Minister Shareef has declined to apologize for the use of vulgar language and the harassment of various individuals
In addition to labeling former President Mohamed Nasheed as irreligious, Shareef also harassed Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra), the former chair of the constitutional drafting committee.
Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy Ali Shareef at a press conference held on Tuesday. | President's Office
Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy Ali Shareef has refused to apologize for a series of social media posts made prior to his appointment, in which he allegedly used offensive language and harassed various individuals.
As part of the cabinet reshuffle implemented by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu this month, Ali Shareef has been appointed as the Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy. Prior to assuming this ministerial role, Shareef had an extensive background in environmental advocacy and initiatives.
Shareef has faced significant criticism over comments he made on X (formerly Twitter) prior to his appointment as a minister. Among the controversial remarks, he labeled former President Mohamed Nasheed as "irreligious" and directed harassing comments toward Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra), the chairperson of the committee that drafted the Constitution.
Furthermore, Shareef has directed derogatory remarks toward various world leaders. This includes mocking French President Emmanuel Macron and labeling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a terrorist. Following a wave of criticism triggered by these posts, Shareef subsequently deleted them.
When asked the question during Tuesday's press conference, Shareef declined to answer, stating that it was irrelevant to the topic at hand. He noted that President Muizzu had already addressed the matter during Monday's press briefing. However, when the same question was posed to President Muizzu on Monday, the President simply remarked that Shareef was the most capable individual for the position.
Despite being asked repeatedly, Minister Shareef refused to provide an answer or offer an apology. However, when pressed further during the follow-up session—with the point raised that this remains a matter of extreme public concern and that his salary is funded by the taxpayers—the Minister provided an evasive response.
In this regard, the Minister stated that he does not believe Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "monster." This remark comes despite his previous social media post in which he had labeled Modi a terrorist.
