Religious rhetoric incites violence, presidential commission warns

Husnu Suood expressed concern after the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives and Jumhooree Party stepped up attacks against the Maldivian Democratic Party with rehashed accusations of a hidden anti-Islamic agenda.

The inquiry commission’s findings show a direct link between such rhetoric and acts of violence, Husnu Suood told the Maldives Independent. 

“The information we have suggests the use of religion as a political tool has emboldened people to commit acts of violence, not necessarily religious scholars or people who have a formal Islamic education, but maybe people who have learned about religion on the internet,” he said.