Omadhoo council obstructs religious sermon

Thaa Omadhoo island council has refused to grant the necessary permit for Sheikh Adam Shameem to conduct a religious sermon on the island on Saturday night.

Sheikh Shameem had defied the council and conducted the sermon with help from the police. Permit for the sermon was requested by a local from the island Mohamed Azmeel of Kilanmaage.

In its reply, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) majority council had stated that the island’s current atmosphere is not conducive for a sermon and that the permit has been denied by three votes in favour of the denial, out of the five-member council.

A source from Omadhoo said the sermon began at 8:45 p.m. with a large crowd of locals in attendance and that it was concluded smoothly with "great help from the police."

A few island councils have obstructed religious sheikhs in recent years over accusations that the sermons are and used to antagonize the locals against a particular group and also over an increasing fear of the spread of extremism in small island communities.