Boy scout saves president's life [Maldives]

news.com.au ^ | 8th January 2008 | Mel Gunasekera

[naturalman1975]

A QUICK-thinking boy scout has thwarted an assassination bid against the president of the Maldives.

Officials said Mohamed Murshid, 20, tried to plunge a knife into President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's stomach, but Asia's longest serving president was unhurt thanks to Mahamed Jaisham, 15, who wrestled with the attacker before he was detained.

[Socratic]

“...physically strong, mentally alert and morally straight.”

[naturalman1975]

Of interest?

[Tax-chick]

Boy Scouts ping!

[Tax-chick]

I’m sure it will be ... although the Maldives is a dreadfully oppressive place, it’s still good to prevent assassinations.

[naturalman1975]

Oh yes - it’s not the boy’s choice where he was born.

He did what a Scout should do.

[jnygrl]

I’m just thinking how incredibly weak, both physically and morally, that twenty year-old man is to be overcome by a fifteen year-old. Bravo to the Scout!

[NavVet]

Mitt Romney quickly issued a press release criticizing the Boy Scouts of the Maldives for not allowing openly homosexual men to be Scout Masters.

(Well, that’s what he did in Mass. anyway.)

[SandRat]

Scout are always ready to help.

[Greg F]

I’m just thinking how incredibly weak, both physically and morally, that twenty year-old man is to be overcome by a fifteen year-old. Bravo to the Scout!
__________________________

Remember that when one of your boys is 15 years old and can do one armed pushups after running 5 miles! Teenage boys are pretty tough even if they look scrawny.

[MacDorcha]

That’ll look good on his badge sash.

[marktwain]

“I’m just thinking how incredibly weak, both physically and morally, that twenty year-old man is to be overcome by a fifteen year-old. Bravo to the Scout!”

The Scout doesn’t have to be physically stronger. Just strong enough to slow the attack until help arrives, which was probably in seconds. Grab the knife hand with both his, hold on for a couple of seconds.

[hellbender]

Here's the motive for the attempted assassination:

[President] Gayoom, who has ruled the islands since 1978, responded to the bombing by ordering a tough crackdown on what he considers to be Islamic extremism. The measures include bans on women wearing the full veil and foreign preachers, as well as unlicensed Muslim prayer groups.

[Scoutmaster]

Support Scouting worldwide! Give to the World Scout Foundation.

A Scout's uniform in Maldives.

Here's The Scout Association of Maldives' Scout Oath:

On my honour I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times and to obey the Scout Law.

And the Maldives' Scout Law:

• A Scout's honour is to be trusted

• A Scout is loyal

• A Scout's duty is to be useful and to help others

• A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout

• A Scout is courteous

• A Scout is a friend to animals

• A Scout obeys orders of his parents, patrol leaders or Scoutmaster without question

• A Scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties

• A Scout is thrifty

• A Scout is clean in thought, word and deed

Tax-chick: I have a Maldives patch from the 2007 World Scout Jamboree. When/if I put my hands on it, I'll send it to you for your upcoming Blue & Gold banquet. If given after telling this story, it could be a nice award for one of your and Mr. Tax-chick's Scouts who has excelled during the year.

[bert]

Scout oath.... Mentally awake

[Tax-chick]

I think it would be really need to have a “saved the President” patch for one of the boys!

I love seeing the Scout Oath from different countries. My favorite part of this one is “smiles and whistles under all difficulties”!

[RonF]

Oath and Law of Scouting in the Maldives:

Scout Oath:

On my honour I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times and to obey the Scout Law.

Scout Law:

A Scout’s honour is to be trusted
A Scout is loyal
A Scout’s duty is to be useful and to help others
A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout
A Scout is courteous
A Scout is a friend to animals
A Scout obeys orders of his parents, patrol leaders or Scoutmaster without question
A Scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties
A Scout is thrifty
A Scout is clean in thought, word and deed

[RonF]

Those phrases are not part of the Scout Oath in the Maldives, nor in the Scout Oath of most countries.

And in the BSA, it’s “mentally awake”, not “mentally alert”.

[Scoutmaster]

"I love seeing the Scout Oath from different countries."

According to the World Organization of the Scout Movement:

"For an Scouting organization to be a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the members must have a Scout Promise and Scout Law that reflect THREE THINGS "in language appropriate to the culture and civilization of each National Scout Organization and approved by the World Organization."

• Duty to God

• Duty to others

• Duty to self

As for smiling and whistling, they were Point 8 of Baden-Powell's original Scout Law. From Scouting for Boys, 1908 edition:

"A SCOUT SMILES AND WHISTLES under all circumstances. When he gets an order he should obey it cheerily and readily, not in a slow, hang-dog sort of way. Scouts never grouse at hardships, nor whine at each other, nor swear when put out. When you just miss a train, or some one treads on your favourite corn---not that a scout ought to have such things as corns--- or under any annoying circumstances, you should force yourself to smile at once, and then whistle a tune, and you will be all right. A scout goes about with a smile on and whistling. It cheers him and cheers other people, especially in time of danger, for he keeps it up then all the same. The punishment for swearing or bad language is for each offence a mug of cold water to be poured down the offender's sleeve by the other scouts."

WOSM still has smiling and whistling under all difficulties as one of the ten suggested points of an organization's Scout Law.

One of the most moving events at the Sunrise Ceremony to celebrate the Centenary of Scouting at the 2007 World Scout Jamboree was when the Chief Scout of the U.K. asked all 43,000 Scouts and Scouters from 160+ countries to stand, to give his or her organization's Scout sign, and to simultaneously say the Scout Oath of his or her country, using the native language. While you were saying your Oath and pledging yourself to another century of Scouting, you could hear dozens of other Scout Oaths and languages, and sense thousands of other Scouts around you rededicating themselves to Scouting.

"I think it would be really need to have a “saved the President” patch for one of the boys!"

Great. I'll look for it and any other International Scouting goodies that may serve as awards or door prizes.

[Tax-chick]

Very interesting. I think we have a reprint of the original Scout Handbook around here (Der Prinz really digs Lord Baden-Powell :-), but I haven't read it.

When he gets an order he should obey it cheerily and readily, not in a slow, hang-dog sort of way. Scouts never grouse at hardships, nor whine at each other, nor swear when put out.

Huh. We need to work harder on this with our batch of Scouts - maybe I'll make a poster!

[HungarianGypsy]

Bump! My son wanted me to print up the oath so he could show his troop.

[Scoutmaster]

"Those phrases are not part of the Scout Oath in the Maldives, nor in the Scout Oath of most countries."

That's my understanding, too. It always makes me think I might be right when I agree with you, RonF.

Physical condition ("physically strong") and a quest for knowledge ("mentally awake") are part of only a few Scout Oaths. Taiwan, Turkey, and Japan all join the BSA in including them.

"Morally straight" isn't part of most Scout Oaths per se, but in most countries it gets incorporated by the Oath's reference to obeying the Scout Law (which usually contains some reference to morals).

[Scoutmaster]

The original 1908 version of the Scout Law was:

• A SCOUT'S HONOUR IS TO BE TRUSTED. If a scout says "On my honour it is so," that means it is so, just as if he had taken a most solemn oath. Similarly, if a scout officer says to a scout, "I trust you on your honour to do this," the Scout is bound to carry out the order to the very best of his ability, and to let nothing interfere with his doing so. If a scout were to break his honour by telling a lie, or by not carrying out an order exactly when trusted on his honour to do so, he would cease to be a scout, and must hand over his scout badge and never be allowed to wear it again---he loses his life.

• A SCOUT IS LOYAL to the King, and to his officers, and to his country, and to his employers. He must stick to them through thick and thin against anyone who is their enemy, or who even talks badly of them.

• A SCOUT'S DUTY IS TO BE USEFUL AND TO HELP OTHERS. And he is to do his duty before anything else, even though he gives up his own pleasure, or comfort, or safety to do it. When in difficulty to know which of two things to do, he must ask himself, "Which is my duty?" that is, "Which is best for other people?"---and do that one. He must Be Prepared at any time to save life, or to help injured persons. And he must do a good turn to somebody every day.

• A SCOUT IS A FRIEND TO ALL, AND A BROTHER TO EVERY OTHER SCOUT, NO MATTER TO WHAT SOCIAL CLASS THE OTHER BELONGS. If a scout meets another scout, even though a stranger to him, he must speak to him, and help him in any way that he can, either to carry out the duty he is then doing, or by giving him food, or, as far as possible, anything that he may be in want of. A scout must never be a SNOB. A snob is one who looks down upon another because he is poorer, or who is poor and resents another because he is rich. A scout accepts the other man as he finds him, and makes the best of him -- "Kim," the boy scout, was called by the Indians "Little friend of all the world," and that is the name which every scout should earn for himself.

• A SCOUT IS COURTEOUS: That is, he is polite to all--but especially to women and children and old people and invalids, cripples, etc. And he must not take any reward for being helpful or courteous.

• A SCOUT IS A FRIEND TO ANIMALS. He should save them as far as possible from pain, and should not kill any animal unnecessarily, even if it is only a fly---for it is one of God's creatures.

• A SCOUT OBEYS ORDERS of his patrol-leader, or scout master without question. Even if he gets an order he does not like, he must do as soldiers and sailors do, he must carry it out all the same because it is his duty; and after he has done it he can come and state any reasons against it: but he must carry out the order at once. That is discipline.

• A SCOUT SMILES AND WHISTLES under all circumstances. When he gets an order he should obey it cheerily and readily, not in a slow, hang-dog sort of way. Scouts never grouse at hardships, nor whine at each other, nor swear when put out. When you just miss a train, or some one treads on your favourite corn---not that a scout ought to have such things as corns--- or under any annoying circumstances, you should force yourself to smile at once, and then whistle a tune, and you will be all right. A scout goes about with a smile on and whistling. It cheers him and cheers other people, especially in time of danger, for he keeps it up then all the same. The punishment for swearing or bad language is for each offence a mug of cold water to be poured down the offender's sleeve by the other scouts.

• A SCOUT IS THRIFTY, that is, he saves every penny he can, and puts it in the bank, so that he may have money to keep himself when out of work, and thus not make himself a burden to others; or that he may have money to give away to others when they need it.

In 1911, Baden-Powell added:

A SCOUT IS CLEAN IN THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED. Decent Scouts look down upon silly youths who talk dirt, and they do not let themselves give way to temptation, either to talk it or to do anything dirty. A Scout is pure, and clean-minded, and manly.

[Scoutmaster]

"I love seeing the Scout Oath from different countries. My favorite part of this one is “smiles and whistles under all difficulties”!"

I think the same applies to the Scout Promise.

Among my favorites is Scouting Netherland's:

I promise to do my best
with the help of God
to be a good Scout
to search for and encourage the good consciously,
to help everyone where I can
and to live by the scouts law.
You can count on me.

I love the "you can count on me."

Most poetic may be Junák-Svaz Skautu a Skautek's (the Czech Republic's) Scout Promise:

On my honor I promise that I will do my best:
to serve the highest Truth and Love faithfully at all times,
to fulfill my own duties and to observe the Scout laws,
to be prepared to help my country and my neighbors with all my soul and body.
May God help me so!

Strange that these are two of my favorites. I believe the national Scout organizations of the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Israel are the only three WOSM members where the reference to "God" is optional (for example, you can delete "with the help of God" in the Netherlands, or delete "May God help me so!" in the Czech Republic).

A reference to God in the Scout Promise used to be optional in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Finland, as well, but no longer.

I think some of the internal Scout organizations (a WOSM country may have only one WOSM Scout organization, which may be made up of several country-specific Scout organizations) such as Scouting organizations sponsored by labor movements may not include God. However, it's required by the WOSM national organization unless WOSM's given a waiver -- and no more are being given. Israel doesn't have a waiver, it just makes the reference to God optional and WOSM hasn't acted on it.

Do you believe my kids when they say I have too much time on my hands?

[antivenom]

I have been to the Maldives...didn't find it dreadfully oppressive...what I did see was a small community like atmospehere, and everyone had a "buzz" on beetle nut. They would take "Kool ciagarettes"...pinch about a 1/4 inch of the cigarette and mix it with the beetle nut and put in their lower front lip and then proceed to spit red juice everywhere.

One funny thing did happen to me while I was there...I was with a friend getting a picture taken by another friend and all of a sudden I felt the arm of another person around my "other" shoulder...and to my surprise there was a local happy as a lark stepping into the picture and grinning as if he had known me for 30 years. Quite hysterical. I have another picture with a local who squatted down and peered thru our knees and was smiling and waved at the camera. 2 totally different people in 2 different photos they seemed to be hams for a photo no matter who was shooting the picture. Can tell you tho, do not EVEN approach the "government building" with a camera...they will treat a camera toting person as if they have a gun...THAT was a bit weird...

[Tax-chick]

Can tell you tho, do not EVEN approach the "government building" with a camera...they will treat a camera toting person as if they have a gun...THAT was a bit weird...

Yes, from what I've read, the government is very strict. They keep things nice for the tourists, but the native population hasn't many rights.

I'm still glad the President wasn't killed, of course!

[Tax-chick]

I have time to look up all kinds of seemingly irrelevant stuff, too :-). Nothing you learn is ever wasted.

[Tax-chick]

The punishment for swearing or bad language is for each offence a mug of cold water to be poured down the offender's sleeve by the other scouts.

LOL! I think I'll make them drink the mug of cold water, instead, since I'd have to run their shirt through the dryer.

[SandRat]

Wouldn’t you know it. If there’s something requiring Honor and Bravery a Scout will step forward to do it.

[SandRat]

Does your wife say she’s a “Scout Widow?” Mine does.

[Scoutmaster]

"Does your wife say she’s a 'Scout Widow'?"

That's an affirmative, SandRat.

[zipper]

“A police Web site identified the attacker as Mohamed Murshid, 20. No motive was given, and other details were not disclosed. Shareef, speaking by telephone from Male, said the assassination attempt may have had a “political motive,” but it was too early to say if Islamic militants were involved.”

B.S.!!!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22575018/