“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women’s nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.” – (An-Nur 24:31)
We would like to highlight that hijab is the Muslim woman’s proper dress, which Allah Almighty has ordered her to wear. This verse shows clearly that Allah has obliged women to wear hijab yet, the Maldives’ Ministry of Education has sacked a Holy Quran teacher because she refused to take off her niqab . Thahmeena Mahmoud was sacked from her job at the Alif Alif Atoll Education Center after the school repeatedly warned her to remove her “Niqab” while teaching about Holy Quran.
The ministry says the Niqab is banned under a Civil Service Commission guideline that states civil servants “must be dressed in a manner that makes them identifiable easily”, according to local media report.
In a separate development in President Yameen Government’s “THREAT to ISLAM”, also in Alif Alif atoll, the principal of the Mathiveri Island School sent Aishath Suzy, a grade one teacher, home on January 24 because she arrived at work dressed in the Niqab. The education ministry warned Suzy to follow the Civil Service dress regulations. Suzy is one of four women in Mathiveri who wears the Niqab. She had worn the niqab to work throughout last year without any problem. “I wore the Niqab from November, 2015. For all of last year I wore it to work. No one asked me any questions,” she claims. Mathiveri council President Ismail Athif said Suzy is the only trained teacher available to teach grade one. We all know who she is. She shows her face to the kids. She only wears the niqab inside the classroom because the room can be seen from the streets.”
Yet in past year, several immigration officers have been sacked for refusing on religious grounds to trim their beards and lower the hem of their trousers below the ankles.
Maldives police had also arrested man from the weekly prayer gathering outside the Islamic Centre on a charge of disobeying orders. Police use pepper spray to disperse Friday prayer gatherings.
Earlier this month, at the conclusion of a three-day religious conference, the Islamic ministry published an action plan for Islam in the Maldives. According to the action plan: “wearing the niqab, growing the beard and keeping one’s lower garments at ankle-length are permitted in Islam and do not constitute as extremism.”
Now Maldives, being an Islamic nation, has started waging a “THREAT to ISLAM” under regime of undemocratically elected President Yameen. On one hand, President Yameen talks of justifying Extremist Law in Maldives and favors legalization of death penalty in Maldives but on the other hand, does not allow Muslim women to wear “Niqab” and forces Government officers to trim their beards and forcefully orders them to lower the hem of their trousers below the ankles against their religion.
It’s very dangerous, forcing people to act against the religion and sacking them from the job they have been serving for ages is cruelty. Such acts will be given justice in the face of God.
