President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has condemned terrorism in all its forms everywhere and reiterated the Maldives' steadfast commitment to work with the international community to address terrorism in a coordinated and comprehensive manner. The president made the remarks in his general debate statement at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, on September 21.
Acknowledging that terrorism is amongst the most urgent threats affecting the world right now, President Solih stated the Maldives is not immune to the menace posed by radicalised extremists. He noted the targeted assassination attempt on Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed on May 6, 2021, and stated the Maldives would not stand idly by while more such cowardly attacks are planned.
In his address, President Solih also highlighted how Maldives prided itself on being a moderate Muslim country where rationalist Islam prevailed. However, he stated the country should not remain complacent to the growing threats posed by the extremist interpretations of Islamic texts as it allows young minds to be poisoned by false and violent interpretations.
Among measures taken to counter terrorism, President Solih, in October 2019, had ratified the Second Amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act which includes provisions that accentuate political and religious extremism and radicalisation as terrorist acts.