Tolerance is key to competitive coexistence in a global village. I am surprised our politicians do not understand the difference between being Muslims and being intolerant anti-Christian and anti-Buddist. For God’s Sake, will someone open our eyes to the fact that all religions and people need to coexist. I am not saying that we should import Christianity or Buddism into this country. I am simply saying that we ought to show some respect; we have so many Christians and Buddists in our midst and working to build this nation. They don’t hate Islam – atleast as far as we can see; why should we hate their faith. Let’s just keep ours and inculcate and educate our young in the good of Islam.
When a bomb goes off in a place crowded with tourist we call “foul” and blame the extremists, but are we not fanning extremism in this country right now; and that too by leading politicians. How much better are we than the so called “terrorists”.
Note: this post has been inspired by the recent attacks on faith in the local media.
Smile and Let Smile 
thadu
October 14, 2008 at 11:47 am
it is a dangerous game the politicians are playing. trying to blame each other as people who are trying to introduce other religions to this country created heat and anger for other religions in the hearts of the not-so-religiously-aware people of the Maldives. and the fact that our constitution says that Maldivians are only Muslims, and a non Muslim is not a Maldivian is a sad fact. the truth is there are several people who does not believe in Islam today living at our Maldives, but they are children of Maldivian fathers and mothers! this is a shame. If growing beard is a sunnah because prophet Muhamed did it, note that he also allowed non-Muslims to live and made sure that they received their fair bit on every aspect of life! what i mean to say is respect the beliefs of people and leave the ideology that having written on paper something does not actually means it, Maldives is not a 100% Muslim country…
Anonymous
October 14, 2008 at 11:08 am
Simon for all Muslims, regardles of their nation, Islam comes first.And nation comes after.We learn or we should learn rules and regulations of Islam first not that of nation.Nation comes afterwards.Many westerners are jealous of the fact that Maldives is a Muslim country.People who secretly follow other faith are irrelevant.As they also prefer to remain in hiding.There has never come a case as of a Maldivian openly claiming or wanting to be a non Muslim.If such a scenario comes then, dont know what will happen.But till then as a Muslim, or as Muslims we value our religon first and want to preserve it for coming generations.I also agree that Islam is being used as a tool here.Islam is being moulded here.But then this political era is about to end Insha Allah.And we are voting for a change – change here includes change of regime too.Hope I have not offended anyone here or the author.
Simon
October 14, 2008 at 8:23 am
Shihab,I’m a Dhivehseh first, second and last. It is Dhivehi blood that runs through my veins.It is sad that you say you are a Muslim first. I feel it is this duality of the self that has created problems here. But where did it come from?It was a sad day when it was enshrined in our constitution that we have to be Muslims first to be Dhivehi. Nothing in the constitution goes further from the truth. The very fabric of our mind and body goes against this.We are truly Dhivehi first and forever no matter what else one might pretend otherwise and no matter what the constitution says. It is biology, it is DNA, not words written on paper.It is absurd and alarming that as the debate of who is trying to introduce other religions heats up politicians are now resorting to a question that people like me and others have been asking regarding the constitution.Dr. Majeed, at last night’s MDP coalition meeting said, defending DRP allegations against MDP, that one cannot judge another person to be a non-Muslim simply because he changed his name from Mohamed to John. That a person can be outside the sphere of Islam through his actions and thoughts alone. Ahaa! That sounds like a familiar argument.Before we start talking about tolerance we need to have a tolerant constitution. One that understands that being Dhivehi is a biological manifestation, not one of belief.
Anonymous
October 14, 2008 at 1:53 am
Religion needs to be in the private domain. As long as religion is in the public domain we will have the use of religion as a political tool and there will be friction.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 7:07 pm
@anon October 13, 2008 4:41 PM: Quite right. It’s about using Islam as a tool for political gain. Not about the truth of a particular faith.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 4:41 pm
The topic here is using Islam as a tool.
Ismaail
October 13, 2008 at 4:28 pm
religion should be separate from the governmentfor now i prefer not to give freedom to practice other religions (in public)& everyone should have the right to freedom of speechthis country has been close minded for too longas for the comments herethe problem with islam is they have to force their belief on us when we retaliater we the ones who started it!!they dont tolerate us y should we tolerate themeducation will not work for religion because most logical people would find religion idioticreligion requires blind faiththats y people are rebelling because u r asking them to believe in pink unicorns & fairies
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 3:58 pm
exactly. why are they so against the non-muslims who are preaching other religions when they are not bothered about maldivians spreading other religions in maldives
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 3:07 pm
If DRP is so concerned about Islam, why dont they do something about Maldivians who are bashing Islam, especially on mvblogsphere.There is a famous minister also on mvblogsphere.So these bashing of Islam should be well known to them.Yet they are ignoring it.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 2:33 pm
staying muslim is a matter of national priority. so the point of the article is clearly to say when each party “accuses” the other of trying to import and participate in importing religions, that is wrong. we should create love of islam and promote it. not through hatred of other faiths. just because other people are doing the wrong things does not mean the wrong things that we do become right.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 2:13 pm
This is not about tolerance. They ask us to be tolerant of anti-islam hate propaganda, then they ask us to be tolerant of other religions..is anybody else able to analyse the bias here?Christian evangelicals claim it is their right to preach and proselytize their faith to non-christians. We are asked to be tolerant of that alsoThe maldives is not yet ready to be a multicultural multi-religious country. Our situation has to be gauged at our level. When on a 3km island, you have a mosque and a church side by side imagining that people will be living together side by side happily is nothing more than a Utopian imagination.When the majority decided that they wish to remain a Moslem Nation, then thats what it will be. Because this gives an indication of how dangerous he situation could get IF we do allow other faiths in such an atmosphere…..a quick glance on the blogosphere is misleading; it is not indicative of the general population……and in the case of the blogosphere it is only a few leading vocal elements that seek to spread this discord. This is precisely part of the reason why the population is apprehensive about welcoming a spillover from this minority blogopshere community into their way of life; when parents are concerned about their failure to inculcate their faih in their children, there is no room for welcoming other faiths and giving into to pressure groups from the outsideThe population when it is ready, will decide whether they wish to entertain other faiths. This will be possible when they are confident that their own society has become conducive enough to uphold it’s own faithspeaking as an individual, i am aware that faith is a matter of personal inner conviction; but as a father who is biologically geared to raising his offspring in the kind of environment which he believes to be the best for them, i am do no wish to see evangelicals setting up their operation in my part of the world…not while i have something to say about itif these elements could learn a thing or too about tolerance of a moslems beliefs then maybe those moslems could accommodate this tolerance they are preaching us
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 1:21 pm
We dont hate our country.We want a change and first of all we want a change of leadership.So all evil it has to come??Drugs also has to come!!And our president decides after 30 years when all evil has been spread its time for a change.!Education is not the solution to everything.If education is the solution, why are youth so rebellious now.They are educated for sure.
foofighter
October 13, 2008 at 12:23 pm
yes there are people of other faith, taking a glance at mvblogs and even the recently resurfaced Joshua project indicates seminaries and church growing. I say this is inevitable let them be. And in this age of science some are bound to find scientific refutation of religion. the most important thing is educating the populace. Priority number one. make sure everyone of future generation is educated as u or better. things will eventually change you cannt force the change on them they have to be the change.the scary thing i saw on TV other day was this women and her kids were protesting in front of Theemuge (rightfully so) but the thing that scared me is she and two toddlers in both her arms and plus 3 children of age 10 and below around her. While her family’s gross income is around 6000 MRF per month. Do not hate your country we can correct this. It will be difficult.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 11:40 am
whats happening in maldives is politicians are using peoples love or islam for their political gains.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 11:33 am
I guess many bloggers just ignore such blogs, though some leave a comment now and then .Thats tolerance.Not what they are doing.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 11:32 am
Making fun of Islam is it tolerance?What kind of tolerance is this?And we are not talking about middle east.We are talking about whats happening in Maldives.What Maldivians know, read and feel.Why did this happen?
Shihab
October 13, 2008 at 10:32 am
@anon: Quite true. I am a Muslim first and then a Maldivian (not proud to be one!). I love Islam. There is no such thing as this so called democracy and multi-party politics in the Islamic Way of life. And I would rather do without this damned nation. I would have been proud to be British.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 10:21 am
Anonymous @ October 13, 2008 8:42 AM.I see a whole range from posts in mvblogs from pro muslims to extreme muslims to moderate muslims to posts sympathetic to christians to atheists to agnostics.Of all, i find the self-proclaimed muslims intolerant of all who cannot even differentiate facts from fiction. For instance, see this http://arabiguitar.blogspot.com/2008/10/he-who-fights-that-islam-should-be.htmlIts not that islamic faith is fading. Its just that people like you cant get over the fact that faith can be challenged. You dont have anything to refute the facts and that frustrates you where as bloggers like arabiguitar are tolerant of your intolerant comments that futher proves THEIR point.You people are really dumb.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 10:05 am
Shihab,You fail to understand the simple fact that, although we are bound and by geographical boundaries, we are always labeled by religion first. Why is nationality or nation so important and should come before religion? What is extremism, and what is moderate practice?
Hilath
October 13, 2008 at 10:02 am
Believing is not something you can do by CHOICE. It’s the way your thoughts and thinking are processed. A child of believing parents may grow up to be a non-believer and likewise a child of atheist parents might grow up to be a believer. It’s always something to do with the “native intelligence” of each individual person. I know two very intellectual Maldivians who, on the one hand is a strong Muslim, and who on the other hand is a strong atheist. Who among them is right? We don’t know. Both puts forward an equally strong case and argument in their favor, and at times, even I am baffled that I am convinced by BOTH their arguments. What does that make me? Being both a Muslim and atheist seems paradoxical! So in the end, I guess it all has to do with individual perceptions on why and how we think exist.In the context of this, it seems silly that grown-up people, especially the politicians in our country, is making such a big issue of making Maldivians remain 100 percent Muslim. That could have been possible in the 19th century. But with the far forays that science has made (despite the propaganda, we all now know that evolution is proven beyond doubt) in biology, quantum theory, etc, and with Maldivians finally given a true understanding of what is actually meant by “freak accident”, “chance”, improbability, laws of probability, laws of nature, the “physical laws acting around us”, and explanatory cranes such as evolution and natural selection, there is no way any sane person can imagine to keep Maldives a 100 percent Islamic country in the 21st century and beyond.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 9:28 am
we don’t have to set up other religions in the maldives. the people through their representatives have decided that the only religion that will be allowed to be practised in maldives will be islam. but that does not mean maldivian politicians can use the fear of spreading christianity and budhism to get votes. it cannot be justified by the actions of people of other faith publishing cartoons of our prophet or the killings in the middle east or the inhuman treatment of muslims in guantanamo bay. there is no need of evidence of atrocities against muslims. its all around us. it still doesnt justify mockery of other religions in their political campaigns by drp and mdp coalition.
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 9:03 am
If Maumoon is so dedicated in saving religon, why dont he put an effort to religon bashing in mvblogsphere.We want to save Islamic faith to other generations, but not through Maumoon.Through combined effects of all Maldivians.Insha Allah
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 8:42 am
From mvblogs also its obvious that Islamic faith is almost fading to Nil.When did this happen? or how did this happen? or why did this happen on such a vast scale?
Anonymous
October 13, 2008 at 8:40 am
so lets start propagating the message of co-existance by creating a fullfleged multi religious society in Maldives where you can have a mosque, a charch , a temple and a synagogue side by side.in adition, lets promote the free press culture you have in western societies like you had in Denmark when a christian cartoonist made mockery of our beloved prophet was justified in the name of freedom of expression by the most top level gvernment officials of Denmark and others. when Islam being attacked its justfied at any rate under the coated misleading philosophies,and when any religion other than Islam is been questioned by muslims it is because of their bigoted attachment to Islam. what sort of people are they i wonder? look at the history, it is not muslims who trigger the sparks of hatred among other religious groups. Infact, muslims have extended their ams for peace where ever they stepped in. I can say with firm belief, and i have solid proof of what i say, that there has never existed any religion on this planet that has been attacked, mocked and humilliated throughout other than Islam, specially, by christians.This is the main cause of being suspicious about their motives. if you show me one single case where muslims have started attacking non muslims, i`ll show you thosands of cases in which non- muslims started not only attacking but cleansing the entire muslim population.for instace recall what had happened during early 90`s in bosnian war, triggered by serbians in the name of creating a greater serbia in the Balkan area backed by christian population and secretly by many christian organizations. so this is one of many scary sereis of activities carried out against Islam and muslims. After all these acrimonies inflicted by the so called torch bearers of freedom, democracy and utmost tolerance, should we still believe these people?
hudhuhandhu
October 13, 2008 at 8:03 am
I have to agree with you on this. Even last night on DhiTV, the DRP propaganda was to create the idea that MDP IS going to bring other religions into this society. As you have said, its our responsibility to educate our youth accordingly, to love Islam and its ways. However, even if you take a passing glance through the blogosphere, it is evident that there are “Maldivians” who are into faiths other than Islam and there are those who do not believe that a God exists. So why point the blaming finger at someone else when the real truth is, all this has come forward during the era of Gayyoom’s presidency?I say that people always see what they want to see and believe what people want to believe. And Gayyoom and his cronies are just giving a helping hand along the path on brainwashing the society with their ideologies in the name of “campaigning”