President Mohamed Nasheed has said that in the name of protecting Islam, the real call of these religious protestors is to initiate the implementation of Islamic penalties such as stoning, hand-cutting and execution in the Maldives. He made this statement while speaking in his weekly radio address delivered this morning on the issues of certain Islamic laws and commandments.
President Nasheed noted that in consideration of all its actions to date, it is evident that the State has a tradition of pardoning strict punishments for criminal offenses committed against the Islamic Law. However, he highlighted that in the exercise of penal flagellation, the Government has not exempted any convicts charged with adultery from punishment. Therefore, the President spoke on the urgent need to discern and decide on the validity of these controversial claims with regard to the Islamic Law.
Speaking in this regard, the President reaffirmed that all actions taken by the Government in matters involving Islamic Jurisprudence, the Government will base its course of action only on the consensus and counsel of Islamic scholars. The President also added that this was a decision taken by the ruling party MDP and that this policy will be followed through as had been decided.
The President emphasised the importance of reconsidering the penal code in light of the above propositions, and urged the Parliament to complete the task of establishing a new penal code during their next term. He expressed his full confidence in the collective capacity of the Parliament to bring legislative changes as beneficial to the nation and its people.
The President also expressed the need for clarity by all the political parties in outlining their positions on these controversial religious issues being tackled in today’s heated climate of socio-political concerns.