President Nasheed’s real self seems to be coming out after three years in office.The enforcement of his extremist ideas on the people probably developed with the encouragement by his long time ally Sheik Ibn Fareed , a local Mulla who advocates to ban alcohol for tourists and to stop tourism as we see it today.
President Nasheed only recently started revealing his love for Islam. ” I pray, give Zakath and fast during ramazan ” he told the public in a recent rally organized by his party to introduce a new Islamic behavior called the ” Mid Islam”. But what followed that led to the horror of many people. Religious extremism!
It was a shock for the nation as well as the international concerned parties to hear when the government announced the idea of closing all the spas in resort islands and banning alcohol in the country.
According to his personal mulla Sheikh Fareed, heaven cannot be achieved by a ruler under whose authority alcohol is permitted even for visitors.” The eventual goal is to introduce an Islam friendly tourism and only to stick to that. The president should also be given the chance to secure his place in heaven” said Fareed.
“Our president is not scared of the international community and resort owners anymore” told a friend of Sheik Fareed recently. ”He is just a little shy in revealing his personal true identity yet. But everything is going as planned. You will see the big picture soon” He added.
I believe Nb. Mohamed Nasheed is an extremist, he has a tendency of taking things to the limit always and every time. When people called for the closure of prostitution houses operating under the guise of spas in Male (the capital) he closes the spas in the resorts. This is an indication that he does not want to close the whore houses in Male. Perhaps he is a regular client in these joints.
I must say that as an American tourist who has come to the Maldives several years in a row and enjoyed the amazing natural beauty of the county… These protests and radical leanings are frightening, Maldivians certainly have a right to decide how their country is governed, but as a tourist, I have a right to cancel my upcoming vacation… I have no desire to allow my vacation dollars to contribute to radicalism.
i believe banning spas in the resorts is the only way to ban it in Male’ city.
If it is called a spa it is a spa – wherever it is.
And if I am not mistaken President Nasheed has no intention of really closing the spas; but banging the resort owners is the only way to get the media attention and be a rebuttal to the demands by the combined opposition groups that called for a closure on spas.
i wish Maldivians see and understand how dependant we are on tourism. The opposition uniting for the 23 Dec demonstration sent out a scary message to the west – to the tourists – to the people with the money to spend on holidaying. I am so thankful that that demonstration was closed before cartoons like umar went crazy with their blood thirst. really thankful that the crowd was controlled even after the calls of Jihad and what not!
I believed that Mr, Mohamed Nasheed is not an extremist either he is not going let others to be an extremist . You guys clearly saw in the big rally held recently in Male and called to government to ban such what you have stated in your baseless article. Thanks