Ever since Abdullah Yameen was elected as the President of the Maldives in November 2013, there has been quite a bit of traffic between the heavenly archipelago and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. &nbsp;

Officials from each country&nbsp;are seen making frequent visits to the other. And, these are not vacation tours, at least not entirely. They are all about business and politics, big business and big politics.&nbsp;

Businessmen from the Kingdom and members of the royal family (House of Saud)&nbsp;itself are increasingly investing in the Maldives, a country which depends extensively on international investments to keep its economy going. And more investment also means more influence for Saudi Arabia.&nbsp;

After securing a massive project for the construction of a new passenger terminal for the Maldives international airport, the construction conglomerate Saudi Binladin Group - founded by Osama Bin Laden&#39;s father - leads the Saudi investment front.&nbsp;

The airport&#39;s new wing is part of an ambitious plan the Maldives government launched in 2014, a&nbsp;$800-million&nbsp;investment meant to boost the archipelago&#39;s tourism sector. Part of the funding will come from the Saudi Fund for Development, a government managed fund formally meant to support developing countries and often used as an instrument of influence and soft power. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Awarding the contract to the Binladin Group&nbsp;was controversial right from the word go. The same contract had previously been allotted to MGR, a major Indian infrastructure company which is seeking $1&nbsp;billion as compensation from the Maldives government for not respecting a valid contract.&nbsp;

In 2014, no less than Saudi Arabia&#39;s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, crown prince back then, donated $1 million to the Maldives ministry of Islamic affairs and $1.5 million for health initiatives. He also promised to build ten &quot;world-class&quot; mosques in the country, the biggest of which will be in the capital city of Mal&eacute;:&nbsp;a six-storey structure which can hold 6,000 people.&nbsp;

It was again the Saudi Investment Fund which gave the Maldives $1 million to conduct a feasibility study for building a transhipment port and an attached Special Economic Zone in 2015. &nbsp;

In March 2016, Adam Shareef Umar, the Maldivian&nbsp;defence minister, travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet his counterpart,&nbsp;deputy crown prince Mohamed Bin Salman al-Saud, who pledged $50 million for a military housing project in&nbsp;Maldives. As the world has learnt from China, infrastructure development is the most surefire away of exerting influence on countries.

The role of Islam&nbsp;

It is not only profit which brings the two countries together. The Maldives are a Muslim nation by constitution, the population mostly Sunni. After the election of President Abulla Yameen, religion has increasingly stepped out from its traditional&nbsp;private sphere to make its effect felt in public life.&nbsp;

This change matches&nbsp;Saudi Arabia&#39;s aspiration to become the most influential actor among all Sunni - if not Muslim - countries in the world, an ambition that Iran&#39;s growing influence in West Asia has negatively impacted. &nbsp;

In November 2015, the Maldivian&nbsp;President invited the Saudi Islamic affairs minister Saleh bin Abdulaziz with the aim of building a &quot;religious bridge&quot;&nbsp;between the two countries. Saudi Arabia agreed to help the Maldives in collection of Zakat&nbsp;(an Islamic tax),&nbsp;in translating books on Islam into English, to send preachers across and to host and provide religious education to Maldivian scholars.&nbsp;

In the same year, for the first time ever, Saudi Arabia opened its first diplomatic mission in the archipelago. &nbsp;

In January 2016, Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, the first speaker of the King-nominated Saudi&#39;s Shura Council to visit the Maldives, announced the formation of a joint committee to address issues of mutual interest. He also donated $100,000 to the recently established Islamic University of Maldives.&nbsp;

The Saudi religious influence in the Maldives translates ultimately into the spread of Wahhabism. The hardline doctrine is, in fact, the Kingdom&#39;s official belief and is changing the common perception of Islam in the Maldives, where&nbsp;people had practised a traditionally and majorly&nbsp;tolerant version.&nbsp;

Beside being a perfect holiday destination, the Maldives&#39; location in the middle of the Indian Ocean makes the archipelago a strategic foothold for Saudi Arabia, which&nbsp;is using all its means to cement its position.

The Kingdom&#39;s influence in the Maldives&nbsp;has become so strong that for the first time in its history, the country has been pulled into the boiling cauldron of Sunni-Shia rivalry. In May 2016, the Maldives became the first Asian nation to sever&nbsp;its diplomatic relations with Iran after 41 years, without any solid reason. Saudi Arabia did the same in January.&nbsp;

On a similar note, it is worth remembering that the Maldives are a member of a 34-country military coalition led by the Saudis which is aimed&nbsp;to fight&nbsp;terrorism, at least on paper. In this alliance, there is no place for Iraq, Iran and Syria, all Shia-led countries. &nbsp;

It seems the struggle for hegemony of the Muslim world,&nbsp;till now mainly restricted to West&nbsp;Asia, is spreading to faraway lands. &nbsp;

(WION) 
&nbsp;

The Kingdom has increased its investments and is trying to turn the islands into a Wahhabi archipelago

Ever since Abdullah Yameen was elected as the President of the Maldives in November 2013, there has been quite a bit of traffic between the heavenly archipelago and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Officials from each country are seen making frequent visits to the other. And, these are not vacation tours, at least not entirely. They are all about business and politics, big business and big politics. Businessmen from the Kingdom and members of the royal family (House of Saud) itself are increasingly investing in the Maldives, a country which depends extensively on international investments to keep its economy going. And more investment also means more influence for Saudi Arabia. After securing a massive project for the construction of a new passenger terminal for the Maldives international airport, the construction conglomerate Saudi Binladin Group - founded by Osama Bin Laden's father - leads the Saudi investment front. The airport's new wing is part of an ambitious plan the Maldives government launched in 2014, a $800-million investment meant to boost the archipelago's tourism sector. Part of the funding will come from the Saudi Fund for Development, a government managed fund formally meant to support developing countries and often used as an instrument of influence and soft power. Awarding the contract to the Binladin Group was controversial right from the word go. The same contract had previously been allotted to MGR, a major Indian infrastructure company which is seeking $1 billion as compensation from the Maldives government for not respecting a valid contract. In 2014, no less than Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, crown prince back then, donated $1 million to the Maldives ministry of Islamic affairs and $1.5 million for health initiatives. He also promised to build ten "world-class" mosques in the country, the biggest of which will be in the capital city of Malé: a six-storey structure which can hold 6,000 people. It was again the Saudi Investment Fund which gave the Maldives $1 million to conduct a feasibility study for building a transhipment port and an attached Special Economic Zone in 2015. In March 2016, Adam Shareef Umar, the Maldivian defence minister, travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet his counterpart, deputy crown prince Mohamed Bin Salman al-Saud, who pledged $50 million for a military housing project in Maldives. As the world has learnt from China, infrastructure development is the most surefire away of exerting influence on countries. The role of Islam It is not only profit which brings the two countries together. The Maldives are a Muslim nation by constitution, the population mostly Sunni. After the election of President Abulla Yameen, religion has increasingly stepped out from its traditional private sphere to make its effect felt in public life. This change matches Saudi Arabia's aspiration to become the most influential actor among all Sunni - if not Muslim - countries in the world, an ambition that Iran's growing influence in West Asia has negatively impacted. In November 2015, the Maldivian President invited the Saudi Islamic affairs minister Saleh bin Abdulaziz with the aim of building a "religious bridge" between the two countries. Saudi Arabia agreed to help the Maldives in collection of Zakat (an Islamic tax), in translating books on Islam into English, to send preachers across and to host and provide religious education to Maldivian scholars. In the same year, for the first time ever, Saudi Arabia opened its first diplomatic mission in the archipelago. In January 2016, Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, the first speaker of the King-nominated Saudi's Shura Council to visit the Maldives, announced the formation of a joint committee to address issues of mutual interest. He also donated $100,000 to the recently established Islamic University of Maldives. The Saudi religious influence in the Maldives translates ultimately into the spread of Wahhabism. The hardline doctrine is, in fact, the Kingdom's official belief and is changing the common perception of Islam in the Maldives, where people had practised a traditionally and majorly tolerant version. Beside being a perfect holiday destination, the Maldives' location in the middle of the Indian Ocean makes the archipelago a strategic foothold for Saudi Arabia, which is using all its means to cement its position. The Kingdom's influence in the Maldives has become so strong that for the first time in its history, the country has been pulled into the boiling cauldron of Sunni-Shia rivalry. In May 2016, the Maldives became the first Asian nation to sever its diplomatic relations with Iran after 41 years, without any solid reason. Saudi Arabia did the same in January. On a similar note, it is worth remembering that the Maldives are a member of a 34-country military coalition led by the Saudis which is aimed to fight terrorism, at least on paper. In this alliance, there is no place for Iraq, Iran and Syria, all Shia-led countries. It seems the struggle for hegemony of the Muslim world, till now mainly restricted to West Asia, is spreading to faraway lands. (WION)

Analysis: Religion and money fuel Saudi Arabia's influence in Maldives

Exiled Maldives leaders&#39; visit to Sri lanka on Wednesday has fuelled speculation of President Abdulla Yameen&#39;s imminent ouster, the Maldives Independent reported.&nbsp; 
 
The small island nation has been in the throes of political uncertainty ever since BBC reported about a plot hatched by Yameen&#39;s opponents to remove him.&nbsp; 
 
Prominent opposition leaders&nbsp;&mdash; former president Mohamed Nasheed, former vice president Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Maldivian Democratic Party chairman Ali Waheed&nbsp;&mdash; reached Colombo to take part in discussions with the Lankan establishment. 
 
Mihaaru, a local news outlet, reported that Nasheed would take part in an &quot;important sit-down over the present crisis in the Maldives&quot;.&nbsp; 
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<h5>Meanwhile, Yameen&#39;s spokesman Ibrahim Shihab told the BBC that they were aware of such a plot being made to oust the president.&nbsp;</h5>
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Maldives United Opposition, led by Nasheed&#39;s former deputy Dr. Jameel, has in the past vowed to overthrow the current regime and arrest incumbent president Yameen on charges of corruption.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, Yameen&#39;s spokesman Ibrahim Shihab told the BBC that they were aware of such a plot being made to oust the president.&nbsp; 
 
He said the plot was &quot;disingenuous to the people of Maldives&quot; and a &quot;clear breach of international legal norms&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Shihab also dismissed BBC reports suggesting instability in the country.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It is a one-sided report. While&nbsp;they have spoken to several members of the opposition in person, we were only given a chance to respond over e-mail, after the team had flown back to India after shooting in the Maldives,&quot;he said, referring to the BBC report that divulged details of a plot to remove Yameen.&nbsp; 
 
Yameen came to power in 2013. Since then, several political leaders including Nasheed were handed lengthy jail sentences. Nasheed was one of the leaders who received political asylum in the United Kingdom.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)&nbsp; 
 
 
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&nbsp;

A conspiracy to oust Maldives president has gained traction after his opponents reached Sri Lanka to discuss 'present crisis' in country

Exiled Maldives leaders' visit to Sri lanka on Wednesday has fuelled speculation of President Abdulla Yameen's imminent ouster, the Maldives Independent reported. The small island nation has been in the throes of political uncertainty ever since BBC reported about a plot hatched by Yameen's opponents to remove him. Prominent opposition leaders — former president Mohamed Nasheed, former vice president Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and Maldivian Democratic Party chairman Ali Waheed — reached Colombo to take part in discussions with the Lankan establishment. Mihaaru, a local news outlet, reported that Nasheed would take part in an "important sit-down over the present crisis in the Maldives". Meanwhile, Yameen's spokesman Ibrahim Shihab told the BBC that they were aware of such a plot being made to oust the president. Maldives United Opposition, led by Nasheed's former deputy Dr. Jameel, has in the past vowed to overthrow the current regime and arrest incumbent president Yameen on charges of corruption. Meanwhile, Yameen's spokesman Ibrahim Shihab told the BBC that they were aware of such a plot being made to oust the president. He said the plot was "disingenuous to the people of Maldives" and a "clear breach of international legal norms". Shihab also dismissed BBC reports suggesting instability in the country. "It is a one-sided report. While they have spoken to several members of the opposition in person, we were only given a chance to respond over e-mail, after the team had flown back to India after shooting in the Maldives,"he said, referring to the BBC report that divulged details of a plot to remove Yameen. Yameen came to power in 2013. Since then, several political leaders including Nasheed were handed lengthy jail sentences. Nasheed was one of the leaders who received political asylum in the United Kingdom. (WION)

Maldives mired in political uncertainty: Reports

Beleaguered Maldives President Abdulla Yameen is adamant that the first execution of a convict in sixty years will take place under his watch, as a reiteration of Maldives&#39; Islamic credentials. 
 
The politically isolated president, who is shunned by colleagues and family, is refusing to intervene despite several scholars calling the proposed execution un-Islamic. 
 
He has also ignored appeals of human rights groups and even the United Nations to stay the execution. 
 
Twenty two-year-old Hussain Humaam Ahamed was condemned to death by the Maldives Supreme Court in 2014 for the murder of a Member of Parliament, Afrasheem Ali, in 2012. 
 
The verdict was based on a confession that was obtained while he was in custody, and which he retracted later.&nbsp; 
 
The Supreme Court, over which President Yameen has a stranglehold, disregarded the claim that Humaam has a mental disability and the request for an independent psychiatric evaluation. If the death sentence is carried out, it will be the first execution in the Maldives since 1953. 
 
Islamic scholar calls execution &#39;un-Islamic&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The voices of protest have been crushed in the Maldives due to strict curbs, but renowned Islamic scholar at the University of Oxford, Tariq Ramadan, in a letter to President Yameen, has listed out reasons why the proposed execution is un-Islamic. 
 
Citing extensively from the Hudud -- the Islamic Penal Code, Ramadan has argued that 22-year-old Humaam&#39;s death penalty contravened many basic prescriptions in the Shariah.&nbsp; 
 
Stating that Humaam`s &#39;confession&#39; was forcefully obtained, undermining fairness of his trial at a basic level, Ramadan has pointed out that pleas made by Humaam`s family that he was suffering from mental disability, has been totally disregarded by the court. This, Ramadan argues, is also against Islamic law and jurisprudence as any doubt about the mental health of a murderer should play in his or her favour. 
 
The heavy conditions found in the Islamic legislation have as a raison d`etre (`illah) to avoid any doubt; if there is the slightest doubt, then the punishment should be suspended. Ramadan also emphasises that it was un-Islamic on the part of President Yameen to ignore requests of the victim`s father and brother, who have stated that they do not wish the death sentence to be implemented. 
 
This call to spare Humaam&#39;s life by two members of the victim&#39;s family cannot be ignored under Sharia law.&nbsp; 
 
According to the principles of qisas, if the family of the victim asks for the sentence not to be implemented at any time before the execution (for the majority of the `ulama`), the latter should be suspended whatever the public authority might decide. 
 
If Yameen were to respect Shariah conditions, it is imperative for him to listen to the family`s position, says the scholar. Ramadan adds that the above and beyond all of this, Rahmah (compassion) is an absolute necessity and an essential principle even if there is no element of doubt and conditions are met. 
 
Ramadan has categorically stated in his letter to President Yameen that Humaam`s execution would contravene the fundamental principles of Islamic law and urged the latter to take all possible actions to prevent the execution. 
 
The scholar also got support from human rights groups around the world who have appealed to the Maldivian president that International law prohibits the use of death penalty against people with mental disabilities.&nbsp; 
 
But President Yameen, who has reintroduced capital punishment after a moratorium of 60 years, seems determined to not just stop the arbitrary deprivation of life but also break the tenets of Islamic law. Ever since President Yameen reintroduced the death penalty in Maldives, execution facilities have been constructed at the Maldives` Maafushi Prison. The age of criminal responsibility is 10 in the Maldives which means that even juvelines could potentially face execution. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

The politically isolated Abdulla Yameen refuses to intervene despite several scholars calling the execution un-Islamic

Beleaguered Maldives President Abdulla Yameen is adamant that the first execution of a convict in sixty years will take place under his watch, as a reiteration of Maldives' Islamic credentials. The politically isolated president, who is shunned by colleagues and family, is refusing to intervene despite several scholars calling the proposed execution un-Islamic. He has also ignored appeals of human rights groups and even the United Nations to stay the execution. Twenty two-year-old Hussain Humaam Ahamed was condemned to death by the Maldives Supreme Court in 2014 for the murder of a Member of Parliament, Afrasheem Ali, in 2012. The verdict was based on a confession that was obtained while he was in custody, and which he retracted later. The Supreme Court, over which President Yameen has a stranglehold, disregarded the claim that Humaam has a mental disability and the request for an independent psychiatric evaluation. If the death sentence is carried out, it will be the first execution in the Maldives since 1953. Islamic scholar calls execution 'un-Islamic' The voices of protest have been crushed in the Maldives due to strict curbs, but renowned Islamic scholar at the University of Oxford, Tariq Ramadan, in a letter to President Yameen, has listed out reasons why the proposed execution is un-Islamic. Citing extensively from the Hudud -- the Islamic Penal Code, Ramadan has argued that 22-year-old Humaam's death penalty contravened many basic prescriptions in the Shariah. Stating that Humaam`s 'confession' was forcefully obtained, undermining fairness of his trial at a basic level, Ramadan has pointed out that pleas made by Humaam`s family that he was suffering from mental disability, has been totally disregarded by the court. This, Ramadan argues, is also against Islamic law and jurisprudence as any doubt about the mental health of a murderer should play in his or her favour. The heavy conditions found in the Islamic legislation have as a raison d`etre (`illah) to avoid any doubt; if there is the slightest doubt, then the punishment should be suspended. Ramadan also emphasises that it was un-Islamic on the part of President Yameen to ignore requests of the victim`s father and brother, who have stated that they do not wish the death sentence to be implemented. This call to spare Humaam's life by two members of the victim's family cannot be ignored under Sharia law. According to the principles of qisas, if the family of the victim asks for the sentence not to be implemented at any time before the execution (for the majority of the `ulama`), the latter should be suspended whatever the public authority might decide. If Yameen were to respect Shariah conditions, it is imperative for him to listen to the family`s position, says the scholar. Ramadan adds that the above and beyond all of this, Rahmah (compassion) is an absolute necessity and an essential principle even if there is no element of doubt and conditions are met. Ramadan has categorically stated in his letter to President Yameen that Humaam`s execution would contravene the fundamental principles of Islamic law and urged the latter to take all possible actions to prevent the execution. The scholar also got support from human rights groups around the world who have appealed to the Maldivian president that International law prohibits the use of death penalty against people with mental disabilities. But President Yameen, who has reintroduced capital punishment after a moratorium of 60 years, seems determined to not just stop the arbitrary deprivation of life but also break the tenets of Islamic law. Ever since President Yameen reintroduced the death penalty in Maldives, execution facilities have been constructed at the Maldives` Maafushi Prison. The age of criminal responsibility is 10 in the Maldives which means that even juvelines could potentially face execution. (ANI)

Maldives President adamant first execution in 60 years will go ahead, to reiterate country's 'Islamic credentials'

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Analysis: Religion and money fuel Saudi Arabia's influence in Maldives

Maldives mired in political uncertainty: Reports

Maldives President adamant first execution in 60 years will go ahead, to reiterate country's 'Islamic credentials'