Archive
26th - 31st Oct 2004
Sunday
31 October
2004
Local News
- Forgeries fool
Bank
Fake
500 Rufiyaa notes in circulation
Male' - Reports from
the Maldives capital
confirm there has been an increase in the
circulation of forged Mrf500
banknotes over the last few
weeks. It is believed some people have
received fake notes from Bank
of Maldives ATMs as well.
Two ladies shopping at the
popular Sindithaa Shop in Male'
were found with forged Mrf500 notes, but they insisted
they had just withdrawn the
currency from a Bank of Maldives ATM.
DO has
received information that
the Maldives Monetory Authority (MMA) has notified all
local banks about the situation. The public
is largely unaware of the
situation, despite the
notice from local papers published below.
Recently, the
well-known
Monalalas shop was closed for a day
as part of an
investigation into the
fake notes, but the shop
management was cleared of
any involvement.
Currency forgery and money
laundering are nothing new to Maldives. It is believed the source of this illegal operation
is based in India.
500 Rufiyaa is not a small
amount for an average person.
For some Maldivians, it is
more than a week's
wages.
Islam
- history
Muhammad and Maldive Islam
Until recently
there was no available Dhivehi translation of
the Koran,
and fluency in Arabic is rare among Maldivians. Hence the Koran
remained mysterious and remote.
Each year during the fasting month of Ramadan, there is a Dhivehi
radio broadcast of the Biography of Muhammad written by Hussain Salahuddheen and first published in 1937. A printed version is also available in three attractive and widely circulated volumes. Hence Muhammad, and not the Koran, remains central to many
Maldivians' understanding of Islam.
read
more
Local News
- Gayyoom intimidation
continues
|
 |
|
Mohamed Shihab |
 |
|
Ibrahim Ismail |
|
Mohamed Shihab and Ibrahim
Ismail summoned to the
police today
Members of the
Parliament
Mohamed Shihab and Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra)
have been
summoned to the police this afternoon.
This is directly related to their intention to stand for
Male' seats in the upcoming general parliamentary
elections.
President
Gayyoom's illegal activities
continue to mount as he
tries to intimidate reformists
and prevent them
campaigning for the 31
December People's Majlis
elections.
New members
elected for the People's
Majlis are automatically
members of the Special
constitutional Majlis. If
Gayyoom's families and
close associates lose
control of the People's
Majlis on 31 December,
Gayyoom cannot remain in
power.
Gayyoom's
actions are 'absolutely outrageous, this must
stop,' a senior government
official told DO. 'Perhaps the
only way for change is for all of us to resign from
government,' he added.
One
of the men ordered to the
police station, Mohamed Shihab
the Managing Director
of Maldives Post Limited (Government),
is the longest
serving elected MP in the country.
Shihab was questioned about a
letter he delivered to the Speaker of the Majlis
at the
last meeting, which is believed to be a letter from
Ibrahim Ismail who was in
jail at that time. The
irony is that Shihab is the
Postmaster General of the
Maldives and he is now being
questioned about delivering mail.
Treasury
funds for illegal
campaigning by
ministers
New Cabinet Members
running for seats in Addu and Male'
Sources in Male' have
confirmed that Gayyoom's
newly appointed cabinet members are going to run
for parliament in the upcoming elections. Hamdhoon
Hameed and Dr. Shaugee are to stand for Male' seat and
Dr. Musthafa Luthfy is to stand for
an Addu (Seenu) atoll seat.
Gayyoom's party wants to
ensure they have a majority in both
the People's and Special
Majlis. All members of the
People's Majlis become
members of the Special
Majlis which also contains
extra elected members. New
members of the Special
Majlis were elected early
this year. Many of them
have been beaten and
tortured by President
Gayyoom.
Early
election campaigning is
banned in Maldives but
Gayyoom's candidates are
permitted to ignore this
law and use treasury funds
to illegally finance their
campaigns.
They campaign
as they wish at public
expense, meeting and lobbying
voters. It is believed that all cabinet members and
government aides will be seeking election, so that
Gayyoom will not have to
use them as appointees
to the new majlis (parliament).
This
will allow Gayyoom to
choose from among his more
fanatical followers for the
8 appointed seats expected
to remain the president's
perogative in the new
constitution Gayyoom has
prepared and is now
forcing the Special Majlis
to accept.
Special
Majlis members who refuse
to accept Gayyoom's plans
are harassed, arrested and
tortured.
Short
Story
Past the midnight hour
A trolley holds an assortment of liquors,
an ice-bucket
and tongs. The men are speaking in hushed low tones. They have had that fine taste
of power. They are now ready to sup greedily.
read
more
History
- 20th century
The
Fall of Maldives first President Mohamed
Ameen
In the evening, there was a roll call of the names of those the Male' crowd did not like. The people wanted them removed from their government posts. This list included people such as the Chief Justice, Minister of Trade, Minister of Communication, deputy Attorney General, the heads of Henveiru Ward, senior military officers and the manager of government Bodu Store Kuda Ibrahim Maniku.
After a while, police arrested most of the people the crowd named.
read
more
Translation
Ameen
in 'The Clouds of War' -
1944
Ahaa! Here they come, looming noisier and larger with each passing moment. The leading plane is only a tiny butterfly when we first see it. As it approaches, others appear, and suddenly all three are overhead. Then we lose sight of them completely until they descend gracefully onto the runway. Beautiful... Well done! In the garden of my imagination I long to be aboard one of these magnificent machines, flying through the open skies, bombing and duelling with an enemy submarine.
read
more
Saturday 30th October
2004
urwbwK
cnuLofWLwt eguqWrif clWmcsia iaWdIaws .rD
cnutogEheb Waelwk"
:udIaws .rD
"IneLua EnUn caekwtwkwhWvitIr Wm iawgEretuSwr
cSwribWj cnegenub unImWy IneLuait Elwk":uqWrif clWmcsia
"?uncnwkEd WdOh csevcSwred
Dictator
Removal Manual
From
Dictatorship to Democracy
Albert
Einstein Institution
Includes
chapters: Dangers of
Negotiations, Need for
Strategic Planning,
Disintegrating the
Dictatorship, and Methods
of Non-Violent
Action.
167k PDF
file
Dictator
of the Month: November, 2004
Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom
According to Gayyoom's official biography, he
became friends after a state visit to Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 1980.
Similar to Hussein, some of Gayyoom's critics allege that he is not a
believer in Islam, and uses Islam as a political tool to increase
support. It is also alleged that some islanders actually believe he is
third is the holy hierarchy - first Allah, followed by Muhammad and then
Gayyoom or Kuda Kuda Kalaan'ge, ('little little god', referring to his
physical size).
read more
The World's Dictators in 2004
Here is a comprehensive gallery of the
world's dictators. We define a dictator as the ruler of a land rated
"Not Free" by Freedom House in
their
annual survey of freedom.
read more
Minivan
Radio
Attorney
general Hassan Saeed unfit
for office, says Ibrahim
Luthfee
The government has been scheming carefully to make the most effective cases possible against innocent people. That is why
charges have been delayed, Luthfee told
Minivan. The reformers are lawyers or have legal advice, and they are refusing to sign false statements, he said.
read
more
Naube'
- the art of suffering
The extraordinary
tale of Naushad Waheed (Naube') - one of Maldives most
talented artists
Friends call him Naube'
and he is best known for being an outspoken critic of
President Gayyoom, but Naushad Waheed, 41, is one of the
greatest painters and illustrators in Maldives.
Naube's family has experienced many years of abuse at
the hands of President Maumoon Gayyoom. In 1979 only a
year after Gayyoom came to power, Naube's late mother,
Aishath Manike, was summoned by the National Security
Service (NSS) for telling a friend that she preferred
former President Nasir to the new Gayyoom. This harmless
expression of opinion was understandable, given that
Naube's father Hassan Manik worked for former President
Ibrahim Nasir for several years.
Gayyoom was furious and banished Aishath Manike to a
remote island with a one month old baby, Naube's
youngest sister. Naube himself was sixteen at the time.
Even today, the family remember this cruel and needless
banishment of their mother by Gayyoom.
read more
ulWyiK
Wfuaitcsia egunUmuawm
*
cawteaWlunWkwmwk
cnugcawh ?eveycaehiv caerWvWhik
cnuhwfemcnea
uhwfcawmukcaedWyinwa iaWgulwj cawkwywb
cSwmunidWfIdWfuitcsia .eveSWrukUdwmwhInuhej
.evetoawbea utugwv
csevidwa
Enedcaedctwh
egumwkirevWyinwa cswTcauh iawfevcnutinih
'' cnIaum Wxuawn '' EtencaemwkenEdUd cSwyelirukWyinwa
iawgiawbcsWt egunUmuawm - Irwbcnwa
uDWywTir *
wncnwm WyiLiC
cnwlwg
egcnirevcneL
urutwd irukcnuSwdcSwd *
cmIlwh
WnIrcswn cnukwlumcawauf
egEjcaWr Wncsiv WlWrud cSwrwv IkwmUycawg cludcbwa
unUmuawm *
cnumwvuLwa cnuDwmuDwm cnumwdnob cnuDwmuDwm
cSwncnItemwkin
Encsivurud csevcSwrwv WscawjiawgILwm csogcnumwvuLwa
.evekehImirevurib
ulWyiK
egIKurusim
''(1cTrWP) udemWkwtcnuyil caeawb WviawgcnwaiviDclOm wd''
*
iawgrwvrwzcboa ihevid iawg 2004 rwbOTckoa 28 iawguSwd
...iawfinef unUmczwm Wviawfeyil ''caeairetcnuyik''
rwTrOpir egOaID wncnuh
iawgUduLodnwk .r
uLokctwf
unUmuawm cSwmIhWrcbia uduaws WyirevuLotwa uLotwa .r
*
iawb egcaeairWmwncnwr cSokwrWkix cnidukcnehcnwa cnWvuz eguLotwaIvcaed
?eveaWbcneLuk
ctwrubia
cniaeret eguKIrWt
csIawr
egWycairUhcmuj wmwtwruf egEjcaWrihevid *
ctogwyidimin cnImwa udwmcnwhum
cniacnwaiviDclOmwd
caetog
enWdigcnih csilcjwm wBcaWK egcnutiycawr *
Friday 29th October
2004
ulWyiK
caeaWlwscawm
ImWvcqwa cluniawb - wlwscawm egWyinwa *
journalism.co.uk
Writers languish in Maldive jails
Press freedom
group
Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) has expressed
growing concern for a group of cyber-dissidents who are
serving lengthy sentences for publishing pro-democracy
information online. read more
read more
|
 |
|
Director Nazeer, Sunland
Group, has been in
solitary confinement
without charge
for
56
days,
since
28 September 2004 |
|
Local
News
Infighting between acting Tourism Minister
Ismail Firaq and Attorney General Dr.
Saeed over Vilivaru-Biyaadhoo
resort bids
Male' - A fierce row broke
out yesterday between
acting Tourism minister
Ismail Firaq and
Dr. Saeed the Attorney
General with regard to the
re-evaluation of the Biyaadhoo
resort bid, which was recently
granted to Sunland
company.
It is believed that Gayyoom has
instructed Dr. Saeed to re-evaluate the bid and award
the island to late bidder Mr. Ahmed Zahid
(Six-X), a cousin of
Gayyoom.
It is believed
Ismail
Firaq heavily influenced the outcome of the awards,
and since one of the
directors of
Sunland group is
currently in custody after
Black Friday 13 August, Gayyoom
wishes to punish the whole group. Furthermore, Gayyoom's
brother Yameen wants the resort
awarded
to one of his 'boys'
rather than someone else.
'Mr. Nazeer's alleged
involvement in politics is going to cost the group
millions,' said a friend of the
brothers who own the fast-expanding and efficient Sunland.
Local
News
Harins Hannan and Moosa
Rameez arrested
Male' - Police have
arrested Harins Hannan (Waitheyo) and Moosa Rameez
today, according to
confirmed reports. Moosa was released from detention last week after
more than 65 days in custody.
It is believed they
are were arrested because they
are preparing candidate applications for the
coming general Majlis
elections on 31 December
2004. Gayyoom is not allowing any known
reformists to take part in the elections.
Although
campaigning before the declaration of the candidates by
Election Commission is against the
law in Maldives, Gayyoom's
friends and family are
being allowed to campaign freely in the
islands.
Abbas Ibrahim,
current member for Huvadhu
Atoll South is campaigning
there. There are many
similar reports about government ministers
doing the same thing.
Gayyoom's brother Hameed, the Atolls Minister,
has threatened some islands that they will suffer
economically as well as physically if they fail to
support and elect government candidates.
This is a clear
indication that Gayyoom wants to
control the outcome
of the election and ensure
the Maldives Majlis
parliament
remains just a 'rubber
stamp' for orders from the
President's Office.
News Source: Khaleej Times
Commonwealth Secretary General
concerned over continued custody of political detainees
in Maldives
The Commonwealth secretary general also praised Maldives
for launching steps towards democratic reform, but
expressed concern over the continued custody of
political detainees.
President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom lifted a state of
emergency this month which had been imposed to crack
down on political dissidents.
"Clearly,
everyone would like to see the issue behind them rather
than in front of them," McKinnon said.
The emergency giving wide powers to
Gayyoom was declared
on August 13 after thousands of people demonstrated in
Male demanding democratic reforms the president himself
had promised.
It was lifted after international condemnation and a
European Union resolution seeking an aid embargo on
Asia’s most expensive tourist destination.
The Maldivian government initially said it detained 185
people after the August protests, but last month said
only 78 people remained in custody, including seven
parliamentarians. read Khaleej Times
Local
News
Gayyoom
forced to release more reformists
Several key members of the reform movement
were released early this morning. They
include Husnu Al Suood, Hussain
Rasheed,
Firshan
Zahir
and Ahmed Adam.
read
more
The
new speaker of the Special
constitutional
Majlis
Abbas
Ibrahim - the bear with long claws
'Now that we have the power, we can do anything we want. And I want to have you cut up into little pieces and fed to the
crows.' read
more
The
nation and Islam
Maumoon Gayyoom and Nationalism in Maldives
The Maldives health and education systems are under-funded, while the National Security Service has money to waste on all sorts of horrible
things and Gayyoom darts from one luxury hiding-hole to the next like a golden
kakuni.
read
more
Torture
news
No change in US torture policy
Asia Times, 29 Oct 2004
'The failure to substantially change policy and practice after the scandal of Abu Ghraib leaves the US government completely lacking in credibility when it asserts its opposition to torture'
read more
Thursday 28 October
2004
iawfiverukuzWmwa
cSwCcawmcnurwhwa 18
wtwvun iawguaWfid
egumuawg Ikwncniawfis
cnunWvuawa egWnEa WnUmuawm
?WbcaeawbEbit cnwruk uaWfid
The culture of institutionalized torture
in Maldives
Torture:
" Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether
physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted by or at
the instigation of a public official on a person for
such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person
information or confession, punishing him for an act he
has committed or is suspected of having committed, or
intimidating him or other persons." - Customary
International Law of Human Rights under which a
State violates international law if, as a matter of
state policy, it practices, encourages, or condones
torture or prolonged arbitrary detention.
read more
What does the
Commonwealth know about Maldives?
Submission of the
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) to the
Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group's meeting, 25th
September 2004
The
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) is committed
to providing a civil society perspective on human rights
issues covered by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action
Group. As such, please find below details of our
concerns and recommendations regarding the one country
currently on CMAG's agenda, Pakistan; a country that is
fast deteriorating and requires immediate Commonwealth
action, Maldives; and a former Commonwealth member,
Zimbabwe. We have also included our recommendations
regarding the future activity of CMAG.
read more
thetravelrag.com - the
independent traveller's online read
Paradise
lost
Following on from
her report last year on alleged human rights abuses
being committed in the paradisiacal Maldives, Rebecca
Cork, returns to the issue and finds violence remains
unchecked.
They call them the Paradise Islands, but behind the
white beaches, the rolling surf and the palm trees of
the Maldives lurks a darker reality. Tourists may be
pampered and stress-free, but others in the island
republic are routinely beaten or murdered by thugs
working for the nation’s ruthless dictator. read more on
read
more
ulWyih
egcaeairetcnuyik
(1-cTrWp)
udemWkwtcnuyil caeawb Wviawg cnwaiviDclOm wd *
Wlcawjwm
udwdwa wscaWh -
9 iLOrulugwn *
cneL
cnirev ihevid *
The Worlds Worst Dictators
Mirror.co.uk
Here is a list of the
world's 10 worst living dictators as compiled by
dictator-watcher David Wallechinsky in collaboration
with Amnesty International, Freedom House, Human Rights
Watch and Reporters Without Borders.
read more
ABC News
link
Four Britons
sue US officials over Guantanamo 'torture'
The four are
seeking a total of $US10 million in damages in
the action in a Washington district court.
read more
see also:
Center for Constitutional Rights - A letter from
Guantanamo
Wednesday 27 October
2004
Local
News
Hon.
Adhil to be charged and removed from the Constitutional
Assembly
Hon.
Ahmed Adhil, Special Majlis member, will be charged with
criminal offences for participating in the Black Friday
demonstration on 13t August 2004, according to sources
at the attorney general's office.
Adhil's case will be processed quickly because he has
become a problem for Gayyoom. Adhil is the nephew of
Health Minister Aneesa Ahmed, and he has made it clear
that his aunty being a top government minister does not
hinder or discourage him from proceeding with his proper
duties and responsibilities.
Adhil holds a Master of Business Administration and is
one of many capable young politicians emerging in
Maldives. He went to the Republican Square with other
members of the constitutional assembly such as Qasim
Ibrahim because they were asked to go there by senior
government officials to control the crowd and negotiate
with them.
Adhil was summoned by the NSS on 27 August 2004, two
weeks after the demonstration ended, and he was
transferred to Dhoonidhoo Prison immediately and kept in
solitary confinement for 47 days. Adhil was released on
9 October 2004.
Adhil is also among the 23 MPs who walked out of
parliament on 19 July 2004 in protest against the
actions of then Speaker of the Majlis, Gayyoom's brother
Hameed, who had insisted on a show of hands election for
the constitutional assembly speaker's position instead
of a secret ballot as stipulated by the constitution.
No
ballots for breakfast
My First
Experience of GAYYOCRACY
At around 8.30am that day,
our new voters went to the polling area. The person in
charge asked us to give our names. He went through a
list and put a mark next to our names. Then we were
asked to go home after having a hearty breakfast of milk
tea, boiled eggs and bananas.
We enjoyed the breakfast, but I swear to God, we never
saw any ballot papers.
read more
Minivan
Radio Program 12 uploaded
Special Announcement :
From 31st
October 2004, Minivan Radio will be broadcast on a new
frequency of 11810 Khz (11.810 Mhz) 25 Meter Band
click to listen to Minivan Radio
Editorial
A
new breed of politicians needed in the Maldives
We must work together to remove the
incompetent and irresponsible majlis members who now
occupy the legislative council. The international
attention on Maldives at this crucial time, with the
possibility of having election observers from the
Commonwealth and possibly European Union on the ground
in Maldives, with the possibility of having
international media in the country during the elections,
Gayyoom is hampered in his efforts to rig the votes and
arrest his opponents. There has never been a better
opportunity to stand for the Maldives parliament than
this.
read
more
THIRD
ANNUAL WORLDWIDE PRESS FREEDOM INDEX
Maldives
ranked 157th & North Korea 167th (the worst) - Denmark
is ranked Top
Reporters Without Borders announces its third annual
worldwide index of press freedom. Such freedom is
threatened most in East Asia (with North Korea at the
bottom of the entire list at 167th place, followed by
Burma 165th, China 162nd, Vietnam 161st and Laos 153rd)
and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia 159th, Iran 158th,
Syria 155th, Iraq 148th).
The Maldives (157th) lost ground in this year's index
because of a crackdown on journalists and pro-democracy
activists by long-time President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom.
read more
Mohamed Nasheed (Anni)
threatens Gayyoom with UK torture cases, if reformers
charged in Maldives
'Maldivians are now
entitled to lodge a UK claim of torture against
torturers in Maldives,' Nasheed says. 'Someone accused
of torture in Maldives can be tried in a UK court if the
claim is made in the UK.'
'A Maldivian accused of torture in a UK court can be
arrested if the accused person arrives in London. If
that person visits another country where the UK has
signed an agreement allowing exchange of criminals and
accused people, the UK government can ask for that
person's extradition to UK.'
read more
News in
Brief
Big Ears for NSS snoops
We
have received credible reports that the NSS has recently
imported
Cellular Phone
Interception Systems to the Maldives.
These units
are described as "an advanced GSM monitoring,
listening and recording system designed to intercept GSM
cellular traffic. It is the most sophisticated and
advanced state of the art equipment of its kind. It is
custom made to certain specifications according
to the cellular system in your country." The
units are sold only to governments and law enforcement
agencies.
"The GSM Cellular
Monitoring System is an advanced OFF AIR monitoring
system designed to intercept and track all cellular
traffic, within a city or region operating according to
GSM standards. The system tracks up to 1000 simultaneous
conversations and provides voice monitoring and call
information display, at a central monitoring station."
The systems are priced at
$420,000 each.
The Maldivian Constitution
clearly states that letters, messages and other means of
communication are inviolable. Article 20 of the
constitution says, "Letters, messages, telephonic
conversations and such other means of communication
shall be inviolable. Such letters, messages, telephonic
conversations and other means of communication shall not
be intercepted, read, listened to or divulged except as
expressly provided by law."
The use of this system,
without constraint, by the NSS contravenes the
constitution and the law of Maldives.
Read more about the
systems
cnuhUn urIvwh
WncnuhIm iruk udcnwb cnegiLug Wmuhejunwmwh igcnih
iawgunWdiawm IrUhcmuj *
Inwvcawruk caegIguhwt cnwvinim cnunwximok cscTiawr
cnwmuaih EretEd
!uLwgcnwr csevWhemcnwtik Wyijcaevun cnehIv cawTOpir
cnwximok urWtcaws
Tuesday 26 October 2004
cnumwlwg egincnwa
WvuAwd egujWt
**
egiawjrwduSwd wtwvun InWscniaWl ,irevWyinwa cnehinehea
iaWmurukWyinwa *
Wmwjurwt ihevid - WdwhWaum uLoked Wmunid ubwdwa
iaWmugcnih ulwmwA
!Wfcaokiaos iawguhwmulIrcPEa urwhwaim wgWdwhWaumim
InwvurWkurws ihevid
cawrWkurws ihevid Inwvcniruk urwhwa 2 egIm cawmuruk
iaos iawgWdwhWaumim
iteDob WviawfWgnih iawgEreturwhwa 2 wyidevutEv .eveawfId
utwvuawd
wmwnirukulwmwa evireviawb iawgIm cawtWsidWH
irevwmWtih egurwm iaWkwtWyinwa
!csIgihun
cnuLotwauDcawa
wkwhWv
egukwtIrwTckef egumwg - utwlWH eguLotwauDcawa *
News in
Brief
Rules of Procedure bog down Gayyoom's special 'family'
Majlis - democratic reform still a dream
The emasculated Special constitutional Majlis met in
Male' last night at 9pm for the first time this Ramadan.
It was decided at the meeting to have a 25 member
committee to draft the rules of procedure of the Special
Majlis. The election of the 25 members will be held
tonight. An earlier Special Majlis that prepared the
current constitution for 16 years from 1981 to 1997, did
not have a rules of procedure. Everything was run
according to the whims of the ruling elite and Gayyoom
himself, and that situation continues today.
This procedural manoeuvring is designed to remove the
focus from the important issue at hand - real
constitutional reform. Government insiders report that
Gayyoom wants the constitutional power to appoint a
Prime Minister and ensure that his one of his family
members is the future President.
Gayyoom has failed to convince Maldivians he is acting
in the national interest. The NSS attack on Male' and
opposition leaders and supporters during 2004 has
convinced Maldivians that Gayyoom rejects all meaningful
democratic reform. This belief was reinforced when his
brother-in-law Abbas Ibrahim and his nephew were elected
by a few days ago as speaker and deputy speaker of the
Special constitutional Majlis. This election by show of
hands was contrary to the constitution's specific
instruction that all important elections be held by
secret vote.
Last night's meeting
started at 9pm and went on late till 12.30am. Tonight's
session is expected to start at 9pm.
Maldives appoints top spy
and torturer as Delhi ambassador
Anbaree Abdul Sattar has
operated his own intelligence network for years within
the National Security Service (NSS) on behalf of
President Maumoon Gayyoom, and there is no reason to
suppose his network has been dismantled.
Anbaree's move to Delhi places a senior NSS spy in the
middle of the region's most important diplomatic
community. Many Maldivians believe Anbaree is unfit for
public office, and his appointment to this prestigious
position is an insult to Maldives' largest neighbour.
read more
Maldives' moves - Frontline update
World news
Saudi mini-revolt fizzles
newsday.com
RIYADH,
Saudi Arabia -- The quiet revolt began with late-night
meetings in living rooms and cafes. Academics, lawyers,
businessmen and journalists drafted polite petitions and
communiques demanding reform. They wanted an elected
parliament, an independent court system and basic rights
for women in a society where they can't even drive.
read more
Reading material
Al-Tawhid
A Criticism of the Idea of Arab
Nationalism
Dr.
Muhammad Yahya
The Arab nationalist writings place a high value on
their `independence' slogan. This has been their battle
cry against the `Uthmani State and it has been raised
against the occupying foreign powers in the Arab
countries. It is the main element in their political
outlook and a constant part of their propaganda.
read more
