The Palestinian Islamic Minister has been invited to visit the Maldives amid criticism over the reaction of the Maldives government following the martyrdom of former Palestinian Prime Minister and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Within hours of Haniyeh's martyrdom, many countries in the Islamic world condemned Israel's actions. However, the Maldives government issued a statement 24 hours after the attack.
The statement was also criticized for not condemning Israel and for not calling the ongoing attacks in Gaza a genocide. Instead, the statement described the events in Gaza as a crisis. There was also criticism after the Islamic Ministry did not order funeral prayers in absentia for Haniyeh.
The invitation to the Palestinian Foreign Minister was announced by Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem who had faced major criticism over the issue. He posted about a meeting with Palestinian Islamic Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa.
"I have invited him to visit Maldives and give a sermon at the Islamic Centre. Insha Allah he will visit Maldives," Shaheem wrote on social media.
Funeral prayers for Haniyeh were held after Friday prayers in most Islamic countries. However, the Maldives Islamic Ministry left it to the discretion of the Imams (those who lead the prayer congregation).
When faced with criticism, Shaheem said the decision was left to the Imams as funeral prayers in absentia are not compulsory in Islam. He also argued with religious scholars who expressed differing opinions on social media.
"It is a great evil to politicize a religious issue in this way. You should stop trying to create hatred against the government," Shaheem wrote in response to the former Islamic Minister's criticism.
