MP for South Galolhu constituency, Meekail Ahmed Naseem has stated that the country is not seeing a rise of strict religious ideologies but the rise of "barbaric" ideologies.
While speaking during the parliamentary debate on the emergency motion presented regarding reports of a 13-year-old child bride, and vandalism in Maaungoodhoo island of Shaviyani atoll using the logo of a terrorist organization, Meekail claimed that we are currently seeing calls for blood-shed whenever an academic opinion is shared.
He further declared that the country is seeing the rise of groups plotting to demolish the Islamic values of the country and attempting to replace it with "barbaric" ideologies instead. He went on to state that such actions will not be tolerated.
I don't believe that this can be defined as an issue of having strict religious ideologies. There is nothing religious nor strict about it. Do people with strict religious ideologies kill people? Do people with strict religious ideologies steal a safe? It's not religious, it's not strict. In fact, it is the law of the jungle. These are barbaric ideologies.MP for South Galolhu constituency, Meekail Ahmed Naseem
MP for North Galolhu constituency and deputy speaker, Eva Abdulla also contributed to the debate and stated that the terror militant group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is attempting to extend their influence onto South Asian countries due to their defeat in Syria.
While noting that the country is at the brink of war, she called for swift action to be taken against such groups.
The parliament has passed a number of bills regarding this so the administration must be able to take legal action by now. We need to know what happened to the rapist of the 13-year-old girl, and what happened to her parents that gave her away as a concubine to a 26-year-old man, and what the religious disagreement that led to a stabbing on a boat was about. The same people are involved in all these incidents. The government needs to take immediate action against themMP for North Galolhu constituency, Eeva Abdulla
The parliamentary group leader of MDP (Maldivian Democratic Party) and MP for Central Henveyru constituency, Ali Azim also spoke during the debate and asserted that the debate is not a religious one.
Maldivian youth are being advised to go fight in a foreign war but how many young people are dying? How many families are being destroyed? So this needs to be discussed here as this is clearly not a religious debate.MP for Central Henveyru constituency, Ali Azim
According to Azim, these issues need to be discussed because these are clearly a violation of laws mandated in the country's constitution. He claimed that neglecting to address these issues, ISIS and its supporters will be emboldened in their activities, evident by the current incidents coming to light.
The emergency motion states that members of terrorist cells have been intimidating and striking fear into the hearts of law-abiding citizens by tagging public property of Maaungoodhoo island in Shaviyani atoll with the logo of the terrorist militant group known as I.S.I.S, in an attempt to "conquer" the island.
Moreover, it declares that children are not physically and mentally on the same level as adults referring to the reports of a pregnant 13-year-old child bride that came to public attention after her rapist was violently attacked by his crew-mates on a sea-cucumber fishing boat due to a disagreement during a religious discussion.
It also highlights that child abusers and child sex offenders are running rampant in society despite article 35(a) of the constitution and the Child Rights Protection Bill mandates that children must be given protection by their family, the public and the state.
