Minggu, 07 Oktober 2007
Fundamentalism Biggest Threat To Maldives Security: Government Advisor
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By Ajay Makan, Minivan News
October 7, 2007
“The ability of the government to address the growing problem of fundamentalism and its potential to become violent will determine the security future of the Maldives.”
So warns a report on the September 29 explosion in Male', written by one of the Government’s own security advisors and obtained by Minivan News
Dr Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University has trained the Maldives’ police first two counter-terrorism officers, and earlier this year visited Malé to hold a seminar for senior security officials.But the Sri Lankan born head of the Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research has argued religious education, rather than “hard security,” is the key to preventing further radicalisation in the Maldives.
Threat
Gunaratna’s report, compiled in the aftermath of last Saturday’s blast which left twelve tourists injured, shows the level of concern about extremism within the Government, even before the attack.
He claims the Government had four hundred radicals in detention in 2006. “And by radicals I mean people preaching violence,” Gunaratna says in an interview on his report.
Gunaratna describes “attempts by fundamentalists to enter Pakistan for ideological and perhaps other training,” and says a Maldivian named Ibrahim Fauzee arrested in Pakistan disclosed a link to Al Qaeda.
Education
Gunaratna’s report closely mirrors a government briefing compiled by a cabinet committee led by then Attorney General Dr Hassan Saeed in March 2007.
The cabinet report called for an overhaul of the Maldives’ Supreme Islamic Council, school curricula and the media, to allow the dissemination of moderate religious teachings.
Despite his background in counter-terrorism and security, Gunaratna’s report also advocates a programme of “counter ideology,” to reinforce the position of moderate Islam in the Maldives.
“There is still time to implement a strategy that places community engagement and rehabilitation, the so-called soft approach, at the heart of the counter-radical efforts,” he suggests.
“The challenge for Maldives could be… to build Madrasas to groom and educate future scholars who could build a legacy of preserving Maldives Islam that has been a source of stability and a pillar of strength for the country.”
Divided Political Fabric
“The Maldives political fabric is deeply divided,” Gunaratna observes in his report. “Unless the country addresses the problem [of extremism] together the image of an Asian paradise could be lost forever.”
But hopes of a united response to extremism in the aftermath of the Malé explosion dissipated quickly.
Dr Saeed, who quit the government in August, launched a scathing attack on the President for, “failing to clamp down on extremism,” hours after bomb detonated.
The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party accused the President of “using the police to lock up his political opponents instead of delivering law and order.”
President Gayoom had already blamed his political opponents for "jeopardizing the stability and peace of the country,” and placed responsibility for the bomb on their shoulders.
Credible And Respected
Gunaratna’s report touches on accusations levelled at both the government and opposition.
He says it is imperative for the judicial system to be seen as, “credible and respected,” rather than a political tool of the government.
“The population at large [must be able to] see that [extremists] being punished have committed actual crimes, rather than simply anger a political leader.”
But he censors the opposition for “flirting with extremists,” in their determination to come to power.
“The political opposition don’t have a plan to deal with the Islamists who are supporting them, if they come to power,” he warns.
The recent raids on breakaway mosques on Himandhoo and in the capital Malé appear to ignore Gunaratna’s warning that, “reliance on the hard security approach may lead to further radicalization, and perhaps more violence.”
But with the Government and opposition seeking to blame each other for the attack, Gunaratna’s report, like Dr Saeed’s, may be overtaken by politics.
This post was written by: Franklin Manuel
Franklin Manuel is a professional blogger, web designer and front end web developer. Follow him on Twitter
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