Mauritian Solidarity Front
Mauritian Solidarity Front Front Solidarité Mauricien | |
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| Leader | Cehl Fakeermeeah |
| Founded | 30 April 1990 |
| Ideology |
Conservatism Sunni Islamism |
| Political position | Right-wing to Far-right |
| National Assembly of Mauritius |
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| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Mauritius |
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Mauritian Solidarity Front (in French Front Solidarité Mauricien), also known by its acronym FSM is a political party in Mauritius trying to represent the island nation's sizable Muslim minority. In the 2010 general elections in Mauritius, FSM's won one historical parliamentary seat through its leader Cehl Fakeemeeah.
Until 2004, the party was known as Hizbullah (Party of God) (no relation to the Lebanese party Hezbollah).
The theocratic party is centred around its leader Cehl M. Fakeemeeah. In 1992, Cehl Fakeemeeah announced the formation of the Hizbullah.
Cehl Fakeemeeah known as Cehl Meeah, was born in Mauritius in 1958. He began to teach the Qur'an to groups of children in the local mosque when he was 15. At 21, he won a scholarship to Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah where he studied Islamic jurisprudence and returned to Mauritius in 1991.
When he decided to enter the political arena, and his members suggested the name Hizbullah, which could best describe his convictions. He indulged in some social activities, such as helping the poor and the needy of Plaine-Verte, Vallée Pitot and others. He also initiated free drug-detoxification programs in response to increase in trafficking of street drugs in the Muslim areas. He has been accused on several occasions by the media to preyon the poverty of people to ramp up his popularity> He alongside another party member became counselors in the municipal elections of 1996.
He ran for the elections in 1992. He had a sizable percentage of the votes, but failed to be elected. In 1995 however, Hizbullah won one seat in the Parliament through Imam Beeharry, a preacher at the Noor-e-Islam mosque in Port Louis. However at the legislative elections of 11 September 2000, the party lost the seat. In the general elections of 2010, one seat was won through Cehl Fakeemeeah.
He is also known to have alleged links with a radical militia known as "l'Escadron de la Mort" which used to burn down what they considered not allowed by the Islamic faith in the capital. The militia was responsible for burning down a betting house in the capital, killing 4 people who lived upstairs. In December 2000, Hizbullah leader Cehl Fakeemeeah was arrested and accused of involvement in the murders of three Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) members just before the island's 1996 parliamentary elections. The UK based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) adopted his case declaring him a "Prisoner of Faith" and considering his arrest a direct result of his political opposition [1] It also expressed concerns about his treatment in detention.[2] Cehl Muhammad Fakeemeeah was then pronounced innocent after 3 years of alleged tortures in detention. Thousands of people were gathered on the day of his liberation at Plaine-Verte. A rally was organised in his support.
He is also a political leader and counts thousands of partisans both in Mauritius and around the world.
His political views are commonly considered as radical, extremist and theocratic. The FSM's wish in to shape politics and governing policy from religious views. He is known for his strong views on abortion which he claims as being an abomination against God. He strongly opposes homosexuel rights in the island, and is strong supporter of proselytism. He has been slammed in parliament for being disrespectful of women's right. He claims proximity with prominent Arabic Gulf leaders, promising to bring subsidies on petrol prices in Mauritius, however he never really did it. He was criticised several times for organising donations to the poor in suburban areas, which was largely considered as an attempt to buy off votes by the public.
On Monday, the 5th of March 2012, Cehl Meeah was cleared of all charges leveled against him regarding the hold-up at the Bijoulux jewellery shop following which he was again freed of any accusations in the case of the room 216 at Victoria Hotel on Wednesday, the 7th of March 2012.
He was defeated in the 2014 general election and in the 2015 municipal elections.
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