when Maumoon blocked the anti-regime DO and handed life sentences for writers of Sandhaanu years ago, we pushed forward for democracy & press freedom in the country more relentlessly than before. It paid off ultimately. the state had no choice but to give in as the sentiments of hatred reached boiling point especially after the ruthless murder of Evan Naseem by the cops.
it was only then, 25 years after being in authoritative control, maumoon inititated the democratic reform process.
since then we've enjoyed a freedom unimaginable years ago. gone were the days when reporters and artists were taken in & tortured for expressing even a hint of rebellion.
but now, like a lot of other writers & advocates of freedom of speech, i'm mad cos censorship is starting to take its toll on expression once again. the ministry of islamic affairs is blocking websites that deem unislamic.
among them simon's blog 'randomreflections'. i was a regular at randomreflections but i never felt it was anti-islamic. radicals may think so but i never recalled the author saying anything offensive against islam & i like the fact that the blog opened many issues of religion for discussion.
this is a sad day for democracy.
i'm a believer of islam & i've good friends who arent. they have their basis for disbelief & i've no problems with that. in any case the debate between faith vs science should prevail cos it's a healthy one & it remains a firm test of humankind's ability to accept & tolerate.
yes our country is grateful to Anni & MDP for what we're experiencing today. they deserve due credit for pioneering the long march for freedom. that's why Anni is the top man now.
however when his regime abandons the very ideals the long march was founded upon, it has to be subject to serious scrutiny.
this is a direct result of the growing islamic fundamentalism in the country. i was just reading how Adhaalath & other religious hardliners consistently threatened writers of women's magazine Rasrani since it's inception. even businesses pulled out their ads & the magazine ceased to exist after just two publications. read the details here.
Rasrani wasnt politically or religiously motivated but the fact that it was operated by women & advocated women's rights made a certain fraction of the society uncomfortable.
moreover little girls are kept away from school by their parents who believe a woman needs no education & they belong at home. now that's a whole new discussion by itself.
it wouldnt be a surprise if Anni defends this censorship. afterall many believe he got the edge over Maumoon by playing the religious cards right, which ofcourse was orchestrated by Adhaalath. He owed Adhaalth a substantial degree of authority which he offered by handing them the ministry of islamic affairs.
it was only a coupla years ago when Aishath Aniya, the then MDP's deputy secretary general was blasted by radicals even to the extent of death threats when she published an article on dismissing the veil. Anni & MDP remained silent about her situation & showed no support for her. eventually she resigned from her post.
further, Anni had to renounce Dr. Aminath Jameel as his running mate at the last minute after the religious fraction of MDP declared it was an inappropriate position for a woman. the fact that he didn't stand by Dr. Aminath Jameel clearly showed he would succumb to the pressures of islamic fundamentalists even if it meant going against his will.
this really is a scary thought.
the MDP coalition always insisted on rayyithunge verikan (people's rule) throughout their campaign. i clearly remember Anni saying in a campaign speech, "i'll step behind the people, listen to their chants & repeat it." Now here's a chant we want you to repeat, among others: "we want full freedom of speech. it's a basic human right."
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