JJ_BPK
02-19-2012, 07:11
Is it me,, or does every country in the world with ANY Muslim population automatically escalate to war on capitalism??
note: I cut out 1/3 of the article to fit the 10k limit. The "......" = cut..
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/02/10/18707054.php
Oppose the U.S. Backed Coup in the Maldives!
By Steven Argue
On Tuesday, February 7, 2012 a coup carried out by armed police and military officers ousted the elected president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed’s government came to power in 2008 at the head of an anti-corruption and pro-democracy movement. Their movement forced the dictatorship of Maumoon Gayoom to hold elections which Nasheed won. Nasheed’s presidency has since been very active speaking out in the world arena on the desperate need for real action on climate change. Nasheed’s government was also vocal on the need for assistance from rich countries to the poorer ones to help them with problems caused by climate change, problems caused primarily by the pollution of the rich industrialized countries in the first place.
The tiny Maldives, with a population of about 300,000 people and an economy primarily dependent on tourism; is in a difficult position to stand-up to hegemony of U.S. imperialism and climate change, but they have done so in some impressive ways.
..........
The Maldives were granted formal independence from Britain in 1965, but no real changes were made. The Maldivian people suffered first under a monarchy and then under a series of corrupt presidents. Mohamed Nasheed’s government replaced that of the dictator Maumoon Gayoom. The presidency of Maumoon Gayoom was famous for corruption and human rights abuses including the arrest and torture of political dissidents. The 2003 death in custody of Hassan Eemaan Naseem sparked riots and repression across the country. At that time Gayoom’s National Security Service (NSS) were likened to the thugs of the Tonton Macoutes under the U.S. imposed Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti.
Yet, despite repression under Gayoom, a mass movement against corruption emerged that forced the country’s first multi-party elections in 2008 electing Mohamed Nasheed to the presidency. Mohamed Nasheed was active in the movement against Gayoom’s dictatorship since 1990 when he started publishing the political magazine called “Sangu”. For his activities he was imprisoned 12 different times, tortured twice, spending months in solitary confinement with Amnesty International documenting these crimes of the Gayoom regime.
The working class played an important role in forcing the Gayoom dictatorship to hold the 2008 elections. After the election of Nasheed, trade unions were then finally legalized in the Maldives. An important union that was legalized is the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM).
Under Mohamed Nasheed some of the blatant human rights abuses of the Gayoom regime were curtailed, unions were legalized, and advances were made on climate change, but the military, police, and judiciary who carried out those abuses remained in their positions of power. Along with Nasheed taking no steps to dissolve the capitalist government that has now overthrown him, he also did nothing to overthrow the exploitative capitalist system. He represented a step forward challenging the world imperialist status quo on climate change and union rights, but did not take further steps needed to dissolve the old power.
Some important human rights abuses continued under Nasheed’s capitalist government as well. The Maldives remained a religious state, a Sunni Islamic State, where the public practice of other religions is illegal, as is the promotion of other religions or atheism, and non-Muslims are prevented from becoming citizens. This comes from a 1997 constitution of the Gayoom dictatorship that designated Islam as the official state religion. Yet, Nasheed’s regime has not advanced religious tolerance. Instead, Nasheed created the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and put the Adhaalath Party in charge of it, a conservative party of religious fanatics. This Ministry of Islamic Affairs ordered the Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM) to shut-down the blog of Ismail ‘Khilath’ Rasheed that advocates religious tolerance. His government temporarily in imprisoned him as well. Likewise, homosexuality is illegal in the Maldives.
A growing movement of Islamic reaction has been fostered by the leadership of both major capitalist parties led by Gayoom and Nasheed. A recent gift from Pakistan of a statue of a lion was destroyed by Gayoom loyalists in 2011 as idolatrous. Maldives women are more amore being intimidated into wearing the veil by religious radicals who also call for the banning of music and the implementation of Sharia law. Ismail Mohamed Didi, a 25 year-old admitted atheist was murdered by religious fanatics after saying he was seeking asylum from religious intolerance in a foreign country. Another non-Muslim, Mohamed Nazim, went on national television in May 2010 apologizing for previous statements after his life was threatened by the Islamic Foundation of the Maldives, a non-governmental organization (NGO).
Yet, despite false reports by the Wall Street Journal and other corporate papers, it was not rising Islamic reaction and massive protests that forced Nasheed to resign. In fact, the protest on the day that Nasheed was ousted only counted tens of people. In contrast, 3,000 people marched in support of Nasheed on February 8 facing off with violent security forces. What occurred was a direct coup carried out by “security” forces without any real civil unrest leading to Nasheed’s ouster.
..........
Both the United States and India quickly recognized the new coup regime as legitimate. In stark contrast, in 1988, a coup attempt against the Gayoom dictatorship was quickly put down by invading Indian troops that reinstalled Gayoom’s hated regime. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed that the Obama administration has been in contact with the new government and when asked if a coup had occurred spoke positively of a “national unity government” being formed and defended the new regime saying, “Our view as of yesterday, and I don’t think that has changed, obviously we will collect more information going forward, was that this was handled constitutionally.”
President Nasheed responded to the Obama administration saying, "It's unfortunate that the American government has decided to work with the regime...”
World outrage, including tens of thousands of signatures collected by 350.org have forced the State Department on February 10, 2012 and make a mealy mouthed attempt to sound less supportive of the coup, yet State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland had nothing to say of real substance that would change the State Department’s position of recognition for the coup regime.
History, including recent history under Obama, has shown that it doesn’t take much for the U.S. government to back coups against elected governments. The Obama administration’s participation in the 2009 coup against President Manuel Zelaya Rosales of Honduras is a similar such U.S. backed coup that was immediately given U.S. recognition. Like the Maldives, the Obama administration was quick to recognize the coup as a legitimate transfer of power and continued military aid to the Honduran military. It was also revealed that there was direct participation of officials from the Obama administration in planning the coup. The new coup government quickly brought back the death squads of the 1980s kidnapping, torturing, and murdering journalists and union leaders. Those death squad murders have continued. Despite international outrage, the United States was also quick to recognize the elections held by the coup government under those conditions of repression while much of the opposition boycotted it as an illegitimate election.
Whether or not the U.S. State Department or other agencies were directly involved in the overthrow of the Nasheed government, it has been made quite clear that the United States, as in Honduras, has no issues with this undemocratic transfer of power. Further more, statements of recognition indicate support for the coup.
The recognition by the governments’ of India and the United States of the new coup regime is rightly being denounced internationally. So is the headlong drive of the United States towards climate disaster. It is time for Americans to recognize what country is the biggest threat to the world’s democracies and the world’s environment.. The Revolutionary Tendency of the Socialist Party (RT-SP) seeks to build a movement in the United States that will end the corruption of oil money in American politics through the socialization of the oil industry under working class control, seeks to take emergency measures against climate change, and seeks to end U.S. imperialism through socialist revolution.
This is an article of Liberation News (not associated with the Stalinist PSL who stole our name), subscribe free:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/liberation_news
Check out the statement of purpose of the Revolutionary Tendency of the Socialist Party (RT-SP):
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2012/02/251336.php
note: I cut out 1/3 of the article to fit the 10k limit. The "......" = cut..
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/02/10/18707054.php
Oppose the U.S. Backed Coup in the Maldives!
By Steven Argue
On Tuesday, February 7, 2012 a coup carried out by armed police and military officers ousted the elected president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed’s government came to power in 2008 at the head of an anti-corruption and pro-democracy movement. Their movement forced the dictatorship of Maumoon Gayoom to hold elections which Nasheed won. Nasheed’s presidency has since been very active speaking out in the world arena on the desperate need for real action on climate change. Nasheed’s government was also vocal on the need for assistance from rich countries to the poorer ones to help them with problems caused by climate change, problems caused primarily by the pollution of the rich industrialized countries in the first place.
The tiny Maldives, with a population of about 300,000 people and an economy primarily dependent on tourism; is in a difficult position to stand-up to hegemony of U.S. imperialism and climate change, but they have done so in some impressive ways.
..........
The Maldives were granted formal independence from Britain in 1965, but no real changes were made. The Maldivian people suffered first under a monarchy and then under a series of corrupt presidents. Mohamed Nasheed’s government replaced that of the dictator Maumoon Gayoom. The presidency of Maumoon Gayoom was famous for corruption and human rights abuses including the arrest and torture of political dissidents. The 2003 death in custody of Hassan Eemaan Naseem sparked riots and repression across the country. At that time Gayoom’s National Security Service (NSS) were likened to the thugs of the Tonton Macoutes under the U.S. imposed Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti.
Yet, despite repression under Gayoom, a mass movement against corruption emerged that forced the country’s first multi-party elections in 2008 electing Mohamed Nasheed to the presidency. Mohamed Nasheed was active in the movement against Gayoom’s dictatorship since 1990 when he started publishing the political magazine called “Sangu”. For his activities he was imprisoned 12 different times, tortured twice, spending months in solitary confinement with Amnesty International documenting these crimes of the Gayoom regime.
The working class played an important role in forcing the Gayoom dictatorship to hold the 2008 elections. After the election of Nasheed, trade unions were then finally legalized in the Maldives. An important union that was legalized is the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM).
Under Mohamed Nasheed some of the blatant human rights abuses of the Gayoom regime were curtailed, unions were legalized, and advances were made on climate change, but the military, police, and judiciary who carried out those abuses remained in their positions of power. Along with Nasheed taking no steps to dissolve the capitalist government that has now overthrown him, he also did nothing to overthrow the exploitative capitalist system. He represented a step forward challenging the world imperialist status quo on climate change and union rights, but did not take further steps needed to dissolve the old power.
Some important human rights abuses continued under Nasheed’s capitalist government as well. The Maldives remained a religious state, a Sunni Islamic State, where the public practice of other religions is illegal, as is the promotion of other religions or atheism, and non-Muslims are prevented from becoming citizens. This comes from a 1997 constitution of the Gayoom dictatorship that designated Islam as the official state religion. Yet, Nasheed’s regime has not advanced religious tolerance. Instead, Nasheed created the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and put the Adhaalath Party in charge of it, a conservative party of religious fanatics. This Ministry of Islamic Affairs ordered the Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM) to shut-down the blog of Ismail ‘Khilath’ Rasheed that advocates religious tolerance. His government temporarily in imprisoned him as well. Likewise, homosexuality is illegal in the Maldives.
A growing movement of Islamic reaction has been fostered by the leadership of both major capitalist parties led by Gayoom and Nasheed. A recent gift from Pakistan of a statue of a lion was destroyed by Gayoom loyalists in 2011 as idolatrous. Maldives women are more amore being intimidated into wearing the veil by religious radicals who also call for the banning of music and the implementation of Sharia law. Ismail Mohamed Didi, a 25 year-old admitted atheist was murdered by religious fanatics after saying he was seeking asylum from religious intolerance in a foreign country. Another non-Muslim, Mohamed Nazim, went on national television in May 2010 apologizing for previous statements after his life was threatened by the Islamic Foundation of the Maldives, a non-governmental organization (NGO).
Yet, despite false reports by the Wall Street Journal and other corporate papers, it was not rising Islamic reaction and massive protests that forced Nasheed to resign. In fact, the protest on the day that Nasheed was ousted only counted tens of people. In contrast, 3,000 people marched in support of Nasheed on February 8 facing off with violent security forces. What occurred was a direct coup carried out by “security” forces without any real civil unrest leading to Nasheed’s ouster.
..........
Both the United States and India quickly recognized the new coup regime as legitimate. In stark contrast, in 1988, a coup attempt against the Gayoom dictatorship was quickly put down by invading Indian troops that reinstalled Gayoom’s hated regime. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed that the Obama administration has been in contact with the new government and when asked if a coup had occurred spoke positively of a “national unity government” being formed and defended the new regime saying, “Our view as of yesterday, and I don’t think that has changed, obviously we will collect more information going forward, was that this was handled constitutionally.”
President Nasheed responded to the Obama administration saying, "It's unfortunate that the American government has decided to work with the regime...”
World outrage, including tens of thousands of signatures collected by 350.org have forced the State Department on February 10, 2012 and make a mealy mouthed attempt to sound less supportive of the coup, yet State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland had nothing to say of real substance that would change the State Department’s position of recognition for the coup regime.
History, including recent history under Obama, has shown that it doesn’t take much for the U.S. government to back coups against elected governments. The Obama administration’s participation in the 2009 coup against President Manuel Zelaya Rosales of Honduras is a similar such U.S. backed coup that was immediately given U.S. recognition. Like the Maldives, the Obama administration was quick to recognize the coup as a legitimate transfer of power and continued military aid to the Honduran military. It was also revealed that there was direct participation of officials from the Obama administration in planning the coup. The new coup government quickly brought back the death squads of the 1980s kidnapping, torturing, and murdering journalists and union leaders. Those death squad murders have continued. Despite international outrage, the United States was also quick to recognize the elections held by the coup government under those conditions of repression while much of the opposition boycotted it as an illegitimate election.
Whether or not the U.S. State Department or other agencies were directly involved in the overthrow of the Nasheed government, it has been made quite clear that the United States, as in Honduras, has no issues with this undemocratic transfer of power. Further more, statements of recognition indicate support for the coup.
The recognition by the governments’ of India and the United States of the new coup regime is rightly being denounced internationally. So is the headlong drive of the United States towards climate disaster. It is time for Americans to recognize what country is the biggest threat to the world’s democracies and the world’s environment.. The Revolutionary Tendency of the Socialist Party (RT-SP) seeks to build a movement in the United States that will end the corruption of oil money in American politics through the socialization of the oil industry under working class control, seeks to take emergency measures against climate change, and seeks to end U.S. imperialism through socialist revolution.
This is an article of Liberation News (not associated with the Stalinist PSL who stole our name), subscribe free:
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/liberation_news
Check out the statement of purpose of the Revolutionary Tendency of the Socialist Party (RT-SP):
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2012/02/251336.php