Dear Husain Shakir
السلام عليكم
As an avid reader of “fanvai” in general and your articles on the Maldivian history in particular, I would like to thank you for this new addition to your very informing essays on the web page of fanvai. With this gratefulness in my heart towards you, I would like to comment on couple things I noticed while reading your article and that in my view should be brought into your attention

First, I noticed that in this article you are using the abbreviation AD (albeit in Dhivehi or Thaana script) to indicate that this particular date (1658) occurred after the birth of ‘Eesaa (or Jesus Christ) peace be upon him

I strongly advise you not to use this abbreviation (AD) because it stands for Anno Domino in Latin and it in English means “in the year of our Lord”. (To verify this please consult any standard English dictionary.) Instead of this Latin abbreviation you can use CE which stands for Common Era. The word “common” in this expression simply means that it is based on the most frequently used calendar system: the Gregorian Calendar. Of course, one may interpret the letter “C” in CE as referring to “Christian” or “Christ’s” but this is not as grave as saying “the year of our Lord” or in Latin “Anno Domino”. Remember that our Lord is Allah and Allah alone

As you can clearly see AD has a Christian connotation that suggests that Jesus Christ is the Lord, and this is contradictory to our Islamic belief that Allah is the Lord and Allah neither begets nor is begotten

If you carefully observed the contemporary academic writing you will notice that academicians (including non-Muslims) nowadays use CE as a substitute to AD. I’m advising you and all fellow Maldivian writers to follow suit



Second thing I want to draw your attention has nothing to do with your article, but it is about one of your sources from which you collected your information. It is about Xavier Romerio-Frias who harbours lot of hatred towards Islam and the Maldivian people who are Muslims. You may know this much better than me


Xavier Romerio-Frias is a Portuguese national lived in the Maldives between 1979 and 1991, and married to a Maldivian woman called Aishath Naazneen and at present he lives in India with his Maldivian born wife and their children. During his stay in the Maldives he authored this book which is an illustrated ethnography on the Maldives and it is called The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom


It is noteworthy that all of Xavier Romerio-Frias’ writings on the Maldivians are tinged with contemptuous disdain of Islam and everything Islamic. In his writing Xavier Romerio-Frias tries very hard to disapprove the Islamic nature of Maldivian identity


So, when you reed Xavier Romerio-Frias’ book The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom keep in mind that his writings are not objective but very, very anti-Islamic and Islamphobic


There are some Western scholars who wrote about the Maldives without being anti-Islam and provided us with lot of useful information on our country. I think the famous Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl’s book “The Maldive Mystery”, (published in London, by George Allen and Unwin in 1986) is one of the best books on the Maldives. But my personal favourite is a book called “People of the Maldive Islands”, written by an American anthropologist Clarence Maloney and published in New Delhi by Orient Longman in 1980. I strongly recommend this Clarence Maloney’s book “People of the Maldive Islands” to every Maldivian. And I especially recommend it to you, dear Shakir. It will be a very good read


و السلام عليكم
محمد آدم على

ރާއްޖޭގެ ތާރީޚާބެހޭގޮތުން ހޯދިފައިވަނީ މަދު ހޯދުންތަކެކެވެ. ރާއްޖެއާބެހޭގޮތުން ސައޫދީގެ ބޭފުޅަކު ލިޔުއްވި ފޮތެއްގައި ޛުލްޤަރުނައިނި ރަސްގެފާނު ރާއްޖެ ވަޑައިގަތްކަމަށް ލިޔުއްވައި ދަތުރުކުރެއްވި މަގުގެ ޗާޓެއްވެސް ހިމަނުއްވާފައި އެބައޮތެވެ. ކީރިތި ޤުރުއާނުން ދަލީލު ދައްކަވައި ހުއްޖަތް ގާއިމުކުރައްވާފައިވެއެވެ. އޭނާ ގާއިމުކުރައްވާފައިވާ ހުއްޖަތަކީ ތެދު ހުއްޖަތަކަށްވާނަމަ (ޤުރުއާނުގައިވާގޮތުން) އެރަސްގެފާނު ރާއްޖެވަޑައިގެންނެވިއިރު އެތަނުން (ދިވެހިރާއްޖެއިން) ބަޔަކު ފެނިވަޑައިގަތެވެ. އެހެންވީމާ، ރާއްޖޭގައި މީހުން ދިރިއުޅެން ފެށީ މިވެނި ދުވަސްވަރެއްގައި މިވެނި ތަނަކުން އައި މިވެނި ބައެއްކަމަށް ކަނޑައަޅަންޖެހޭނީ އިތުރު ދިރާސާތައްކޮށްފައެވެ. އެންމެ ފުރިހަމަ އެންމެ ތެދު ޚަބަރު ހުރި ފޮތަކީ ކީރިތި ޤުރުއާންއެވެ.

Dear Mohd Adam Ali. Thank you for your sincere comments and guidance. thank you.