Recommended reading:
The Foreign Songs They Used to Play on TVM
This is an Apple Music playlist of the random songs that somehow ended up on Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s propaganda channel, TVM (Television Maldives). The versions we saw were always heavily censored and often had terrible quality. Imagine something that’s been through several rounds of censoring via a VCR, then transmitted over the air to basic CRT TVs. Most of the songs were used as filler, while others aired during Siesta (hosted by “Inthi”) or on Spotlight (hosted by “Munko”). Sometimes they’d also show a heavily edited and censored version of “Top of the Pops” (UK).
I am in the process of writing a more thorough write up about this, but for now here is some music.
The Laadheenee Digest #2
The Laadheenee Digest is written by Laadheenee people for Laadheenee people.
For this issue we asked our readers, “What does the word laadheenee mean to you?”. Here are some of their responses. More in the magazine below.
Content warning: Someone sent in some pretty raunchy erotica this time. You’ve been warned.
Download the full magazine from the links below
My archive of concert photos from Male' City from 2007 to 2009
Addo from Fasy Live showing us that it was okay to dream of being a rockstar | Rockstorm, Malé City Carnival Stage | Nikon D70s | (2008)
This is my archive of concert photos from Male’ City from 2007 to 2009. They are available under the following creative commons free culture license:
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
This work by Hani Amir is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Ahmed “Fuloo” Nashid from Zero Degree Atoll tuning his guitar before the show begins | Resurrection, Malé City Carnival Stage | Nikon D70s | (2008)
This was a really interesting time for Maldivian music, with a surge in new bands and enthusiasm for live performances within a short period of time. A lot of the shows at carnival stage captured a feeling that most of us had only dreamed of experiencing at that point. Especially for fans of genres that were less popular in the mainstream like heavy metal. To see other Maldivians put on such great shows was a very empowering experience.
The photos are available in their unedited form. Please respect the terms of the license. I hope this is useful for fans of Maldivian music and for artists who will hopefully create remixes of these images.
The Laadheenee Among Us
Chapter 03 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets".
Chapter 01 - The Male’ City Swimming Track
Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea
Eid celebrations. Lhaviyani Atoll Kurendhoo, Maldives. Nikon D70s. (2007)
Chapter 03 of my work in progress book "Sinking Streets".
Chapter 01 - The Male’ City Swimming Track
Chapter 02 - Doorways to the Sea
A short note on the word “laadheenee”.
Literal meaning: Not (laa) Religious (dheenee)
Not really Dhivehi in origin. Nobody uses “laa” to mean no in Dhivehi. It is an arab loan word.
Used to call someone irreligious in some way. Also directed at LGBTQI people whether or not they’re religious. Many Muslim LGBTQI people are also called laadheenee simply for being themselves.
Could be used to call someone a secularist, or a hypocrite (munafiq) or an apostate (murtad), or a blasphemer. I think the actual Dhivehi word for secular is illmaanee.
The word has even been spray painted on the walls of houses of people who have been suspected to be “laadheenee”. This may have been more related to its political usage as a slur against opposing parties rather than its usage against Maldivian minorities. However, the slur is ultimately accusing these political parties of belonging to or supporting non-Muslims or LGBTQI people. To date there isn’t a single political party that has even acknowledged the existence of Maldivian minorities other than as a boogeyman or scapegoat.
A dog whistle for “kafir” (infidel). Ultimately always means this (if not used ironically by progressive people).
The goal of this word is to stereotype and group Maldivian non-Muslims and LGBTI people as a homogenous entity that is actively working against “Islam” and the very fabric of the nation itself. It is much easier to ascribe conspiracy theories to “laadheenee” meehun (people) this way. This is similar to the way white supremacists say things like “the jews” or “the blacks”. The laadheenee meehun are apparently out to destroy the Maldives, it’s culture, it’s heritage, and it’s national unity. This is despite laadheenee meehun being regular Dhivehin just like everybody else.
Fishermen from Baa Atoll Kudarikilu. Nikon D70s. (2009)
The wind is rushing through your hair, extra salty with the mist generated by the dhoni as it gently falls on the waves ahead.
One of you is sick, throwing up. Why are we going fishing? Your vomit leaves an orange trail on the cobalt blue waters behind us.
As we anchor at the edge of a reef, the fires in the sky fizzles into the waves. Soon the moon rises and one of you comments on how your grandfather always said that’s a good omen for fishing. We remember we say, you tell us all the time.
As the moon grows brighter, the pile of fish in the center of the dhoni grows ever higher. Rai mas, filolhu, handhi, faana, and even a few tholhi. One of you mention how great mamma’s havaadhu is going to taste.
The hold of a dhoni full of reef fish. Baa Atoll. Nikon D70s. (2009)
We return to the island. A fire is lit. The fish are gutted and cleaned. The havaadhu is liberally applied into the slits cut into the side of the fish. Save me the eyes! One of you says excitedly.
The aroma of the fish fills the air. Comforting smells of roasting cumin, turmeric, garlic, onions cut with the sharp tang of scotch bonnet chilies mixed with lime ignites a hunger in your belly. The smoke spirals up with the sparks towards the moonlight. The day feels long. Is it done yet?
Lhaviyani Hinnavaru, Maldives. Nikon D7100. (2007)
We eat all of the fish. Nothing is wasted. You say the one you caught tastes the best. You like the oily taste of charred rai’ mas skin better than the dull taste of the bony tholhi you caught. I caught the tholhi! The youngest cousin exclaims angrily. Everyone laughs and we share the last of the fish as we reminisce about past trips.
Baa Atoll Eydhafushi, Maldives. Nikon D3100. (2013)
Remember the time you cut your foot as you ran out onto the beach? Remember the time we all played lava baazee on the dhoni when we went to that distant atoll? Remember the time the spicy eid chicken gave you a stomach ache? Remember the time you thought your shirt was ruined because of a surprise water fight? Remember how we sat at the water’s edge staring at the stars?
The octopus hunters. Baa Atoll Eydhafushi, Maldives. Nikon D3100 (2013).
What about the trip where we couldn’t catch enough fish, so we went walking on the reef at low tide looking for snails? You were grossed out but found them delicious. Or when your uncle nearly had a heart attack because of the sound of a falling coconut? You laughed and said maybe he should start wearing a helmet. Remember how you hugged me the day the tsunami hit? You held me close and told me everything would be okay.
Remember when the protests happened and we all felt so scared? When the news said everything was alright, but we could hear the shouts and screams? When we could see the smoke but couldn’t see the fire?
Remember when we celebrated your freedom? Your right to vote? Your right to political representation? You were drunk that night. But it was alright because Friday was coming soon.
Remember when you told me to stop saying we? As if all at once I’m banished from our memories. As if it was a stranger who laughed at your jokes. As if it was a stranger who shared your joy, your love, and your sorrow?
Lhaviyani Atoll Kurendhoo, Maldives. Nikon D70s (2007)
Remember when you decided I was one of them? The vile, the deceitful, the enemy? Remember when you made me doubt my memories? My life? My existence? Was it not with you whom I shared my joy, my love, my sorrow?
And now, in my time of greatest misery, you twist the knife and pretend the blood that spills onto your hands isn’t that of your brother. Your sister. Your mother. Your father. Your aunts, your uncles, your cousins. Your friends and your lovers.
The blood pools around your ankles. But you feel nothing. You feel no guilt. For you have forgotten me. Forgotten what it means to be human. So your heart grows cold, while mine grows weary.
Three Classic Maldivian Music Videos That Totally Don't Normalise Street Harassment
Street harassment is a huge issue in the Maldives. Many women share stories about how they get harassed almost every single day while just walking to work. This has led to many social movements, such as #Nufoshey (don't harass).
The Maldivian entertainment industry has historically led the charge against harassment, responding to this atmosphere of fear by creating some groundbreaking music videos that both shocked and enlightened, dramatically reducing the incidence of street harassment in their wake. Here are three shining examples.
Street harassment is a huge issue in the Maldives. Many women share stories about how they get harassed almost every single day while just walking to work. This has led to many social movements, such as #Nufoshey (don't harass).
Street Harassment impacts the lives of harassed persons & cause various disruptions to their daily routine. Majority of the respondents took a different route to avoid harassment (76.6%), avoided going out alone (66.8%), or avoided areas where they felt unsafe (67.3%) #nufoshey pic.twitter.com/ivQOctFPRf
— Nufoshey (@nufoshey) February 11, 2018
The Maldivian entertainment industry has historically led the charge against harassment, responding to this atmosphere of fear by creating some groundbreaking music videos that both shocked and enlightened, dramatically reducing the incidence of street harassment in their wake. Here are three shining examples. This was initially meant to be a list of ten but my poor brain can only handle so much.
1. Farivefa Fonivefa (Dolled up and prideful)
This timeless classic of Maldivian media stars Reeko Moosa and Mariyam Nisha. The cheery chorus goes "Farifeva fonivefa dhaathee govaa hivvey, ekeega hingaa hivvey" (I want to call out to you as you pass by all dolled up and prideful, I want to walk with you), "Nuruhifa hure' mi dhimaa thibalaalee hey? Varrah aillaa hivvey" (Did you glance in my direction disapprovingly? I really want to touch you).
Reeko plays a pilot who takes work place harassment very seriously.
So seriously that he works multiple jobs just to keep up his daily quota.
Reeko demonstrates how people used to slide into DMs before twitter.
Observe how the alpha male clings to his target like a great cologne.
I wonder how Nisha keeps recognising this master of disguise. Maybe its the hair.
Reeko finally corners his prey on a dhoni. As they head off into the blue yonder, he can rest easy knowing that for her the only escape would be to jump overboard.
2. Jaaney Dhoove' Jaan
The chorus of this gem is pretty hard to translate. It goes something like "jaaney dhoove' jaan, heeleemaa vaa gurubaan", which roughly translates to something like "I might loose my soul, a sacrifice/devotion (for thee) when you smile". The reason for this might be because the song, like most Dhivehi songs pumped out by the industry, is a "copy song" where Dhivehi lyrics are made to fit into an existing song, which in this case is the classic "Jaanu meri jaan". Even the video tries to copy the plot of the original. Just think of this as the dollar store version made by the high class yokels of the Indian Ocean.
The story begins with the wholesome premise of women running away from men.
In an interview with Variety, esteemed director Christopher Nolan said that this scene was the inspiration for Dunkirk (2017).
Who is this guy? Why is he in this video? We may never know. Perhaps there is a creepy old background perv quota that the industry has to maintain. Political correctness gone mad amirite.
Meanwhile, the battle continues along the shoreline.
As hostilities rage on into the night, a kind of Stockholm syndrome appears to set in.
Totally brainwashed by their relentless charm, the women now begin courting the men; all while Pervatron spies lustfully from a nearby ship. The guys of course play it cool, as if they hadn't spent most of the day hurling these women around like rag dolls.
Alls well that ends well, as our heroes dance away into the night with their new partners.
3. Jaadhoogar (Magician/Sorcerer)
This time the whole crew is in on the action, frolicking along with our hero as he makes his dream girl wonder why she ever bothers leaving the house in the first place.
The chorus goes "Gasthugaa dhaanamey geydhoshun jaadhoogar" (The magician will purposely go by your house). Well at least this shit isn't happening by accident!
This video isn't all bad though. Observe one of our heroes as he saves a poor lady who wandered into the middle of the road, after her harassment addled brain made her think she was a motor vehicle.
You've gotta wonder what it would be like to watch one of these things being directed. "No! You don't look annoyed enough! Now again, with more venom!". Could this be the manifestation of some kind of fetish?
The safe word is "Zuleyhaa".
Our mage must have levelled up his charisma, because his love spell suddenly seems to start working. See guys, persistence does pay off!
The song ends with Mr. Big Wheels not getting lucky like the rest of his posse. Guess he should have harassed her just a little bit more.
![The Dhivehi Film Industry - An analysis of Reeko Moosa's Dhanmalhi (1993) [PART ONE]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/525ead10e4b03a9509e1cbf7/1466571370761-IWUROJZ892XOYKFTJ0VB/Dhanmalhi+cast.png)
Maldives twitter last week #1
Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week.
Here are some interesting things Maldivians talked about on twitter last week. A long term collection could be very useful for reflection and analysis.
1. @reallynattu creates satirical voting app
Since this has leaked and people got a glimpse of this super duper top secret extremely sensitive totally legit app we've been working on. So releasing #VoteApp for public use. Tweet your features to add to this.
— Nattu (@reallynattu) March 7, 2018
iOS: https://t.co/yZYEepIJ3i
Android: https://t.co/8W1jtkTwpz pic.twitter.com/EGbczx12rw
An English translation:
The top text reads "Voteapp". Next to it is a drop down menu that says "Presidential election".
Below that the title says "Candidates". Below this the same portrait of current president Abdulla Yameen is displayed five times in a row, giving the voter a wide range of candidates to vote for.
Below this is the presidents full name, "Yameen Abdul Gayoom". The president doesn't use this version in his campaigning or current activities perhaps to distant himself from his brother Maumoon. Next to this the text reads "The driving force behind the progress that the Maldives is experiencing".
After this is a section where the voter decides what kind of reward they want for voting. They are given a choice of money (from well wishers), employment (a coordinator position), or a flat from Hulhumale'. In the mockup the voter has chosen money, and the options for collecting it (deposit, cheque, or a letter delivered to your residence) are below. As the voter has selected the first option, a field to enter their account number and reward amount sits next to the Bank of Maldives and Maldives Islamic Bank logos.
At the very bottom the text reads "press to vote", with the subtext "I swear to god that I won't change my vote". The word used for "my" is "alhugandu", a relic of the Maldivian caste system, which is the self depreciating word one must use for oneself when talking to someone who demands respect; whether it be your elders, a teacher, or certain dictators. The literal translation of "alhu" is slave.
2. @paperclippenny and @legacyofpain attend mandatory marriage classes
"no anal!!" - Marie #marriageclass
— Executive Hobo 🎈 (@legacyofpain) March 7, 2018
Marie seems to be one of their tutors.
Marie just called genitals "shameful organs". Wow, I call them fun parts. This is bleak. #marriageclass
— Executive Hobo 🎈 (@legacyofpain) March 7, 2018
A word for genitals in Dhivehi is "ladhuvethi gunavan", literally "shameful organ".
I'm pretending I'm watching a play. This is a haunting one man show about a man who has given up on life and is clutching on to religion because otherwise his life has no meaning. #marriageclass
— Executive Hobo 🎈 (@legacyofpain) March 7, 2018
Fucking hell! He just called us factories #marriageclass
— penny 🎈❓ (@paperclippenny) March 7, 2018
Oh my God so many diseased ladhuvethi gunavan!!! My eyes!!! My beautiful eyes!!!! #marriageclass
— Executive Hobo 🎈 (@legacyofpain) March 7, 2018
This man's wife tried to leave him... Several times #marriageclass
— penny 🎈❓ (@paperclippenny) March 7, 2018
All financial responsibilities on men. No pressure. Eyrun mimeehun gengulheveynee. #marriageclass
— penny 🎈❓ (@paperclippenny) March 7, 2018
Seriously dude 😠
I don't think this guy thinks that women have a brain. To me it sounds like this guy thinks that women are just walking wombs. #marriageclass
— Executive Hobo 🎈 (@legacyofpain) March 7, 2018
Please ladies, stay in your marriage. Your guy invested a lot in this venture - marriage teacher #marriageclass
— penny 🎈❓ (@paperclippenny) March 7, 2018
It’s happening!!!! #OccupySaiHotaa https://t.co/tn51rHPT5q
— Hamy (@ashahamy) March 8, 2018
What we are trying to is eliminate gender segregated spaces and normalize eating at Sai Hotaa for women. Ultimate goal is for women to be able to do this without the need for ‘gatu’. #OccupySaiHotaa @KeevveMV
— Aryj (@Arrryj) March 8, 2018
"gatu" is the Maldivian slang version of "having the guts". The response is to a question basically asking why women weren’t being “gut” 365 days a year.
Occupy Sai Hotaa https://t.co/njXP4KMwfs
— Aryj (@Arrryj) March 8, 2018
We are at aibalhey #OccupySaiHotaa
— Keevve! (@KeevveMV) March 8, 2018
Our team will be here until 1400PM. So come and join us! pic.twitter.com/9qaPrdNsjo
Occupysaihotaa: Anhenverin hotaa thakah! https://t.co/FkTrgatlRz
— Mihaaru (@Mihaarunews) March 8, 2018
The headline reads: Occupysaihotaa: Women (go) to the tea houses! (sai = tea, hotaa = hotel).
Hi @Mihaarunews,
— Aryj (@Arrryj) March 8, 2018
The article states that I was leading the movement, which is inaccurate.
The #Keevve movement and #OccupySaiHotaa are both lead by @NihayaAhmed, @ashahamy and me as explained over the phone.
Please amend the article to reflect this.
.#TimeIsNow to break the gender stereotypes. Today, on #womensday our team at UNDP joined #OccupySaiHotaa. #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/HYO9f2c2SB
— UNDP Maldives (@UNDPMaldives) March 8, 2018
Okay, this wins! I think it was @shaari that suggested Dhivehi Keun at Moon Cafe’. Varah salhi. #OccupySaiHotaa #keevve nudhaanvee! pic.twitter.com/oScpQhaRB7
— Hamy (@ashahamy) March 10, 2018
Bill for 8 people!!!!! #OccupySaiHotaa #Keevve @KeevveMV pic.twitter.com/nQK9hCQvDQ
— Hamy (@ashahamy) March 8, 2018
At Moon Café for dinner. #OccupySaiHotaa pic.twitter.com/LZUlxQQma0
— Aryj (@Arrryj) March 10, 2018
Late Nasira was the bravest among us, she initiated #OccupySaiHotaa
— Yuha Mauroof (@YuhaMauroof) March 9, 2018
A true inspiration. May god bless her 💞✨ pic.twitter.com/lr5tdPaZYM
We came for lunch to memorial saihotaa & also ordered a Rukuraa as a drink. A man approached to my friend and said "RAAKOLHEH dheebala." Anheneh saiboan ananee raa boan thoa? #keevenaananvee #OccupySaiHotaa #teammemorial #happyWomensDay2018 #InternationalWomensDay @safaathahmed pic.twitter.com/1sNzwPp7tR
— Anthi (@shafaafahmed) March 8, 2018
Seeing #OccupySaiHotaa photos is so heartwarming. The times are a changing indeed. :’) Shoutout to all the men being supportive as well.
— 🎈Nora Nazeer ✨ (@NoraNazeer) March 8, 2018
Me and @rushdhar today occupying a sai hotaa #OccupySaiHotaa #InternationalWomenDay #KeeveNudhaanvee @KeevveMV pic.twitter.com/XULcBtNihB
— Sajidha Mufeed 🇲🇻 (@SaajiMV) March 8, 2018
Ok update: I can feel the stares, hear tiny squeaks here and there. The service however is really nice. Just the testosterone I feel discriminated by.
— Nihaya 🎈 (@NihayaAhmed) March 8, 2018
Anhenunnah Sai Hotalehgai fenun dhathi kamakah vany #Keevve #OccupySaiHotaa #IWD2018
If you use the #OccupySaiHotaa and search here you will notice it’s becoming the norm and people are going to Sai Hotaa’s on a daily basis, I myself went tonight with my sisters tonight itself to participate in it and to show my support. It’s already their 2nd time
— Adam Isham (@adamisham) March 11, 2018
4. Some men aren't too happy about it
Feminism is beautiful. But why occupy sai hotaa? Why not propose separate sai hotas for women? Men need the privacy to talk the "men talk" at saihota. Likewise, women.
— I l h a m (@ilhaamnil) March 8, 2018
Issue-based agendas would facilitate women empowerment instead of trying to create a resemblance of men & women
Noannaanu salaamatheh , vaki varakah dho sai hotaa thah hingaa meehun ah keiy vaanee. Miadhu ekani chummi ziyaaratheh kolli kamahtakaa mas dhuvahuge supply huss vejje eh burun!!
— Manih Rasheed (@m3ndu3) March 8, 2018
English translation: "There is no escape, there is only so much that tea house managers will take. (We've?) run out of a months supply just because of one visit!
#SaiHotaOccupied pic.twitter.com/yyLqmcdo2B
— Manih Rasheed (@m3ndu3) March 8, 2018
#OccupySaiHotaa wahhabees ge lagondi akah ketheh nuvi. Keep breaking these rulez. 💪👧❤@KeevveMV @JCIKaafu @Arrryj @siruarts pic.twitter.com/ukYk543QcL
— Aydh (@janavaar) March 9, 2018
Peeing in a bottle: Man’s greatest achievement?
This is the best that Salafi propagandist Siru “Arts” could come up with to mock the #OccupySaiHotaa movement.
The black text on top reads:
"This year the women's groups went to the tea houses
next year (they'll go) fishing"
The red bottom text reads:
“Next year - trying to pee into a thola bottle far away without utilising any devices”
On the bottom left the silhouette peeing is labeled "men" and the female rage comic face is lablled "women".
Today I've learned a lot. Thanks all who opposed nicely.
— I l h a m (@ilhaamnil) March 9, 2018
This needs to move forward. At the same, time addressing other related issues are important.
I've already decided to join the #OccupySaiHotaa movement. #twitterlessons
5. Maldives celebrates International Women's Day 2018
When I first started out as a design student, some of my first design idols were female Maldivian designers. Fast forward to 3+ years of working and I've met more female designers than male.
— Immi Saleem (@immisalym) March 8, 2018
Here's an attempt at documenting our female designers. Feel free to add on.#IWD2018
#IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/wsObiM9kg0
— Benefit (@Benefitmv) March 6, 2018
Celebrating the courageous women who stepped up for justice. Aisha @mysticaish is fighting for justice for her brother @yaamyn. Bravo! #WomenStepUp #PressForProgess #IWD2018 #WeAreYaamyn pic.twitter.com/lwFdBcMJ5B
— Mv Democracy Network (@MDN_mv) March 8, 2018
This brave lady Shameema, has an injured spine from being hit by water at high pressure, by @PoliceMv
— MP Rozaina Adam 🎈 (@Roxeyna) March 8, 2018
Pepper sprayed daily, she was brutally kicked by a policeman during a peaceful protest even last week & yet she’s on the roads everyday fighting 4 #Democracy#PressforProgress pic.twitter.com/fFDYVtMPan
For @moyameehaa ‘s mum, a woman who’s been asking where her son is for 1307 days, despite inhumane obstructions from the state. #IWD2018
— Shaff Hameed 🎈❔ (@shoffot) March 8, 2018
I want to talk about polygamy, child brides, criminalization of relations outside wedlock, ban on women marrying non-muslims, restrictions on wives to initiate divorce, & lax child maintenance laws. But idiots might come after my head, shouting "dheenatakaa,gaumatakaa"!
— HawwaLubna 🎈❓ (@HawwaLubna) March 8, 2018
So happu
The Police raised our home today. They took with them my mother’s old iPad. They can expect to find a lot of pretty crochet designs. #MaldivesInCrisis
— Eva Abdulla 🎈❓ (@evattey) March 8, 2018
These women are my heroes. I hope for the day Maldives will give answers. Their strength in the face of brutality is the best of our humanity. #IWD2018 #FindMoyaMeehaa #WeAreYaamyn pic.twitter.com/bsqd9ZupQU
— Ish 🎈 (@bananatarts) March 8, 2018
We did #OccupySaiHotaa . Adhives dhaanvaane, #Keevve nudhaanvy? @safaathahmed couldn't tag you pic.twitter.com/MVs3icrmUf
— Luj 🌹 (@lujainshujau) March 8, 2018
Just got called a "feminazi". Because I've this weird belief that women's bodies are their own business. It's radical, I know. That's why they liken me & my kind to nazis, because believing in female self-determination is roughly equivalent to genocide. 🙄
— F 🎈❓ (@_faz_) March 8, 2018
This #InternationalWomensDay let’s not forget LGBTIQA Dhivehi women who do not have the privilege of being visible, let alone freedom to be. We exist. Claims of intersectional allegiance fall short of true solidarity when our existence is not acknowledged. #ALLWomen
— Kanbaafaanu ❓🎈 (@Kanbaafaanu) March 8, 2018
6. Maldives telecom company Dhiraagu gives police full access to opposition activist @Thayyib's SIM
Dhiraagu finally admits they gave police access to @Thayyib’s SIM.
— Mickail Naseem 🎈 (@MickailNaseem) March 8, 2018
Even if it was to honour a court order, why did @Dhiraagu not have the basic courtesy to inform the service recipient of this action? Why did it keep issuing vague statements denying the accusation? https://t.co/G5PfGFW1rV
Attn: I am going to move my Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram and other communication platforms to my SriLanka number. I am using @Dhiraagu services from 1997 (started from pager) & many times they have violated my privacy. records must be there.
— Thayyib #PN2018 (@thayyib) March 8, 2018
thank you @Google @gmail @Twitter @TwitterSupport @verified @facebook those who wants stop me, may attempt again and more, please protect my accounts.
— Thayyib #PN2018 (@thayyib) March 8, 2018
There was no lawful purpose. Since @Dhiraagu gave @PoliceMv the means to impersonate @thayyib they aided in the commission of a crime: identity fraud.
— Maumoon Hameed (@maanhameed) March 8, 2018
A cloned SIM's real use is not to intercept messages, but to appear to others as the real one, i.e. to commit identity fraud. pic.twitter.com/PF06AOeNLO
A sad day, but I see NO other option than to quit @Dhiraagu after 19 years.
— Ashraf Ayu (@Ashraf_Ayu) March 8, 2018
I wonder why @dhiraagu did NOT appeal like @Apple did on maintaining customers’ trust & their integrity..
Especially knowing the Corruption Index Level of our State.@Mirshan :(@OoredooMaldives :)
What @Dhiraagu did was a crime of the same magnitude as issuing an ID Card/Passport bearing @thayyib‘s photo & particulars for someone else to impersonate him. What an institutionalized criminal activity!#SIMcloningCompany pic.twitter.com/1fWj6GyEh6
— Imthiyaz Fahmy (@Imthiyazfahmy) March 8, 2018
More next week!
Ahannakee dhivésséh (I am an Islander)
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
Kalhu meehhéh noon. Dhon meehhéh noon.
Mushi meehhéh noon.Dhivésséh.
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
Muslimméh noon. Kaafarréh noon.
Munafiqéh noon. Dhivésséh.
Aharengé naaru thakugé therey vindhu
jahanee maa singaa kandugé lonu.
Boa buri koffa génbiyas,
kandu gé andhiri gandu theré ah féhthiyas,
aharénn hithugé adeega vaanee amaankan.
Magey suvaru geygai neyvaalaakkah nujehé.
Magey rattéhinnakee bimu ga hingaa bodaa boa haru soofi éh noon.
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
Aharengé sikundi akee muraka bageechaa éh.
Dhanvaru hanguraama koh ley ohoruvaa kula gadha bimméh.
Miyaru maskaa hiyani therey boava filaa jungayyéh.
Hibaru kalhi alhaa kalhu thelu gé therey roa koffa inna faanooz éh.
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
Ahannakee farubadha éh noon.
Hanafas saharaa évvéss noon.
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
Mathanuvaa irugé avee gé dhashuga andhaa rashakkah ufan véfaivaa gadhafadha janavaarréh.
With English Translation:
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
[I am an islander]
Kalhu meehhéh noon. Dhon meehhéh noon.
Mushi meehhéh noon.Dhivésséh.
[Not a black person. Not a fair (white) person.
Not a brown person. An islander]
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
[I am an islander]
Muslimméh noon. Kaafarréh noon.
Munafiqéh noon. Dhivésséh.
[Not a Muslim. Not an infidel.
Not a hypocrite. An islander]
Aharengé naaru thakugé therey vindhu
jahanee maa singaa kandugé lonu.
[The salt of the vast ocean
pulses through my veins.]
Boa buri koffa génbiyas,
kandu gé andhiri gandu theré ah féhthiyas,
aharénn hithugé adeega vaanee amaankan.
[Even if you behead and drown me,
even if you sink me down into the darkness of the sea,
at the bottom of my heart is serenity.]
Magey suvaru geygai neyvaalaakkah nujehé.
Magey rattéhinnakee bimu ga hingaa bodaa boa haru soofi éh noon.
[My paradise does not require breath.
My friends are not the arrogant and stubborn insects
that walk this earth.]
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
[I am an islander]
Aharengé sikundi akee muraka bageechaa éh.
Dhanvaru hanguraama koh ley ohoruvaa kula gadha bimméh.
[My mind is a coral garden.
A colourful land where wars are fought
and blood is spilt in the dark of the night.]
Miyaru maskaa hiyani therey boava filaa jungayyéh.
Hibaru kalhi alhaa kalhu thelu gé therey roa koffa inna faanooz éh.
[Where octopus hide amongst the shadow of a feasting shark.
A lantern that burns within the black oil from where the swordfish stares.]
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
[I am an islander]
Ahannakee farubadha éh noon.
Hanafas saharaa évvéss noon.
[I am not a mountain.
Neither am I a barren desert.]
Ahannakee dhivésséh.
[I am an islander]
Mathanuvaa irugé avee gé dhashuga andhaa rashakkah ufan véfaivaa gadhafadha janavaarréh.
[A mighty animal, born to an island that burns under the unrelenting sun.]
A POLICY OF DESTRUCTION - From 'The Maldive Islanders' by Xavier Romero-Frias
This is the final chapter of Xavier Romero-Frias' "The Maldive Islanders". With the direction the Maldives appears to be heading in, it is perhaps even more relevant now than when it was first written. If you wanted to know why so little is done to preserve Maldivian culture and heritage, this is why.
This is the final chapter of Xavier Romero-Frias' "The Maldive Islanders". With the direction the Maldives appears to be heading in, it is perhaps even more relevant now than when it was first written. If you wanted to know why so little is done to preserve Maldivian culture and heritage, this is why.
A POLICY OF DESTRUCTION
The relentless effort to promote Arabic cultural values within the Maldive island society is allegedly made with very good intentions. Its supporters claim to hold the monopoly of moral and spiritual values, and steadfastly affirm that their aim is to create a more virtuous society. However, local resistance against the arbitrary imposition of an alien desert culture on this equatorial oceanic nation has never been officially defined or at least assessed and has rather been stubbornly ignored. Hence, as the saying goes “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” and, humans the world over being who they are, as soon as a new law to promote virtue is enforced, a new trick to circumvent that very law pops up.
The result is that the country has become a virtual police state, but certainly the society is not becoming any more virtuous. Lacking perspective of their cultural identity, average island people are simply helpless to fight back the cultural forgery imposed on them. The state religion has been Islam for the past eight centuries and, in the eyes of the islanders, Islam is synonymous with a formidable machine of power and authority which cannot be contested. Thus, Maldivians have to put up with the role of remaining passive onlookers when freshly arrived Arabic teachers or ‘holy men’ harshly criticize their own island traditions with impunity.
It is a secretly acknowledged fact, though, that within the island population there are many who feel that they are traveling on a boat which is going in the opposite course they wish to go, but they feel helpless to do anything about it. This conflict is, if anything, compounded by the intense propagation of hard-line Islamic ideologies, including the construction of mosques and Arabic religious schools137 throughout the country since 1978.
The Arab religious schools, fruit of the petrodollar wealth, were first opened in the capital Male' in 1983 and they set a pattern of cultural and political indoctrination for schools all across the Maldive Islands.138 Boys or girls attending those schools have problems having pride in their own culture because they have been pitched against the basic Maldive cultural values ever since their first classes. One unavoidable side-effect of Islamic education is that students end up admiring the Arab culture and despising their own traditions. Children who are unaware of causing any harm are made willing accomplices in the dismantlement of their own cultural heritage.
With the media in the hands of an Islamizing government and the spread of Arabic madrasahs throughout the country, the pace and depth of Arab influence is growing fast. During the 1970’s, except for a few modern schools in MaleØ, most Divehi children were taught Quraìnic reading in the small traditional ‘maktabs.’ However, this situation changed in the 1980’s, when two heavily funded Arabic schools ‘Mawhad Dirasì at-ul-Islamiyya’ and ‘Madrasat-ul-Arabiyya-al-Islamiyya’ opened in MaleØ. These schools, teaching undiluted Islam, were instrumental in introducing the Arab veil among girls and in the crystallization of Arabic mores within the Maldive society.
Even the phonetic sounds of the Divehi language are changing. Local letters are abandoned and disappear. The indigenous sound ‘p’ has been replaced by the Arabic letter ‘f’ during the last couple of centuries; and the autochthonous retroflex ‘nö’ (nöaviyani) has been slowly vanishing to the point of having been deleted from the local written alphabet by Muhammad AmÄín in mid-20th century.
In contrast to this carelessness towards their own phonetics, young Maldivian students are very particular in their efforts to reproduce with fidelity Arabic phonetic sounds,139 alien to their own language, in order to win Quraìn-reading contests promoted by their government. This trend is to blame for the growing tendency towards the abandonment of retroflex sounds not existing in Arab phonetics. Those retroflex sounds ‘lø’ (Löaviyani), ‘dö’ (Döaviyani) and ‘tø’ (Taö viyani) and ‘nö’ (Nöaviyani) made by flapping the tongue against the palate are a characteristic feature of the Indic languages. However, they were the bane of some highly fastidious, Arabophillic local learned men who sought to replace the local Divehi Akuru with the Arabic script in the past.
After many unsuccessful attempts, the ‘Taìna’ alphabet now in use was devised as a compromise. This three-century-old although some present-day documents propagated by the government claim that it is older in order to fit it into their particular vision of history140 artificial alphabet is based mostly on the Arabic numerals and diacritical signs and, more importantly, is written from right to left like Arabic. The abandonment of the Divehi Akuru141 and the introduction of the Taìna form of writing was a decisive step towards a greater Arabization of Divehi culture. The new form of writing could easily accommodate words and even whole sentences in Arabic within texts in the local language. Therefore, in practice, the Taìna alphabet became a wedge for the further introduction of a foreign Semitic tongue into the written form of Divehi.
During the past five or six centuries, Maldive identity has steadily lost its color and vitality. Local dances, songs, festivals and ceremonies that were deemed un-Islamic have been weeded out and repressed with almost sadistic ruthlessness. Hence, most autochthonous ancestral cultural expressions have degenerated or have disappeared. Kite-flying and mutual water-splashing (fenô kuliø ), are among the popular festivals that were forbidden by the Maldive government during the latter half of the twentieth century .
Since the early 1980’s, during a government drive to promote Islam in the Atolls called ‘DÄínuge Heìlunterikanô’, Islamic preachers sailed from island to island, to scold the islanders with fiery speeches. Acting with the same zeal characteristic of the former Sayyids, these enforcers of religious ideology saw sin and depravation in the normal sexual dimorphism of dress and behavior and in the open expression of youthful joy by means of dances and songs, which are a vital part of any healthy society.
Devoid of popular entertainment, except for modern sports, island atmosphere has become extremely dull.142 Despite the introduction of consumerism and the relative economic buoyancy of the last two decades of the 20th century, things have not changed very much since C. Maloney reported in the mid-1970’s that:
This particular island appeared (...) as an enervating place, with almost no games, no music or scheduled events, except prayers, and few surprises (...). Only the changing of seasons, (the Muslim month of) Ramzaìn and the two Iïd (Muslim festivals) broke the passage of time. The KatÄíbu (government official) ruled in a tyrannical way (...). There is no crack in the shell of orthodoxy, at least in appearance. The majority of citizens of the Maldives pass their time on such islands as this, (...) scarcely touched at all by the civilisational vibrancy of the outer world.143
Since 1979 Arab preachers have been periodically invited to the Maldive Islands by the government and given VIP treatment. Conferences where those ‘holy men’ are the star figures are organized in the evenings during their stay. Government officials and schoolchildren from the capital are forced to go to listen to their religious speeches. These aggressive sermons in Arabic are not only broadcast live in the national radio, but their recordings are routinely aired during the following months.
However, an Egyptian friend of mine who knew well that type of person, Mahmoud Salama, told me that no one in Egypt would pay so much respect to those cheap preachers. According to him, they were totally unimaginative types, from a mediocre background who were basking in the exaggerated attention they were receiving. “These are backward characters. What good can the Maldivians learn from them?” another Egyptian friend, AmÄín ‘Pako’, one day commented. And yet, during the last twenty years, these Egyptian preachers have been let loose in the Maldives to indoctrinate the local people under special orders from the President’s office.
These brash preachers seize with glee their unearned high status in the Islands. Often they use to grow quite passionate and eloquent in their speeches about the torments of hell, probably provoked by the un-Islamic appearance of the crowds who are gathered in to listen to them. For the fact is that Maldives got most of its Islamic facade mosques with minarets, Moorish arches and veiled women only from the year 1981 onwards, when the petrodollars began pouring abundantly into the country. And there are many locals who have not adopted the Arab look.
Initially these Egyptian propagandists were not liked by Maldivians at all. They appeared rude and gross to them, terribly lacking in manners. The calm, monotonous voice of the Divehi translator contrasted sharply with the impassionate, hysterical screams and violent gesticulation of the Arab religious preacher. To make them more palatable, in later years, the indoctrinators were coached by government officials regarding how to behave in front of the Maldive public and they learned how to talk in a more culturally sensitive cool and regular tone. And yet, the crude content of their sermons remained the same. 144
Throughout Divehi history, Arabs were still viewed as foreigners by the average Maldivian. However, the last quarter of the twentieth century has seen a new phenomenon appear in the Island society’s horizon: The ‘Arab wannabe.’ These are Maldivians who leave the islands in their childhood and are sent to Arab countries or to Pakistan to receive Islamic training. Eventually, when they return to their country as adults, they behave exactly like the Arab Sayyids of old. These uprooted Arab impersonators put much effort into weeding out the last remnants of true Maldive national identity. Since the end of the 1970’s, many very high government posts in the Maldives are held by such ‘Arab wannabes’ and their number is increasing.
In the outer Atolls, the average attitude of these young, but religious-wise highly trained people is, at best, arrogant and insensitive. They are usually contemptuous towards the ‘aløuverinô’, or old religious males of the island, whose time-tested combination of folkwisdom and religion, is too unislamic for their taste. At the same time, their position as young persons and religious learned men simultaneously is still highly incongruous. Within the ancestral island society, there was a role for old religious men, but none for inexperienced youngsters happening to be well-versed in Arabic and religion.
Traditionally, one was supposed to acquire knowledge along with wisdom with age. Hence, young aløuverinô, or young learned men, simply didn’t exist. The result is that these brazen young ‘Arab wannabes’, full of Islamic zeal, put much effort into discrediting their elders, slandering them for not being orthodox enough. In this manner they have led people not to pay attention to the old local aløuverinô and have ended up destroying the traditional hierarchical system, in which old people had to be respected. This is paving the way for a break-up of the moral fabric of Divehi society.
It is a well-known fact that presently in Maldives, there is a secret hostility to excessive arabization, but it is leading nowhere. This ‘resistance’, if it even may be called so, is not only unorganized, but its goals are not defined and it has no visible leadership.145 Moreover, there seems to be nowhere else to go in the other direction, for the ancestral Divehi culture is effectively lost.
- 137 Decades before the murderous spree led by religious hard-liners in Algeria, and long before the opening of those schools in the Maldives, Algerian writers like Rachid Mimouni had already questioned the wisdom of mass-religious indoctrination. “What do they want? A country of muezzins? Or a country of pious unemployed people (chomeurs)?”
- 138 Paraphrasing Vivekananda, in those schools the first thing a Maldivian child is taught is that his father is a fool because he can’t understand the Quraìn as he doesn’t know Arabic, the second that his grandfather was a lunatic because he held on to many folk beliefs that were unislamic, the third that his mother is shameless because she doesn’t cover her hair, the fourth that his grandmother was a whore because her form of dress revealed too much of her body, the fifth that all the old Maldivian books and stories are lies, and the sixth that Divehi courtesy is rude because Maldive Islanders don’t go around saying all the time ‘Assalaìm alaykum’ as polite Arabs do (the traditional Divehi way being to ask: “Where are you going?”), etc. Vivekananda, a well-known Indian reformist, denounced British education in the schools of the Raj for giving Indians a false perspective of their own culture.
- 139 Letters: thaì, hâaì, khaì, dhaìl, Ïaìd, Íadì , Ìaì, Ña,ì Âyn, gôayn`and qaìf. These are foreign Semitic sounds that don’t come naturally to the Divehi people and are, thus, very difficult to pronounce for them. Even so, since they are positive that Arabic is the language of heaven, much effort is invested among Maldivians since childhood in order to achieve the correct pronunciation.
- 140 The claim that the Taìna script was devised in the 16th century is, however, not supported by historical documents. The oldest writing specimens in that alphabet, interspersed with Arabic, are from the 18th century. These are the Iïdu Miskit Dorosöi inscriptions, dated AH 1170 (AD 1757).
- 141 The traditional Maldivian writing whose most ancient manuscripts (in the form called ‘Eveìla’ by H.C.P. Bell) go as far back as the 7th century AD. The last manuscripts written in Divehi Akuru are from mid-19th century.
- 142 According to most islanders, the only excitement is to be found in secret illicit relationships.
- 143 C. Maloney, ‘People of the Maldive Islands.’
- 144 For example, this is how Maldivian women were coaxed to cover their hair: “Every single hair of a woman not covered by the veil will become a poisonous snake in hell.” From a speech by an Arab guest preacher in Divehi Raìjjege Adöu (Radio Maldives) translated from the Arabic into Divehi and broadcast during the month of Ramzanì in 1990.
- 145 Commenting on the power of the government and the power of Islam in turn-of-the-millennium Algeria, Mohammed Arkoun, director of the Institute of Arab-Islamic Studies at Paris-III University, writes: The nationalist vision insists on the continuity in time of the Arab-Islamic culture and, consequently, of the state. Thus, the social spirit dominating today is directly connected with the official thesis that refuses to make the indispensable room to the scientific analysis of facts and problems. Intellectuals who, like Mustafa Lacheraf, invest their efforts into the separation between the functions of the official ideology, which pretends to mobilize national construction, and the critical knowledge of the ingredients that have fashioned real Algerian society, are extremely rare. M. Arkoun, ‘Une SpiritualiteØ qui deØpasse la Religion d’EÚtat’ (GEO n 114).
Athireege' Thaana 0.1
It reads "hurihā insānun ves ufanvanī, daraja āi ḥaqqu takugai minivankamāi hamahamakan libigenvā ba-egge gotuga-eve" (All human beings are born free and equal in ranking and rights - Article 1 of the UDHR).
A font I have recently created which is an almost exact replica of "Athireege' Thaana" or "Vadaan Kashi" thaana.
You can download v. 0.1 from here.
At this point it's all manual and I haven't added in any "fili" yet. I am loving the look of this without fili so I might even just leave it like this. It follows the inputs of most standard thaana fonts. You are free to do whatever the hell you want with it.
One Year On - Celebrate Moyameeha's life by reading some of his earliest works #FindMoyameehaa
A year has passed and Ahmed Rilwan AKA @moyameeha is still missing. Much has happened since in the Maldivian political spectrum, but absolutely no real progress seems to have been made on his whereabouts or the people behind his abduction. The Maldivian Police remains silent, and the government even more so.
A year has passed and Ahmed Rilwan AKA @moyameeha is still missing. Much has happened since in the Maldivian political spectrum, but absolutely no real progress seems to have been made on his whereabouts or the people behind his abduction. The Maldivian Police remains silent, and the government even more so.
There is a lot I could write about his disappearance. The failings of the system. The institutionalized apathy and hatred towards those deemed "laadheenee" that was used to justify and belittle his life and abduction. Why his activism, writing and experiences as an ex-radical could have been conceived in so many ways as threats towards the enemies of liberty. Why his abduction may have been intended as a message towards anyone who was under the false impression that there is freedom of expression in the Maldives.
But today I want to celebrate his life, his work. If these were the dark ages before the internet revolution this might have been impossible. His works may not have been that easily accessible. What remained may have been confiscated or otherwise made retrievable. Hidden as well as they have hidden the truth about his abduction.
But no. We live in a different age and the relics who seek to keep us in the past are doomed to stay there.
Moyameehaa is still alive. Legends never die.
These are some of the best of his earliest works. I hope to see much more from him in the future.
Thursday, August 11th 2005 - Moyameeha's blog goes live.
For a reference to how long ago that was, YouTube was founded on February 14th 2005. YouTube is only a 183 days older than Moyameeha's blog. Do you even remember what the internet was like before YouTube?
Tuesday, December 13th 2005 - Aqeeqah Rituals
“Yesterday,I captured a hen being sacrificed (with my handphone’s video camera)
..( its the ritual of naming a new born baby on the seventh day ..or ‘aqiqa’..in the early days of islam a goat or something like that is sacrificed....but the Maldivians who cannot afford or cannot find a goat in time ...always makes a sacrifice like this)...traditionaly this is a very big feast where people (relatives, friends,neighbours,poor people and others) are to be invited..but these days in Maldives (specially in Male’) we just perform the rituals and send the food in parcels (in Maldives its usually bondibaiy and kukulhumas-chicken.)packages to the people.(if u r in male’ just call +9607773240 to ‘faseyha point’ shakir to make arrangements for goats,bondibaiy packages with free delivery and all aqiqa stuff) This is very helpful coz every one is bz these days..but i think we cud still hold on to the traditional ways and sen parcels to people who cant come...
”
“And about this day being marked as the ‘Unity Day’.Its just another trick of the dictator gayom.He is trying to make the most of this ‘golden opportunity’...where every one goes hyper-emotional.He is trying to bring forward the nationalist propaganda..and picture himself as the leader...who will protect this ‘unity’..’which he describes is threatened by ‘some,very few people’..(reffering to the opposition MDP) or describes that as the unity ‘which have been among maldivians since the begining’...
but i wouldnt call..what we witnessed on the 26th of december 2004...national unity..or Islamic brotherly love or unity..no..its mere humanity..no one can wait and see humans suffering like that...no matter what country or what religion they belong to...Thats why the Maldivians watched live scenes of Iraq war,Srebrenica massacre (we donatedd for em..but the corrupt government swallowed all the money) and the recent hurricane katrina in America..we are concerned..because we are humane...”
“Aishath Sudha (a neighbour of mine-so;i heard the story without the free-press a that time, also) died at the very young age of 17 on 26 August 1994 in Gaamaadhoo jail. She was serving a 12 years and 6 months sentence for using and possessing drugs . She was allegedly gang-raped (by gayom’s NSS militia) and left to die by the prison guards. Gayoom formed a Committee to investigate her death,but to this date its findings have been unknown. Sudha was not the only young person whose death in jail was silenced and who was tortured there are countless people around the country (like my friend mahir).
I have heard of it so much.people so close to me have suffered this brutality..even NSS staffs are said to be murdered the Militia under commands from higher leader...i have had enough of this gayom thing..and his prisons (no better than Abu Ghraib and he is no better than pol pot,Hitler or Stalin..in torturing their own citizens).There are special ‘cells’ (ya prison cells..i would call em) for punishing young children..this place is called Islaahiyyaa (literary-in arabic- meaning a rehabilitation centre )..i will be posting detailed stuff about it later..”
Note: The kinboo was recently shot dead
Saturday, November 25th 2006 - 1984
“ive’ read it sometime back...and still i cant stop talking about it....1984 is a grrreat novel!...but not just a novel...its an allegorical political novel written by George Orwell (the author animal farm).its about a dictator and his brutal ways of ruling over a nation.and one man’s struggle for freedom.
mmhmm..an Orwellian society? Maldives cannot be considered as such a state or society yet?.buti think it was very close to it once, until one day things changed...but still the gayomic society resembles it (the orwellian society)...there cant be such an extreme society or dictator as in the book...but Gayom was very close to it.”
“But i cant agree....Haveeru cannot be ‘sometimes biased’ and ‘sometimes unbiased’ in reporting and presenting the news,it has to be on either side...there is no standing in the middle! ....there’s a lot of coloring in haveeru reports...and it does not allow viewers to comment freely (on its online version).which is now in beta...and i say;the whole company is in a state of ‘beethaa’ for the last few years....that is from the time they got out from the lines of miadhu and aafathis (which are not popular and publishes only the news approved from the president’s office ).Now in this beethaa state, i have encountered a lot of problems in commenting on its online edition.
One day i wanted to comment and ‘Oh my God!’ there is no ‘comment on this article’ link in this very special news.Yes,it was a news article about gayom...well i was not going to write anything like ‘golhaabo isthiufaa’ or any base or unethical comment.i was trying to comment on what i thought about the article,but it seems he is far above that...he is in a position where the citizens cannot even comment about him...well atleast for this haveeru beethaa, he is god-like and resting in sidhurathul munthahaa!.”
“So it is all about our economy?not really...it is about pumping money in from the west and pumping em out to the swiss accounts of big fat businessmen and big bad politicians.Alcohol is also banned for Maldivians but Legal for tourists...and yeah...also topless dancers.but i DOOO think maldivians have a right to enjoy freedom of religion.It was Gayom who took away this freedom,and i want him to give it back!He have tortured Maldivian Christian converts and anyone who goes against ‘Golhaa Islam’ for almost 3 decades.its time we talk about these rights and question the crazy fatawaas given by uttama and gayom.And it is time we start thinking freely about EVERYTHINHG.what do you think?does maldives need freedom of religion?Is it just, to force all maldivians to be muslims when they are all not willing to?do we need to go for a referendum in deciding this?or should all the maldivians be barred from the right to freedom of religion.....and these rights be ‘sold’ only to those who can pay enough money?”
“Gayom and his senior supporters all carried pistols when Gayyoom took his first oath as President on 11th of November 1978 and gayom himself have later admitted for this crime( mabodey vaan vegen karaa felhumuge thereygai). see this article in dhivehi (PDF)
HE BROKE THE LAW!
On 3rd June 2005 political parties was allowed in maldives and Gayom was the second to make a political party and became its founder and zaeemu.
Article 33 of the Maldives consitution says: “The President shall be the Head of State, Head of Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the Police of the Maldives”
Party Rules from the Home Ministry says on 5, alifu, and 5, vaavu, Police and NSS people cannot become a member of any political party.
So how can Gayoom, who is head of both Police and NSS (according to the Constitution), form a political party and be its zaeemu?(oh...and how can MDP talk to a ghairu gaanoonee party like DRP?...that’s what they are.any way,any how..they want...’something’)
AGAIN HE BROKE THE LAW!”
“He was,and still is the favorite singer for thousands of Maldivians, especially among the older generations.We can see this by the fact that in TV programs like ‘Alhuganduge Hovun’ and Radio programs ‘Dhathuthuverinnaai eku’....in almost all of the programs there would be a request for a song from Dhohokko be’. Most of the time they will say “Any song by Dhohokko be’ will be o.k for me!”.His songs were mostly romantic and love poetry.They were known for the good poetry and his own,unique style of performing.Even if his music were copied from hindi songs; he made it all (as he have said) ‘dhohokkobized’.He had a certain standard of performing, for example; he would refuse to perform, if he is not happy with the percussion section.There are very few people who are fit to be in his ‘band’.And about poetry, he was very concerned about maintaining the standard of his lyrics.They all had a touch of (not just a touch...a whole lot of em!) Urdu language.
Even today he is a favorite for many Maldivians; young and old ,though some youngsters find his music humorous,disgusting,not-music,not amilla raagu,out dated,not understandable....etc!
whatever. here are the songs.In the memory of Dhohokko be’ and his songs that entertained thousands of Maldivians.May his soul rest peacefully.Amen!”
“For a long time these people have been ignored by the society,the government and also the media.Most people never cared about them, called them wahhaabees or haabees and made fun of (arguing with them is some kinda entertainmenty for most people) some of them who are always very much eager to preach their ‘message’.And the the government would every once in a while randomly arrest all ‘bearded’men and ‘face veiled’ women and sometimes torture them.The government found a useful enemy in them.Every now and then gayom would be preaching “some very few people among us do this and that in the name of islam...this is not like this. this is like that...dont worry i am here to protect and guide you”...but now we know this is more serious. more than what we thought.”
“as a kid when my mom dictates that and when i myself recite it after her voice...i used to think of a bright golden light, a palace which is illuminated with a golden light... and it have some thingy hung somewhere in the middle of it ... and this light comes from it...and spreads to the whole palace, illuminating it...and then through a small window ...it comes out and these needle-rays strike my chest (heart).....when the light touches me i can feel it.thats how it was to me, back then.thats what i felt about this thing.
”
“visited the place just when they discovered some corpses there .I heard that the research team will be leaving soon.that means the work will no be continued.Again after an year i went back to kaashidhoo and discovered that it was a play ground for children.they would go and pee in to the ancient well there.they would break parts of the historical remains of the temple(some kids even brought it to the house i was staying in).I was not shocked. because my house is not far from ali rasagefaanu Ziyaarai (in Male’) ,which was a junk heap until it was renovated and opened for tourists in October 2002.And he was mulim mujahid..... no wonder they wont give a damn about the remains of a Buddhist temple!!
There are several other Ziyaarais or shrines of Maldivian saints and heroes which have been neglected and even destroyed by the government.You all will know the area called Lonu ziyaarai kolhu, no more ziyaarai is there now.They even stopped Maldivian cultural festivals like Maaloodhu.My said that the giraavaru people practiced their traditional thaarajehun and vajidhuvun until it was banned by the government.
And then there is Dhivehi language.so many words used in different islands..are lost day after day...i dont think any effort is made to collect these words and document em(even jaa have done more than what they do by giving us the radheed free).and i thnak maldivesroyalfamily.com and maldivesculture.com for all the information ive got from them about my country,its culture and heritage”
“މިބަލާވެރިކަން! ، މިބަލާވެރިކަން!
މިބަލާވެރިކަން ނިމިދޭހެ ފިލާ؟
މިކަމުން މިންޖުވެ، އުޅެވޭހެ ހިލާ؟
މިކަމުން ދުވަހަކު، ނުވެވޭހެ ނަޖާ؟
ދާރުލް މި ފަނާ، ދާރުލް ހެ ބަލާ؟
ލެއްވީ މިއަޅާ ލިބުމަށްހެ ސަޒާ؟
ހޭތޮށަލި ދުޅައިން ނީދުނިޔެހިނގާ؟
ހޭމީ އެޖަހަންނަމު ތަ ބުނާ؟
ހޭނުލެވޭނެހެ މިކަމުން ނާމާން؟
ހޭނުވެވޭނެމި ހުރަގޭން މިނިވަން؟
ހޭނާރާނެ އިރެއް މިރެއަށް ކަޅުފޮއެ؟
ހޭމަންޒިލަކަށް ނުދެވޭނެ އަމާން؟
ބާރުންގަދަ ވީ ދަނޑިމާރުއަޅާ،
ވާށޭ މިނިވަން ވަގުތުން ހެވިލާ ،
ދާށޭ އަދުވީ މިދުނިޔެ އަޅާ!
އާނއޭ މިކަރަށް ދަންމަޅިމިމަހާ!”
“There were thousands of results but what is commonly associated with maldives is tourism, not terrorism.how ever yesterday’s news was covered by hundreds of news outlets around the globe.This struck me so much.It have been sometime since we started to talk about terror minded narrow minded groups of saudi and pakistan educated (some even trained at Islamic military camps) growing in maldives.But we just talked, we didnt do any thing. now they have stricken. is this the beginning?no, this cant be, but we’ve got work to do.Leave the political fights aside and lets concentrate on this serious issue at hand.we should be united, not divided by this.”
“It is the hypocrisy of Maldives government when it comes to religion ...that have created a breeding ground for jihadi islamic movements and islamic extremism in maldives.For example; we are told that we should follow Quran and Hadith...but we are lied about them.Lies which are so evident that even the kids will know some thing is wrong in those fatwas.Now when this happens children turns to islamic books or websites originating from saudi arabia or saudi funded groups, looking for answers.These will lay a foundation for the wahhabi islam.Now from this stage a person may develop in to anything...just a salafi,a follower of political islam (hizb-ut-tahrir/ikhwanul muslimeen?) or to a houri seeking jihadi muslim.I am not saying that it is their right to preach terrorism. but we cant define what the limits are ,as long as we try to strengthen the ‘islamic unity’ by force.Let it come by its own (if there is any such thing as an islamic unity) .
I think what we need to cultivate is not islamic unity and hatred for other religions.what we need is an free society, a free environment in which religious tolerance,humanism, and brotherhood would prosper.For this to happen we need social change as well as political change.To bring about this we need education,awareness,change of policies and a secular state or atleast a state with freedom of religion.A state which wouldn’t threaten to kill a person for choosing his or her own way of life or belief or for discussing a religious topic freely.Religion have to become more spiritual rather than being a ‘dividing-in-the-name-of-uniting’ force.Hate and violence would give nothing but hate and violence.The government should understand that these islamic groups too are maldivian citizens, faceveiled women and bearded men are our people..parents to our children...if you jail them beat them up just for what they believe or how they dress..it would be very unjust.I have known so far that .... two leaders of the dotcom group (the guys behind the bomb plot) have fled Maldives.This is what we need to concentrate on... bringing the violent and the terror breeding to justice and tackling the extremism problem ideologically.”
“Maldives’ sexual network...
Ali Didi is a business man in Male’.He owns two toy shops in Majeedhee magu.This guy who is in his 40’s lives in Male’ but travels to bangkok frequently, on ‘business trips’.On these business trips he spend few days after his work is done just to enjoy.And every night he have an invited guest to sleep with him (sometimes licensed sometime illegal road prostitutes).
Ali Di’s brother Ibrahim Didi have recently returned to Maldives after 3 Years working as a seaman (what we call boattudhathurukurun). He really enjoyed it there, especially the sex.At brothels, and even from young prostitutes who come on board when they are at certain ports.Ibrahim Di went to his Island and started a business there, now with Ali Di’s help he can stay home with family and work there (thank you Ali Di).
Ibrahim Di’s Eldest son Vishah works in a Tourist Resort near the Capital Male’, he is now visiting his island.Working in a tourist resort is fun for Vishah.Working in the water sports section; he often creates close relationships with visitors and some staff (foreign and local) too...and ofcourse have great sex. Now that he is in his Island, he needs locals to replace those friends.He have a ‘serious girl friend’ there. But he also found this lady in her 30’s - married to a 50 year old fisherman- very interesting. Vishah now contacts a friend and gives her the message. Well... the next day at dawn just as the fishermen left for work...Vishah goes in to that house...and all the doors were open .... Bang bang! (gud that this time he did not have to go through the window as he does at midnight when he goes in to rooms secretly..in the islands this is called meehunkairiahvanun, a very common thing).
Now, This fisherman husband of the lady... this pervert ...is interested in children.He is able to lure some kidsn his island.But when he is in Male’ he always hires drug addict underage girls...and Bang Bang!
and...one of them was aazimaa. She has a boy friend (jawish) who is also a drug addict.But recently she have broken up with him ...after she discovered that she is in a ‘serious’ relation ship with zaahiya a 13 year old in Ameeniya.And yeah when Jawish’s gang have little stuff in store, and cant afford more...sometimes they make ‘heroin solution’ with lime and any other stuff they like.This solution is mixed and heated on a table spoon and injected...all using the same needle.
Ali Di’s wife lives in a small 3 room apartment in Maafannu ,with her children. Zahiya is the youngest of them.Then there is Fathin (the bisexual, who was caught under a staircase in Ameeniya with nasreena - Jawish’s new Gf.) and the eldest Rashida.Rashida left to SriLanka for higher education 2 years back. She lives in a two room Apartment with 3 other girls in Lanka. She dont have a serious boy friend now, but some ‘friends with benefits’. One of them she met last month from a Disco (it was ‘dhivehi ecstasy’..and yeah...ecstasy and other party drugs were used there) organized by the Maldivian students there.His name is Malli...Malli is very special for Rashida, but she don’t want to go into a serious relationship...but ehhe..ofcourse... there is Bang Bang!day and night!
NOW , WHAT IF:
Monica with whom Vishah once had sex had HIV.... who and who are at risk? or for example..Malli was infected? or someone else.... How many of them take safety measures? ...i dunno... if vishah gets married to that ‘serious’ he had at the island. what will happen? ...and make more possibilities for yourself.”
“4 pedophiles (who gang raped a 12 year old after breaking in to her house breakin the window with an axe have been sentenced to 2 years banishment and 15 lashes. and our human rights (or is it prisoners’ rights) commision actually congratulated this . well... there was an improvement if you can call that; before this high court sentence (after an appeal)...it was even worse. then it was 8 months banishment only, for just ‘consensual sexual intercourse’!!!.... but congratulate?!! can we congratulate the rapists for just raping her and not murdering her afterwards?
and a lady who burned her 10 year old brother with a heated iron was sentenced to 6 months banishment.
These sentences are childabuse.
I believe that revealing the identity along with pictures of these rapists to the public is an important matter, and must be done so in the interest of the public. because we at least have a right to know rapists who are let loose, so that we may protect our children from them. And this is a responsibility of home ministry. but instead they even freaking helped them cover their faces from journalists, when taken in and out of justice building. but why is it? police often publicize pictures of people even before they have been sentenced, take for example the case of the sultan park terror attack and the recent vodka bust. how are these child molesters special?”
“Though this is not a very civilized thing to do it indeed is/was a part of Maldivian culture, i should say. this is what a classic zuvaabu would look like. i just wanted to share this...as this old (not so kool) custom of zuvaabu is uncommon nowadays. Parents would not send children to these zuvaabu scenes as it is usually an 18+ form of arguing, challenging and expressing anger, hatred, jealousy..or simply just mockery and angering the opponent. people say... that they even go to the extent when they would lift the kandiki (skirt) and hit on their private part and ..point at the opponent and say challengingly ; “mine is fairer than yours!”... as for guys they would also do same kinda thing by lifting their mundu (sarong) and hanging it on their head sometimes. It was earlier done in the form of raivaru poetry, which lead to the death of it as an art form...because it was used in this way...giving rise to a vulgar, abusive form of raivaru.
how uncivilized this may seem, it is far better than box cutter/sword attacks and home made bombs. maybe we could teach this to the whole world, so that it can replace war. then maldives could be the superpower maybe. ehehe. but ive seen similar zuvaabu in India though not this advanced. and here is an interesting zuvaabu from Muhammaa kalo’s ‘Bunyey bunyey’. i dont find him funny at all but i kinda liked that one; based on a real story from his island (ihavandhoo).”
“Gayom revoked Nasir’s ‘Kilege’ title and a stone in the Male’ international airport -which stated that airport was officially opened by Ibrahim Nasir- was thrown in to the sea, and was later replaced with something about Gayom reopening the airport. The prison where Gayom was allegedly tortured was destroyed and made in to the Biggest mosque in country and the center for brainwashing the people with the new version of Islam Gayom brought from Egypt. The hero of Maldives’ independence was pushed aside and on independence days we hear only the semi- mythical holy jihad tales from olden days . Gayom often make sure he does not to even mention Nasir’s name in his speeches.
No matter how jealous Gayom is with Nasir, or how much he hates him; history will have lot more good things to say about Nasir than about Gayom. Not that he did not do anything bad, but he is actually the father of modernization and development in Maldives, he laid the foundations of almost everything gayom failed to develop. Maybe that is why Zaeem hate him. Because he did everything Zaeem could have done (and take exaggerated credit along with titles and awards) if it wasn’t already done.
Now we are seeing the same kind of thing against Gayyoom. But still (being civilized maybe?) i think we are unable to top Gayyoom and his reformists in that. DO lava party is nothing compared to the auguraana, death threats..etc in those songs. Koto is nothing when compared to those cartoons. Demonstrations of that caliber have never been held against Gayom. But it is said that ‘history repeats itself’. Lets just hope it stops repeating from the point a new government is formed.Coz we don’t want another golhaa.
”
“its a lil late maybe. but i just wanted to congratulate all of us on this historical occasion of kicking out a brutal dictator who ruled over us -with extreme power, in which ever manner he wished- for 30 consecutive years. yup, i may have a problem with my short term memory and i maybe insane. but i still mean all that. father of democracy? oh puleeeez, he is the same gayoom. we maybe in ‘aneh dhivehi raajje’ but that does not change facts (is the world flat now? Duh), or is everything upside down in aneh Dhivehi raaje?).
I really liked and is happy for and am proud of the example of democracy, maldivian people and leaders have shown in this election. how Anni and Gayoom adressed the people and how Anni did not want revenge or how gayoom have been offered security and pension. I do like the fact that Gayoom decided to stay with us. i believe in goodness in humans. I dint know what to say after watching that on TVM. i never saw that coming.Gayoom accepting defeat and Anni not taking things personally, how the people united against gayoom, how the people used the power of the ballot to achieve this, how peacefully they did this...everything is amazing and i am very very happy to see this day turning out like this
..........But still the facts will remain as they are. A theif will never say he is a thief (especially when he is a very good liar). This is not a matter of Anni’s personal feelings towards Gayom. This has nothing to do with how humble he is. Do something else to prove that (try forgiving gayoom for your personal sufferings). Only the people can forgive Gayoom. This is just like Gayoom forgiving his brother in law and putting him back in the cabinet (and we forgot that too) or how he forgive dangerous criminals as afuaamu, to show that he is ‘ghafoor-ur-raheem’. How could he?, when those money belong to Maldivian people.
I may not be very religious, but i do knowhow these kinda stuff work with God.... God have forbidden forgiving of this sort for himself. Things God can not (by his own will) forgive include; taking away the rights of other people, or harming another person unjustly. So inorder to get in to paradise, these people should be forgiven by their victims. Or another deal is to transfer their good deeds to the victim’s account (if the sinner is out of credit, then he should transfer bad deeds from the victim’s account and suffer for those).naaeeees.
my point is; that it is a good thing...something we can be proud of..that Gayoom is still with us, that he is safe and is being given all his rights and all the credit he deserve (if nothing else, it could make him feel reallybad inside maybe.heehee.). But stuff he does not deserve (like saying he brought democracy to maldives) should not be given, and justice should be served. we’ve got a lot of cleaning up (the mess he made) to do and a lot of rebuilding to do, i understand. but we should never forget the facts and the truth.
once again i congratulate the people of maldives, the opposition leaders, Anni, and Gayom for being so civilised and showing that good example of democracy.this is a happy moment.a turning point.a new dawn.a beginning, not an end.
and to keep a record;
The Reformists: 54.21% (97,222 votes)
The Dictator: 45.79 (82,121 votes)
Invalid Votes: 1,861 (dumbasses!)
Eligible Voters: 209,294
Turn Out: 86.08%
note: i am still alive, i am just away from my blog and the blogosphere for many reasons. and btw, would dhohokko be peeping down from heaven, and saying ‘ah, there you go’....anywayz i dedicate this post to him.”
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The Evolution of Maldivian Democracy
The Evolution of Maldivian Democracy (2015)
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A Maldivian MP removes her hijab, and the whole country predictably freaks out
As always the reality of “Islam” or any ideology for that matter, depends on the framework within which you are practicing that ideology. If you are practicing in a largely secular country, with freedom of consciousness and all that jazz, chances are, you will probably craft your own version of Islam that is quite progressive. A version where the hijab becomes a “choice” and a symbol. If you are from the Maldives however, the reality of this “choice” being not a choice at all is made apparent from how society reacts to someone removing the hijab. A choice can only truly be a choice if it goes both ways, and the Maldivian social contract is most certainly not a two way street. This is paralleled in the Maldivian constitution and mindset where everyone is “born Muslim” but no one is allowed to leave. It's 2015 and people still love claiming that the Maldives is "100%" Muslim.
Below are the 10 top rated comments on a post made by Channel News Maldives facebook page. I simply waited 24hrs and let facebook decide what was “top” or not according to their algorithms. I kept the focus narrow for my sanity as there are more than 240 comments on it already at the time of writing; the majority of which is hateful nonsense. I think these comments, the support they have garnered, and the fact that a woman’s “personal choice” is somehow worthy of making national headlines, largely speak for themselves in terms of whether or not the hijab is a “choice” in Muslim majority countries such as the Maldives; where the garment even seems to take priority over medical conditions.
At first I wasn't going to censor the names of these people, since they are so public in their bullying, but I've decided against it. I will instead censor their names as ugly and messily as possible. That will be the extent of my self inflicted bad taste.
1.
Translation: “If you believe you will get salvation/treatment/better from doing what is forbidden by Allah, then you have reason to reflect upon/revise your faith.”
2.
Translation:
Person One: “Can you say that on the day of questioning??? That the doctor told you to take of the hijab(burugaa)?? That you started wearing a bikini because the doctor told you??”
Person Two: “That is a great point Adam Shahydhoo.”
3.
Translation:
Person One: “Asmaa, why don’t you just stop wearing clothes, is it because of the doctor that you took it off (to do something new).”
Person Two: “Yeah that will make the doctor much happier eh?”
4.
5.
Translation: “(I) don't know why this should be news.”
6.
Translation: “She just claimed it was religion of the ideology of Zaeem (Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom) and wore it to get elected to her parliament seat. However (she) only does whatever she does in name only. Previously Zaeem had said he’s a religious person and bragged and boasted about it loudly. Now what.”
7.
Translation: “It’s lucky (she) wasn’t ordered to take off her clothes.”
8.
Translation: “Look, even if you did take of the hijab, if you aren’t outdoors 24hrs a day, why don’t you just wear it when you go outside? If you feel discomfort after you cover yourself for even such a tiny amount of time, can’t you wait when you’re outside for a small amount of time? You sound like you feel crazy for putting it on when you say stuff like that.”
9.
Translation: “A higher authority than the doctor has commanded (the hijab) because no harm can come from it to women.”
10.
Translation: “The authority that gives one illness is also the authority who will take it away… This is not related to the hijab… May Allah grant Asma sound thinking.. Amen.”
Because just ONE comment from the entire top 10 questioning the news worthiness of the article is kind of depressing, here is a bonus from further down the thread that sincerely asks people to leave her alone (using religious justification that still makes the hijab obligatory, but its still better than nothing). If for nothing else, it's useful to illustrate how they immediately get shut down.
