The Adhaalath Party has held a joint press conference with a coalition of NGOs against the sale or use of alcohol on inhabited islands.
State Minister for Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, speaking on behalf of the Adhaalath Party, said the message for the government was that ”the consumption and sale of alcohol in a place where Muslims live is unacceptable”, and that the protest would continue until the president invalidated the new regulation.
He suggested that everyone taking part in the protest, which will start at the artificial beach following Asru prayers, should dress in white.
”We will not be violent and we will not call for the resignation of anybody,” he said.
Sheik Adam Naseem said the Prophet (PBUH) had advised all Muslims to stay away from alcohol as it was ”the mother of all the sins”, and said the new regulations made afraid that the country’s teenagers would be led down the wrong path.
The Vice President of Islamic NGO Jamiyyath-al-Salaf, Hassan Moosa Fikree, called on “all the people who love Islam” to take part in the protest.
He said the government had given “a deaf ear” to the organisation’s words and had not responded to any of their letters.
”We cannot be stopped until we achieve what we want,” he said. “In Islam [alcohol] is haram.”
He questioned why the government was trying to “find a loophole” to allow the sale of alcohol on inhabited islands. “Everybody is against it; each and every person,” he said.
Fikree distinguished between inhabited islands and resorts.
“There’s definitely a distinction because resort have regulations,” he said. “Civilians can’t visit resorts regularly any time they want, and there are special rules such as areas of resorts that Maldivians can’t visit. There is a big difference between inhabited islands and resort islands because resorts have regulations and these resorts are especially designed and invented for tourism.”
Permanent Secretary for the Islamic Ministry Mohammed Didi said that while there might “technically” be a problem with resorts profiting from the sale of alcohol, the ministry was not saying anything about the resort businesses.
“For the last 30 years the Maldives has sold alcohol in resort islands. The ministry is not saying anything about the resort businesses, only inhabited islands and the new regulations,” he said.
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Thanks, Muad MZ.
we have showed them no matter how much the secularists want to invade our country by their bars,night clubs, churches..we wont let it happen insha Allah..u tel your mr president the promises he made to the pharaoh (her majesty queen…)wont work on us..go n play your tricks n secret games in israel…no way not in our country..got it
i dont understand why everyone is against the alcohol regulations... prophet mohammed(PBUH) said that it is the mother of all sins.. yes thats true... now tell me... did anyone here talked about selling to Maldivians??? here we are talking about the non-muslim expatriates who come to maldives to work for us... I am a maldivian and i find it very sad that our community is becoming xenophobic.... Why dont we give the freedom to others who come to our country.. why dont we make them some freedom??? dont get me wrong... but they are non-muslims and never ever prophet said to hate non-muslims... did he???? i ask you all what the big deal in having these things in city??? how many maldivians are in India?? in Srilanka and othere countries where alcohol is legal??? do they use???? maldives is famous for the brown sugar and heroin and weed resin.... did anyone think about these things... which are banned not only in maldives but the whole world???? no ... no one notice.... we see them everyday on the streets... like the vegetables in the market... wee see them.... i am a muslim ... and i have faith... if you have faith you will think and understand what i meant... and if you have faith no matter what you have infront of you...you will not use it....maldivians have no common sense.... not all but some... fuck the adhaalath party..... they try to make problems..... DONT THINK ABOUT STUFF WHAT THE NEIGHBOUR DO... THINK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WHAT YOU DO AND ITS BETTER THAT YOU MIND ON YOUR OWN STUFF.... let maldives become a prosperous country..... Allah is with us and we will never loose faith.... Amen