Gov't does not wish to pass the hate crimes bill as it is, says President Solih

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih stated that the government does not wish to pass the hate crimes bill the way it is currently drafted. 

While speaking at the press conference held on Wednesday, President Solih stated that he realized that certain amendments needed to be brought to the hate crimes bill, considering the views of the public after it was presented to the parliament. The president believes that the bill was revised at the committee stage and stated that he urged that the bill is passed with the changes brought by the committee.

While the president affirmed that the government disagrees with the way the bill was drafted, Islamic Minister Dr. Ahmed Zahir stated that there were no punishments included for those who perform actions against Islam in the hate crime bill.

In an interview the Minister gave to RaajjeMV, he stated that the hate crimes bill is one that spread a lot of concern within the community and assured that the ministry did everything possible to make necessary adjustments in the bill after thorough research, as requested by the parliament. The minister also confirmed that the new version of the bill has now been sent to the parliament for review.

The minister noted that two very important points were not addressed in the bill – actions performed in relation to Islam and punishments for those who perform actions against Islam.

According to the minister, a lot of worry was expressed towards the first draft of the bill and many scholars and councils had discussed the matter. He stated that most people found the bill contradicting the way it conveys a problem or sentence to the public.

The minister further stated that the hate crime bill was later presented after detailed research and affirmed that the revised bill includes the perspective of both sides when addressing issues.

He concluded by stating that he hopes the new version of the bill is approved as that would ease the concerns of many.