Disqus - Latest Comments for yaamyn

Re: Political turmoil in Maldives allowing IS space to establish terror root

yaamyn — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 06:16:49 -0000

"Late last month, in an alarming revelation, Islamic radicals linked to IS and the jihadist group ‘Bilad Al Sham Media’, which is believed to be based in Syria and the Maldives, claimed responsibility for the September 28 explosion.."

I'm sorry, but this is a false claim.

Bilad-al-Sham (or any other group) has not claimed responsibility for this explosion - which isn't even yet officially confirmed as being an attack.

There was a video - (also unauthenticated) - of a bunch of masked men sitting under an ISIS flag threatening the President that was released on YouTube a month before the explosion.

The video was not released on any ISIS-related website nor acknowledged by any jihadist sources as being authentic.

The links, if any, between this explosion and any terrorist group is tenuous at best.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Colourless. Feckless.

yaamyn — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 05:41:38 -0000

It is mildly irresponsible on a normal day to not take up the responsibility that being in a democratic setup, the public must shoulder.

However, when it is a matter of severe national consequences, I believe it borders on the criminal to not do anything about it.

To illustrate, there is a difference between the person who does not like to poke his nose into a noisy street fight, and the person who turns a blind eye to rape carried out in full public view.

I can understand the former to some extent, but I cannot pardon the latter. To 'not take a side' when oppression takes place is to actually to side with the oppressor.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Colourless. Feckless.

yaamyn — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 19:44:18 -0000

I did take the example of Gandhi to make my point.

Also, see my response to JJ below.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Colourless. Feckless.

yaamyn — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:27:01 -0000

In that post I wrote 3 years ago, I wasn't advocating indifference at all. It was fairness.

I think now, as I did then, that several Israeli policies are pretty condemnable - and I have criticized them a lot.

My argument was that it wasn't sufficient grounds to lump that country's entire population together and boycott them as a nation on some imagined religious grounds.

I have serious issues / concerns about the Pakistani military state and Saudi Arabia, for instance. Between these two countries they have exported terrorism and terrorist ideology that have harmed so many people.

But you don't always see me advocate for a ban on relations with Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, nor will you ever see me say all Pakistanis or Saudi Arabians are evil incarnate and be wiped off a map. ;-)

[Edit: Indifference would be if I had no say on the issue. 'I am colourless. I refuse to judge Israeli policies or our relationship with them"]

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Colourless. Feckless.

yaamyn — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:56:16 -0000

See the response I made to JJ below.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Colourless. Feckless.

yaamyn — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:55:07 -0000

" there are some of us, who see too much wrong in all the sides, so choosing a "color" is dangerous "

It is statements like the above that I find wrong. Why does every side have to be a colour? Is there no objective right or wrong left anymore?

Here's the situation from my (colourblind?) eyes. Some men have dislodged the government chosen by my people, amid police brutality, without an election.

I can see clearly that this is not a President being replaced by his VP. It is a government being replaced by a new government - one that hasn't gone to the public to receive a mandate.In other words, this is not a democratic transfer of power.

For me, the issue is simple: I cannot let the precedent take place where politicians can come to power by winning influence in the country's security forces, and have the guns and batons - paid for with public money - turned on the people.

I cannot let the precedent take hold where the key people who took part in this undemocratic power grab are now appointed as heads of crucial ministries, Defense and Police forces - which ostensibly protect our democracy.

It is objectively wrong, irrespective of what political allegiance, if any, that you claim for yourself, and I find it unacceptable that people are hesitant to make a clear statement over it because of some imagined sense of "neutrality".

I'd like to clarify that this post is written specifically with a few people in mind - particularly on twitter - who have claimed to be 'colourless' and therefore exempt from taking a stand.

The intention is not to lump everybody on the FB group of the same name together and label them indifferent. But those who are indifferent, I condemn strongly.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Colourless. Feckless.

yaamyn — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:43:17 -0000

See. I do not have a problem with you agreeing or disagreeing with Anni. Take a stand, and defend it. This post is about people who refuse to take a position - and pretend to be "neutral". It is them I have a problem with.

You may believe it wasn't a coup, or that there was no Police brutality or whatever, as long as you stand up to this belief and have arguments to back your position.

I'm curious, for instance, what liberty of yours did Anni destroy?

[P.S. Nobody's disputed that it is a 'resignation'. It's the circumstances of the resignation that are under a shadow of doubt]

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Chapter III: Return of the Golhaa

yaamyn — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:48:34 -0000

Very doubtful. President Nasheed had very close diplomatic ties India and Sri Lanka.

Nowhere near as close with China, I believe.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Chapter III: Return of the Golhaa

yaamyn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:02:57 -0000

Yep. I'm all right, but the country's gone to the dogs.

I think Manmohan Singh spoke one day too early. He should have a dossier now of the kind of violence going on here. :-/

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Chapter III: Return of the Golhaa

yaamyn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:01:54 -0000

I think right now, it's only firm diplomacy from key countries that will work. And a little people power, of course.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Chapter III: Return of the Golhaa

yaamyn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:37:19 -0000

Where did I say that? Where did you jump to that conclusion.

I don't know if it is just me, but the appropriate police response to hooligans is not for a well armed, trained police mob to go and raid a political party's camp and beat people half to death.

If mob justice will suffice, then we don't need a Police force to begin with.

No. My article is about the unleashing of the Police mob mentality with the return of Golhaa.

How many times have people gone and kicked the shields of the police during the weeks of Opposition protests? Was, for instance, Umar Naseer, who's not even an MP or state official, beaten mercilessly like they did Reeko?

Has any Maldivian policeman laid a finger on Maumoon at any point, like they beat up President Nasheed?

No. The answer is no. There is no comparison between the general order of the Police under Nasheed, and that under Gayoom. Now, with the return of his proxy government, the police are returning to their homicidal criminal roots.

The only thing I said I could understand was the anger felt by the mob after the brutal attacks on people in Male'. I stand by that.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Treason. Coup. Change.

yaamyn — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:36:31 -0000

If you have read somewhere in this article that 'anyone other than anni' is a traitor, please show it to me so that I may amend it.

No, everyone other than Anni is not a traitor. But the coup d'etat staged by the cornered opposition and their paid militia is condemnable and they will pay a heavy price for the treachery.

Just today, you saw Anni on the frontlines of the protests - which is what, I feel, separates him from the other pretenders. And why I call him an activist at heart.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Pounding on an open door

yaamyn — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:24:07 -0000

Congratulations! You're the 999,999,999th person to discover that! You win an Xbox. :-)

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Sun, Sand and Intolerance

yaamyn — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:22:24 -0000

Thank you :-) I appreciate that.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: A cowardly attack

yaamyn — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:08:52 -0000

Did someone say Freedom is Western Civilization?

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Audible words

yaamyn — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 06:30:33 -0000

Spell-checking my posts has never been my greatest superpower. :D

But now that you've pointed it out, I'll go mad if I don't correct it immediately.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Sun Online feels threatened by Jesus

yaamyn — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:42:29 -0000

Sadly, my Dhivehi sucks.

You're welcome to translate this post, or indeed, anything on my blog. ;-)

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Black October

yaamyn — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:25:14 -0000

Ah.

I'm avoiding planning trips to India for the next few months at least. Making plans for India always ends in disappointment.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Black October

yaamyn — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:24:26 -0000

Thank you.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Black October

yaamyn — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:24:09 -0000

November has helped a lot :-)

Thanks for the (very tempting-) offer.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: DhiTV fails at Science, Reporting

yaamyn — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:24:52 -0000

It is the media's job to provide context. DhiTV failed to do that.

Half-truths are just another method of misinformation.

Anybody who's ever written a report will instantly realize that DhiTV's choice of words wasn't meant to 'report an incident'. It was quite obviously deliberate.

As regrettable as their political affiliations are, I am more concerned about media's blatant misguiding people about established science just to score political points.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: DhiTV fails at Science, Reporting

yaamyn — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:18:10 -0000

I don't think it is 'a cover up'.

A conspiracy involving thousands of independent climatologists is a lot more difficult to pull off than it sounds.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: DhiTV fails at Science, Reporting

yaamyn — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:16:13 -0000

I believe it was the Hindu.

Kind of disappointing, because I've always considered the Hindu to be among the best (or at least, the least bad) newspapers in India.

As for the dowsing friend - did he hold a stick over your head? Otherwise it totally doesn't count. :-)

P.S. I was there. That concert was awesome! :D

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: :-(

yaamyn — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:45:15 -0000

In just 8 sentences, you have called me 'kaafir' 5 times.

What does God tell you about calling others kaafir without adequate knowledge? Or does that only apply to others? ;-)

Your comment is far from 'humble'. It is judgmental, presumptuous, prejudiced and arrogant - and might I add, puts you in contradiction with the very religion that you think you follow.

Re: Slicker Than Your Average~: Lessons

yaamyn — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:22:47 -0000

Yes. Yes, she is. :-)