Dunking Ink (6)

Firal got an invitation on a white card printed in blue ink that read; ‘invited for a hafla – a function – held to commend the attitude and virtue of services extended by Peace Foundations’ organised by the Islamic Scholars’ Association.

It should be noted, whenever the minister met a group of so-called ‘Peace Foundation’ at his overgenerous office, they represented a gang of Islamists who belonged to some organisation plausibly affiliated to terror groups abroad. The existing government strongly denies links to terrorism and the ministry proudly continues to motivate these societies by positing on social media and television stations talk politics and religion. It should be noted, by 2016, over 300 recruits from a small archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean were fighting in the frontlines of wars around the globe together with terror groups like ISIS in Syria. India and Turkey carry profiles on them though the island nation denies and not one agitator or an activist or a perpetrator has been named. The number of Maldivians fighting for these radical groups abroad is relatively high given the country’s small population of 345,000.

The Islamists brandished since the 7^th February 2012 coup that threw out the government. Murders hiked in cutthroat operations; kill in cold blood. Among notable cases; a Member of Parliament was stabbed to death and a prominent blogger was abducted. All these cases were alleged to have links to the Libran who in power diverted the focus of police investigations and impeded protests with teargas and pepper spray. The Administration grew increasingly repressive, effectively hijacked the judiciary, harassed critical media, jailed opposition leaders and his wilful discourses to argument – clever being Libran.

The Islamists associated with the Libran weren’t the mainstream religious political parties. However, two cruel deputies connected to the gangs and small factions of ISIS followers independently recruiting folks into their ideologies and openly on the beaches with the Black Flag hung in air, wearing turbans and beards, wielding swords and women covered completely in black burka.

Their thinking was extremely hard-line that not a single convert of foreign origin could be accepted in the community and procedures deliberated by the courts to starve and destroy the lives of those who form marriages with aliens by refusing legal credentials and denying his or her rights as if religion got no face to value humanity. Because scholars incline to believe that every Maldivian must be a Moslem and only scholars are cultured to say and do what is good for people…as Hitler sought violence and materialism to dictate Nazism.

In January 2015, police carried out a raid on the defence minister’s home and exposed a pistol and three bullets in his possession – a neatly planned plot. A retired general was then named as the new defence minister.

Colonel Dirty Harry was then given charge of the Special Forces.

Moha learnt that Firal received an invitation and told her, “You shan’t be going.”

“Why?” asked his wife.

“You’re not religious.”

“You know, you’re sick with prejudice. You come up with a reason to demean me. I shan’t go! How do you judge my faith?”

“What are you going to wear?”

She opened the closet, “A black vinyl dress,” and pulled it out to hold against her body.

“That? You’re kidding!” uttered Moha, “You plan to wear that! That reflects like a roofing sheet. Sleeveless, tight and bare, no legging, not a single pocket, that leaves you streak in public!”

“Not cute!” she turned to glance at the mirror.

“It’s extremely cold up there. Wear a jumper…”

“How do you know?”

“You think I don’t know!”

“I know, you’re jealous…”

“I should be,” he groused, “I guess the sergeant is going with you. This secret lover you’re seeing lately.”

“Who is he?” she returned the dress slowly into the closet.

“Soda the cop…” Moha got up and stepped out of the room leaving Firal to wonder if he knew about it or followed her or set a stalker. She paused to think.

Her mother-in-law opened the door, “Here! Take this! You won’t feel a thing. No headaches.”

“What’s it?” she asked to find its contents black.

“A Black Magic Mocktail.”