Prominent human rights activist, Shahindha Ismall says that she has received death threats over an alleged "anti-Islamic" tweet, that has also instigated a "criminal" investigation in her homeland of the Maldives. In December the "Ministry of Islamic Affairs" (I wonder if that's like the "Ministry of Magic"?) issued a statement urging Maldivians to refrain from "nonsensical talk that advocates for any faith other than Islam". Human rights groups have previously criticised the country's government for using new laws and criminal prosecution to silence, among others, human rights defenders and civil society groups - clearly this country (or at least it's leaders) have no wish to participate in democratic modernity.
It always surprises me that so many Westerners with supposedly "liberal" values are quite happy to fund the economies of these kinds of places, places where gay people, Women and non-Muslims are so openly harassed, persecuted and even attacked and killed for essentially nothing more than "thought-crime". Geographical and Geological paradise it may be, but the Maldives government seems to endorse a theocratic human rights regime straight from the middle-ages, I definitely won't be visiting any-time soon.
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