The Maldives government on Tuesday dissolved an activist group after it found that a report published by the organisation on religious radicalisation contained content against Islamic laws.
The ministry of community empowerment said in a statement that it informed the Maldives Democracy Network (MDN) that the group has been deregistered and has 45 days to settle debts and complete other formalities.
The group was suspended last month amid investigations that a report published in 2016 was slanderous to Islam. Though the report had been on the group’s website for more than three years, the government opened a case only last month, heeding to a demand by some preachers. The government said that there is widespread public condemnation of the report because of blasphemous content.
Religious scholars and the public have been calling to ban the organization following the contentious publication by the organization. While the police investigation found the report to have mocked Islam, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih earlier assured that the matter will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate measures will be taken as stipulated under the Maldives constitution. However, protests and rallies were held across Maldives due to lack of action against the organization, and called to ban the NGO.
The police recently summoned founder of the organization Shahindha Ismail, and an official involved in preparing the report Azra Naseem for questioning. While a period of two weeks was granted to present themselves to police headquarters, neither individual presented themselves for questioning. Both Shahindha and Azra are currently abroad.
The opposition had warned of a popular uprising and inevitable consequences as protests continued across the country calling on the government to ban NGO Maldivian Democracy Network. Religious scholars had also launched the campaign to ban MDN earlier this month after screenshots of offensive sections in the report were widely shared on the social media. The government reacted by suspending the NGO after the Islamic ministry asked police to investigate. But the campaign continued unabated on social media and protest marches took place on several islands over the past three weekends.
Last week, former president Abdulla Yameen had also joined a demonstration staged by opposition supporters outside the Progressive Party of Maldives office in Malé. The Maldivian people will not tolerate freethinkers or liberal ideologies in the name of democracy when it comes to matters of religion, the opposition leader had declared.
An impartial investigation could not be carried out as MDN’s officials were in top posts of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration, he alleged, accusing the government of planning to revise school curriculums to teach secular ideologies. “If we have to boycott schools we should be ready to boycott schools as well,” Yameen had said, repeating allegations that the MDP was funded by foreign parties with an agenda to erase Islam from the Maldives.
At least 110 local councils – out of 200 islands, atoll and city councils – had also put out statements condemning the report and backing calls to ban MDN, including several with MDP majorities.