| DATE: 2007-10-16 | HNS
MALE, October 16, 2007 (Haveeru News Service) -- Former Attorney General Dr. Hassan Saeed today revealed a part of a damning letter he sent to the President of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs stating that the Council was a \"failed institution.\"
Saeed today revealed one page of the 15-page letter he sent on January 10 to Sheikh Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim claiming that the latter in part was to blame for some of the shortcomings as head of Maldives\' highest Islamic authority.
On the first page of the letter which was shown to Haveeru Daily reporters, Saeed had written to Rasheed condemning him for first failing the Justice Ministry, and in similar manner, then failing the Supreme Council.
When Rasheed became the President of the Council, most of the Maldivian people embraced a moderate path of Islam, Saeed had written.
Saeed then questioned what measures, if any, Rasheed had been taking even though the latter was well aware that extremism was taking root in Maldives.
Saeed sent the long letter to Rasheed after differences emerged between the two when the case of \"Fussaru\" Adam Mohamed was sent to the High Court for appeal. Fussaru was accused of contributing to the factors leading to the killing in custody of inmate Evan Naseem and the subsequent riots in the Maafushi prison in September 2003 which led to a shoot-out by security officers resulting in the death of more inmates.
Saeed today said that he had sent that particular letter in reply to a letter sent to Saeed by Rasheed. However, he did not elaborate on the nature of the letter he said he had received from Rasheed.
Rasheed was unavailable for comment today but he had earlier confirmed that he had received that letter from Saeed.
In the letter sent to Rasheed, Saeed asked Rasheed to disclose measures, if any, that he had taken when extremists were found to wed and divorce outside of courts, marry minors, and incite and carry out assault and murder in the name of Islam.
Saeed accused Rasheed of turning a blind eye to the events leading to North Ari atoll Himandhoo island to becoming a den for extremists. Saeed further alleged that Rasheed had sent an advisory team to the island only when the situation had already worsened.
Himandhoo was recently in the media spotlight after physical confrontations between a breakaway extremist group and Police and the Military took place after police tried to conduct an investigation in the island to capture a suspect linked to the September 29 bombing of the Sultan Park in the capital Male which injured 12 foreign tourists and which was seen as the first terror attack specifically targeting the tourism industry, the backbone of the Maldives’ economy.
Saeed alleged that even the Council\'s advisory team to Himandhoo was ill-equipped to deal with the situation.
In the letter Saeed also alleged Rasheed of harboring extremists under his own umbrella who went out into society spreading deviant ideas. He alleged Rasheed of arrogance, stubbornness and of being an autocrat who could not take criticism.
Saeed alleged that Rasheed used his powers to transfer moderate scholars in the Council who held views that were not agreeable to Rasheed.
Saeed then took a bitter jab at Rasheed by pointing out that the sermons currently given at Juma (Friday) prayers across Maldives were archaic and draconian sermons written way back in former President Ibrahim Nasir\'s time some 28 years ago; Saeed said that this demonstrated Rasheed\'s “colossal failure” and that this was testimony to Rasheed’s negligence and gross mismanagement.
\"That\'s the best you can do at failing,\" Saeed had written in the letter which dripped of sarcasm.
He added that \"We don\'t even know if there ever will come a day when the Dhivehi (Maldives\' native language) translation of the Koran will be completed.\"
Saeed then said that the only option now for Rasheed would be “to gracefully resign while there is still time to bow out with the good reputation you currently enjoy”.
Saeed also added that the Council should be handed over to people capable of doing their jobs properly.
No comments:
Post a Comment