Ex-pres Nasheed warns against foreign scholars of Islam

Former president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed has warned against bringing foreign Islamic scholars to the Maldives to give religious sermons.

In a tweet published by Nasheed on Friday, he said that it is unconfirmed whether the mastermind behind the recent terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, Zahram Hashim visited the Maldives using another name under the guise of giving religious sermons in the Maldives back in 2016.

“It is not clear to us who these people are that come to the Maldives as scholars. It is not sensible to issue visas to enter Maldives to such people”, said Nasheed, who frequently speaks on religious matters and Islamic scholars.

Nasheed’s comment comes at a time when several foreign scholars and Imams are arriving in the Maldives for the holy month of Ramadan. Many private parties sponsor scholars and hafiz of the Noble Quran during this time.

While Nasheed has raised questions whether the terrorist mastermind previously entered the Maldives, a Sri Lankan media earlier reported that Zahram visited the Maldives in the past. However, Maldives Immigration has confirmed that Zahram did not enter the Maldives at any point in time.