This time the Giant Buddha on Baa atoll Landaa giraavaru island was 'legal'.but some years back Fareesha O'Shea of the famous Maldivesculture.com website (An Australian lady of Maldive descent) was arrested for arriving from Bali (Indonesia) with a "Buddha used for Christian worship".And a police officer who did some kinda training in India got a trophy with an image of a hindu deity...it was confiscated from airport (most probably...the customs officers handed it over to the army and they burnt it safely...in a way that qaumee ebbai vanthakan and zamaanussure dhivehinge medhugai onna ukhuvvaiy therikan will not be harmed.haha.)
what kind of 'islamic fiqh' is this?Maybe this is 'gayoomee fiqh'.
there was a similar fatwa given by uttama (Maldives’ Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim). It was on a religous radio programme aired by VOM (i think the name of it is Olhigandu..it was aired every Friday night) .there was a Q&A session,and one Maldivian guy questioned about Christian tourists visiting the Islamic center and Mosque in Male'.Apparently the guy was not happy with some of them wearing crosses and crucifixes on their neck.And uttama gave the fatawa.
"It is haraam to carry a Cross into mosques which are the houses of God on earth.If any one goes into a Mosque carrying a big cross...we must not allow him to do so,we must send him out immediately.but, as for tourists wearing small crosses on their neck,that is ok.there is nothing wrong in it."
So thats it!Small cross is halaal.Big cross is haraam.Small Buddha is haraam and big Buddha is halaal.Size Matters! and i dunno if it is a big or a small krishna or ganesh that is haraam...i will have to ask uttama.
maybe it is not the size....it is the "Halal Earnings from West for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Dhivehistan"
yeah.thats it.These doublestandards are there for some reason.Sir Phillip Green paid big money.the tourists paid.but normal maldivian citizens dont.thats why they dont have the right to worship or even carry or even talk about any other deity. and ...who the hell will carry a cross on his shoulder into the islamic centre.ehehe.
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?