This post is about the controversy and the false alarms raised by some regarding a military security agreement between India and and its neighbour the Maldives. 

By signing an agreement to be part of India's security "grid" we are not selling out to the giant in whose backyard we make home. Nor are we paying with our independence and sovereignty just because we were provided financial assistance from them. And neither is India seeing a threat in a build up from Beijing. We cannot simply throw around these assumptions just because there is an agreement. This is a serious matter. The agreement, in my opinion, has to do with a far more serious and deadly threat.

That threat is global terrorism by extremist Islamist groups.

If you've read this Indian Express article you may have missed a key point. In the article it says that India has already undertaken a project to install radars along its entire coastline. The Indian coastline is no joke, it is vast and so is ours. Question is why now?

Why has it suddenly become so important to place radars in every single atoll and to carry out regular sorties over us on top of providing 2 permanent helicopters to enhance surveillance capabilities? I've been told that the helicopters were a deal made under the previous government. That leaves the radars. Surely we didn't become paranoid overnight. What "suspicious movements" and swift "response to threats" is the article really talking about?

After the Mumbai attacks of November 2008, information from interrogations and intelligence has revealed plans by the perpetrators of the said attack, the Lashkar e-Toiba, is planning to launch attacks on India and other targets (Maldives included) from our own islands. We simply don't have the capabilities to keep watch on our entire coast.

As you might have known, there was a Maldivian national involved in the Mumbai attacks. The LeT and Al-Qaida are recruiting Maldivians. This threat has already infiltrated our country, recruiting many young men (and some women). We have become the new breeding ground for Islamist terrorists. I don't understand how and why we don't take these things seriously. It is our stupidity to think that India is somehow huffing and puffing because of the Chinese presence or that they are offering protection from the disbanded LTTE. It is our narrow mind that tells us that India is interested in our meager income when their economy is set to grow despite the global meltdown. All this is diverting attention from the real problem.

If anything we should be terrified and worried about the invasion of militant Islamist groups and their ideologies in this country. This threat is far more stealthy and belligerent and as we are finding out even today it has already infiltrated our society. If anything we will lose our identity, sovereignty and independence to militant Islamist extremism. We should not forget that our own military forces battled just such a threat on the island of Himendhoo 2 short years ago.

And yet, it seems people like MP Mohamed Nasheed and several others have suddenly discovered a new-found nationalism stirring up for all the wrong reasons. Where is your patriotism and demand for independence when our identity and security is being slowly robbed right under your noses? The resounding silence from parties that ought to be concerned about this threat of militant Islamist terror says it all. We don't know what we want and we dare not speak out against anything to do with militant Islam.

A taxi driver's sentiments about the Taliban put our views regarding militant Islamist extremism in clear perspective for me. He was angry that the "brothers" of Taliban are been slaughtered by infidels. Don't worry dear driver, one day we will have our own Taliban if people continue be stupid and silent, I wanted to say.

I support strengthening and guarding our coast and our islands from threats and I'd rather have it implemented by India than any other country. And until the details of this agreement become clear we should not start pretending that suddenly we have our nationalistic interests prioritized and talk about loving our flag and our heritage and what not.

Frankly, it all sounds embarrassing.