Bill proposed by MDP to classify vandalism of mosques as a terrorist offense, accepted and forwarded to committee

The Parliament has accepted and forwarded a bill to the Committee on National Security Services or the 241 Committee, for review, which seeks to classify the act of damaging mosques as a terrorist offense. The legislation was introduced by Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo), the Member of Parliament for the North Galolhu constituency.

Debate on the bill introduced by MP Kudoo proceeded during Wednesday's parliamentary sitting. Following the conclusion of the debate, the bill was put to a vote during the designated voting time to determine its acceptance.

The bill was accepted unanimously with 56 votes in favor. Following the vote, the legislation was forwarded to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services for further review.

The proposed amendment to the Prevention of Terrorism Act states that its primary objective is to curb the increasing frequency of vandalism and damage to mosques. The bill highlights that while Article 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives declares Islam as the state religion, such acts continue to recur in this 100 percent Muslim nation, necessitating stronger measures to prevent them.

Furthermore, it was noted that such actions undermine the sanctity of the mosque, and that upholding the dignity of these sacred spaces is an essential part of showing reverence for Islam.

The member noted that the bill is being introduced based on the belief that it is essential to classify such acts as acts of terrorism.

In a previous post on X, the member noted that while incidents of mosque vandalism are not frequently discussed in public, such acts have now become commonplace. He stated that this was the primary reason for introducing the bill.