Imam suspended for reciting Quran at opposition event

An imam has been suspended by the Islamic ministry after he recited the Quran at an opposition event, local media reported Monday.

Raajje TV released the letter sent to Ibrahim Yoosuf of Ihavandhoo, Haa Alifu atoll, in which the ministry alleged he had refused to go for questioning about his participation in a political event.

The letter, signed by the ministry’s permanent secretary Musab Abdullah, said the imam had violated civil service conduct rules.

Yoosuf has been suspended without pay for a 30-day period.

According to Raajje TV, which talked to island president Mohamed Rasheed, Yoosuf was summoned to the ministry in Malé for reciting the Quran at the opening of a joint opposition rally.

The suspension letter was sent on July 8.

While the Ihavandhoo imam was suspended for being at a political event, the two imams from the grand mosque in the capital’s Islamic centre on Sunday were asking people to vote for President Abdulla Yameen in this September’s election.

On Monday several civil servants from the Islamic ministry, including those same two imams, endorsed Yameen’s running mate pick, former Islamic minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.