President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated he does not support passing the proposed bill on acts of hatred without amending the bill and addressing the concerns of the public.
The government had proposed an amendment bill to the Penal Code of the Maldives, to specify certain acts of hatred as criminal offences. As such, the bill states acts such as calling a Muslim an apostate / infidel and promoting violence against an individual over a perceived lack of religious faith are criminal offences. However, many religious scholars have expressed concern that the bill would provide unlimited freedom for people to express anti-Islamic views and disrupt the religious harmony of the country.
Speaking on the bill, President Solih acknowledged that there are some issues and concerns on the way the bill was initially proposed by the government. The president noted the government had proposed some amendments to the bill after submitting it to the parliament, taking into consideration the concerns raised by the public. He expressed hope the bill would be passed with the required amendments.
During deliberations on the bill on the parliament floor, most parliamentarians acknowledged the concerns raised by the public as well as different authorities and institutions regarding the bill. Following the deliberations, the parliament passed the decision to send back the bill for further review by the relevant committee.
During the initial review period, the Parliamentary Committee on Judiciary had sought recommendations for the bill from several authorities, including the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The recommendations submitted by the Islamic ministry included amending the clauses of the bill which would obstruct the preaching of Islam and to include acts of hatred against Islam, such as expressing and spreading anti-Islamic views, in the bill as criminal offences.
The bill on acts of hatred was submitted to the parliament on behalf of the government by Parliamentarian Hisaan Hussain. The bill aims to prevent lives from being threatened due to being labelled as an infidel or an apostate.