Religious speeches I wrote have been heavily edited: Shaheem

Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has said that the religious speeches written by him when he served as Minister of State, are being read today after having been edited and “their spirit killed”.

Speaking in the DhiTV Program “Friday with Masood”, Shaheem said that he wrote several religious speeches when he served as Minister of State for Islamic Affairs, and today they are being read after having been heavily edited.

“The speeches I wrote back then are being read today, after having been edited and changed. The speech given on Eid, as well as last Friday’s speech have been changed,” Shaheem said.

He said that a person’s academic writing being changed without his consent, is a serious issue and the fact that his speeches are changed and being used now, is something he cannot agree with.

“The effect of the speeches is reduced and altered according to the wishes of employees of the Islamic Ministry. I greatly disagree with this,” he said.

He further said that the speeches being changed means that the person who wrote them is subjected to great injustice.

“So, if they cannot write the religious speeches themselves, why should they be in a position to edit them? What great injustice they are imposing on the person who wrote them,” Shaheem said.

When asked if Shaheem’s accusations are accurate, the Media Coordinator of the Islamic Ministry Mr Ahmed Jameel said that he will have to “look into it”.