Minister of Defence and National Security, Adam Shareef, stated that even though Maldivians are a peace-loving people, Maldives must tackle the religious extremism present in the country.
Speaking at the counter-terrorism conference held at the Islamic Center, which was jointly organized by National Counter-terrorism Centre (NCTC) and UNDP, the minister revealed that Maldives in the last 10 years have faced influence on the global stage as religious extremism took root in the nation.
The aim of the conference was to develop policies to counteract terrorism and facilitate the creation of an action plan by partnering NCTC with the civil society.
“There are extremists in every country in the world. The Maldives is not an exception,” said the minister. “The policies established under President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's rule is for Maldives to continue existing as a 100 percent moderate Muslim nation.”
Stating that the tragic incident in the USA on September 9, 2001, has heavily affected global security measures, the minister further disclosed that Maldives currently combats terrorism to international standards and recognizes the actions that the United Nations have undertaken to counter terrorism.
Minister Adam highlighted the importance of working around political differences between people and civil society organizations to maintain national security of the country.
The conference held with the aid of Japan was joined by participants from various governmental institutions and civil society organizations based on youth and women development.
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