Minivan Brief: President promises action against insulting Islam
A roundup of the day’s top stories.
07 Oct 2019, 9:00 AM
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President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih promised to take action over the “mocking” of Islam in a report by human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network. In a statement on Monday, Solih said language in the report that were contrary to Islamic tenets and demeaned the religion and Prophet Mohamed was “unacceptable.” He assured a probe and legal action in order to protect and maintain religious unity and public order and harmony.
As Islam is the state religion and the constitution states that Islam shall be one of the sources for all the laws enacted in the country, “to govern within the bounds of Islam and protect the religion is a responsibility entrusted by the constitution to the head of state,” the statement noted.
The Islamic ministry on Thursday sought a criminal probe over the report amid growing calls by clerics and opposition supporters to ban MDN after offensive sections were highlighted and widely shared on social media. Several ruling party lawmakers, ministers and ruling coalition leaders also joined the chorus of condemnation.
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