built by the people it's meant to serve.
31 Mar, 17:18
"A supermajority is not a blank cheque": is the Maldives anti-defection amendment unconstitutional?
Can a constitutional amendment be unconstitutional?
18 Mar, 16:00
Wilson the castaway cat: how a ginger tom was rescued from a desert island
A stranded cat, a viral plea, and a rescue mission during Ramadan.
12 Mar, 15:06
Referendum battle lines drawn as opposition launches "no" campaign
The key arguments from both sides ahead of the April 4 vote.
09 Mar, 15:12
Muizzu backs Gulf states on Khamenei killing as Maldivians declare solidarity with Iran
Bribery, Chagos and economic fallout at first presser in 304 days.
03 Mar, 16:37
Middle East war leaves Maldives exposed on every front
Flight cancellations, surging oil prices and a US$ 500 million debt deadline collide.
02 Mar, 12:29
From archipelago to city-state: a Q&A with Salma Fikry
On who benefits when Maldivians leave their islands behind.
23 Feb, 15:17
Dr Hassan Hameed on his life's work: an English-Dhivehi dictionary eight years in the making
"Language can limit what can be thought and expressed."
16 Feb, 15:00
Watchdog questions corruption score as Maldives stagnates on annual index
ACC says perception index doesn't measure actual corruption.
11 Feb, 13:14
A year after Trump's aid freeze, Maldivian civil society counts the cost
Affected groups on staff cuts, stalled projects, and starting over.
02 Feb, 16:49
"We simply have to keep going": Maldives' first Magsaysay laureate on fighting an existential timeline
Shaahina Ali on three decades of defending Maldivian reefs.
26 Jan, 14:10
The protection vacuum: Maldives grapples with children caught between law and exploitation
150 children in crime cannot be helped under current law, minister tells UN.
19 Jan, 16:09
Tears and pleas: the housing lottery Malé residents can't win
At town halls across the capital, decades of desperation poured out.
07 Jan, 16:08
Stranded students left to fend for themselves abroad
Scholarship and loan recipients describe systemic neglect by higher education ministry.
29 Dec 2025, 16:51
