Muslim Atheist, who sought political asylum, found hanged

[Synnical]

So sad! I didn't know how else to phrase the subject line. Former Muslim? He's gone, so I don't know what he would prefer.

More at link. The comments are quite, ah, interesting.

http://minivannews.com/society/hanged-air-traffic-controller-sought-asylum-for-fear-of-religious-persecution-9381

Hanged air traffic controller sought asylum for fear of religious persecution

Ismail Mohamed Didi, the 25 year-old air traffic controller who was found hanged from the control tower of Male International Airport at 4:00am on Tuesday morning in an apparent suicide, was seeking asylum in the UK for fear of persecution over his lack of religious belief.

Islamic website Raajjeislam reported yesterday that Ismail “was a person inclined to atheism” and had “declared his atheism to his friends.”

The website alleged that Ismail had refused to follow religious sermons.

“This is an issue that a Muslim government should consider,” the website said. “Because when these types of people die, they are buried in the same where Muslims are buried. Their funeral prayers and body washing are also conducted as for Muslims. It is questionable as to whether this is allowed according to Islam.”

Over two emails sent to an international humanitarian organisation on June 23 and 25, obtained by Minivan News, Ismail admits he is an atheist and desperately requests assistance for his asylum application, after claiming to have received several anonymous threats on June 22.

. . . .

Mohamed Ibrahim, Managing Director of the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), confirmed that Ismail was the subject of an internal investigation last month regarding his professed apostasy.

“I believe his family were also concerned, and tried to give him counselling through religious leaders,” Ibrahim said.

. . . . .

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: ismail mohamed <[e-mail]>
Date: 25 June 2010 09:30
Subject: a plea for help

Dear sir,

I’m a 25 year-old Maldivian living in Male’. I have been working as an Air Traffic Controller at Male’ International Airport for almost 7 years now.

I started becoming disenchanted with Islam around 5 years ago and am now an atheist. During my transformation, and even now, I am quite the idealist, and when i was confronted about two years back by a couple of my colleagues about my aversion from the daily practices of Islam, i somewhat foolishly admitted my stance on religion.

I had asked them to keep it a secret from the rest of our workforce at ATC, although i now realize i should have known better. It did not take long for everybody at work to find out and since then, i have faced constant harassment in my work environment.

An atheist is not a common feature at all among Maldivians and the word has spread like wildfire since then. It has now come to the point where everyone I know, including my family, have become aware of my lack of belief.

In a society that has always been proud of their religious homogeneity, you can imagine what i am being put through. I have been subjected to numerous consultations with religious scholars and even my closest friends are not allowed to see me.

My company has already begun investigating a complaint regarding me, collecting testimony from fellow workers about my apostasy.

Just 3 days ago, i received two anonymous phone calls threatening violence if i do not start openly practicing Islam.

I am at my wit’s end now. I have been trying for sometime to secure employment abroad, but have not yet succeeded.

The only other alternative i can think of is to flee the country to seek asylum elsewhere. I have already written an e-mail to your organization, and am anxiously waiting for a reply. I found your e-mail address on facebook. I am in dire need of assistance and know of no one inside the country who can guide me.

I would have already left the country if i was sure i could meet the required burden of proof in an asylum claim. I would like to know if you would be able to help me in anyway should i travel to the U.K to seek asylum and what my chances are of making a successful claim.

Thank you for your consideration
Ismail Mohamed Didi

Edit to add BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south+asia-10644685

Maldives atheist who felt persecuted 'hangs himself'
By Charles Haviland BBC News
The Grand Friday Mosque in the Maldives' capital of Male in October 2007 It is compulsory for citizens of the Maldives to be Sunni Muslims

A man in the Indian Ocean island state of the Maldives has died, apparently by suicide, after complaining of being victimised for not being a Muslim.

Ismail Mohamed Didi, 25, had admitted being an atheist and had sought political asylum abroad.

He was found on Tuesday hanging at his workplace - the air traffic control tower at the international airport in the capital, Male.

It is compulsory for citizens of the Maldives to be Sunni Muslims.

Despite the rigidity of its religious laws, the Maldives was recently elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council.

. . . . .

It quoted one colleague as alleging that Didi had "openly insulted God".

The Maldives' constitution demands that all its citizens be Muslim, and religious office-holders regularly stress the unacceptability of other faiths being accepted or propagated.

In May, a 37-year-old Maldivian man professed to be non-Muslim at a public meeting with a visiting Indian preacher, Zakir Naik.

An NGO, the Islamic Foundation of the Maldives, declared that if he did not repent he should be sentenced to death.

Three days later the man went on television, recanted and asked for forgiveness.

Sources in the country say a small but growing number of its people do question their faith, but rarely in a public way.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[Synnical]

1. Now at top of News Wire on http://atheists.org/

http://atheists.org/

-Cindy

[Tobin S.]

2. You're right, it's very sad

It's also very frustrating to know that there are places on this planet that are still that backwards.

I know how he must have felt and it is a horrible place to be. But I was able to escape my persecution, with the help of psychiatric meds, because it turned out to be all in my head. In his case it was actually a reality.

[Soylent Brice]

3. what a sad and unecessary death.

:(

[onager]

4. A horrible, dangerous trend all over the Islamic world.

And I heard a lot about it when I was living in Egypt.

Until the late 70's (I heard and read from many different Egyptians), Egypt was liberalizing. Western-style dress was common and the (many) bars and discos were still open in Cairo and Alexandria.

But just a couple of years ago, Egypt modified Article 2 of its Constitution to declare that the country was under sharia law. All the bars have been shut down or turned into "wedding centers", the hijab (headscarf) is common, and women are under pressure to wear niqab (the full body/face covering that only exposes the eyes.)

What happened?

According to my sources, in the 70's thousands of Egyptian men went off to Saudi Arabia as contract workers. Most of them got infected with Wahhabism and came back a lot more fundamentalist than they left.

Around the same time, the Muslim Brotherhood came roaring back in a big way - no doubt with major financing from Egypt's oil-rich and religiously insane neighbors to the East. The MB is one of the original terrorist groups, founded in 1926 with the stated intention of making Egypt an Islamic theocracy.

Its status recently moved from "banned" organization to "banned but tolerated." Ironically, in recent years the MB has hung up its gellibyahs, put on Armani suits, and re-invented itself as a "moderate" political party. While still officially banned, its candidates simply run as Independents.

I pondered this a lot - I lived in Alexandria, the most liberal, tolerant and cosmopolitan city in Egypt. MB membership in Alexandria is miniscule. Even conservative Egyptians I worked with, who would like a "more religious society," did not support the MB.

Yet the MB has more elected officials in Alexandria than in any other place in Egypt. Weird.

Or maybe not so weird. I was in Egypt for the 2005 elections - the first (cough, cough) free Egyptian elections in decades. I asked a female Egyptian friend if she had voted.

She said: "No. Because I didn't want to be killed."

[Synnical]

6. Thanks, Onager

Your experience in Egypt is always helpful in understanding the current global situation.

Again, I don't know what else to say except that it is very sad.

I could comment about Saudi Arabia, it's Royal Family, Wahhabism, and the current political situation in the US, but what would be the point? The US loves Saudi Arabia.


-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[awoke_in_2003]

5. how long before

this country becomes so fundamentalist?