“You are swine” and “the children that you bear from this marriage will all be bastard swine,” a tourist couple renewing their marriage vows in the Maldives were told in a ‘traditional Maldivian’ ceremony conducted in Dhivehi at Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort.
“Your marriage is not a valid one. You are not the kind of people who can have a valid marriage. One of you is an infidel. The other, too, is an infidel – and we have reason to believe –an atheist, who does not even believe in an infidel religion,” the ‘celebrant’ tells the couple, who appear completely unaware of the humiliation they are being subjected to.
A 15-minute video of the ceremony was uploaded on YouTube on October 24 2010 by a member of staff. Vilu Reef Manager Mohamed Rasheed told Minivan News that the staff member who uploaded the video did it as “a joke”, without “realising the seriousness of the potential consequences”.
Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort advertises itself as a place where couples can renew their wedding vows “hand in hand against a golden sunset backdrop” and where their “everlasting love” can be sealed by a “kaleidoscope of romantic hues” that covers the sky during the sunset.
In the video the ‘celebrant’ briefs the couple in English, prior to the ceremony, that it will be conducted according to “not only Maldivian” but also “Arabic and Islamic” norms.
Two wedding rings inside an open coconut, which appears to be lined with mother of pearl, are in front of the couple along with two fresh coconuts. The couple seem dressed for the ceremony, the woman in white as favoured by Western brides.
“Don’t look at her chest”, a man – possibly the videographer – is heard saying as the woman leans over to take a sip from the coconut. She adjusts her neckline.
Men, about ten or more, surround the area both outside and inside the palm fronds, which appears to be a make-shift wedding venue.
The celebrant twirls his thumbs over a piece of paper that he appears to be studying with deep concentration. A male voice asks him if the document is “something new”. He replies that it is “the seventh Article of the Penal Code”.
The document, of which there is a brief close-up in the video, has absolutely no relation to marriage laws in the Maldives. Words that are legible on the document refer to “staff employment”, suggesting that it is a document relating to employment regulations.
Asking the couple and other ‘officials’ to raise their hands as is customary for Muslim prayers, the ‘celebrant’ begins his marriage vows.
“Fornication has been legalised according to Article six, 1.11 of the Penal Code”, he chants in a tone favoured by religious scholars. “That is, frequent fornication by homosexuals. Most fornication is by males,” he continues.
“Research has shown that men have a higher sex drive than women,” he says. “According to Article 8 to 6 of the Penal Code, converting to Islam, or circumcision, is not desirable under any circumstances.
“Germs of anger and hatred will breed and drip from the tips of your penises,” he says.
The ‘celebrant’ then switches from his improvised “Islamic and Maldivian marriage laws” to reading aloud from the document in front of him in the same ‘religious’ tone. This time, what he chants to the couple is to do with terms of employment.
When he returns to the ‘marriage vows’, he refers to certain Articles of the Constitution and combines ‘Section e” and “Section f” to create the word “balhu”, which in Dhivehi means “swine”. ‘E’ in Dhivehi is the letter ‘baa’ and ‘F’ the letter ‘lhaviyani’.
The ‘celebrant’ mixes the two letters to make the word ‘balhu’, the full version of which, as used by the ‘celebrant’, is ‘nagoo balhu’. The literal translation of the term is ‘crooked tail’, believed to refer to a pig’s tail, and is considered to be one of the worst insults in the Dhivehi language.
“You are swine according to the Constitution,” he declares, solemnly.
He then asks the couple to stand up and hold hands. The ‘officials’, too, stand up and place their hands on the couples’. They form a séance-like circle and the ‘celebrant’ begins chanting.
“Aleelaan, baleelaan…”, he begins. What he is chanting is not a verse from the Qur’an, or marriage vows in Dhivehi, but are the words of a popular Dhivehi children’s game.
Words of the game, too, are changed to say “black swine” instead of what is contained in the original.
“Before buggering a chicken, check if the hole is clean. That is because the people of the countries that you are from are familiar with the taste of the ****holes of chicken,” he chants, still with hands held over the couples’.
“Do not treat with kindness people against whom violence is being committed. Commit more violence against victims of violence. You are not people who have been sent to this world to commit violence.”
He then returns to the matter of staff salaries, which he continues to chant in the same tone as he had done the insults. “Do not complain too much about salaries, or matters regarding salaries. That is against the Penal Code. This is not something I am saying for your benefit – it is a law that we have made.”
He begins to chant loudly about “black swine”, stringing insult after insult and delivering it in the same rather ominous tone that Maldivian religious figures choose to deliver their sermons in.
“You fornicate and make a lot of children. You drink and you eat pork. Most of the children that you have are marked with spots and blemishes… these children that you have are bastards,” he continues solemnly.
Someone else is heard at this point to tell the ‘celebrant’ to “say a little bit more, and then quit.”
The concluding chant is delivered in a gentler, softer voice: “Keep fornicating frequently, and keep spreading hatred among people. The children you will have from this marriage will all be bastard swine.”
While the couple are putting rings on each other’s fingers, someone is heard saying that the recording should stop. “Don’t you worry about it,” says someone else, and the recording continues.
“Aren’t they going to suck mouth?” someone is heard asking. “Make them suck mouth”, it is urged. ‘Sucking mouth’ is a term used by Maldivians to denigrate the act of kissing.
“So now, in Maldivian law, in Islam, you are already married”, says the ‘celebrant’, returning to English. The hapless couple are then told to relax and enjoy the celebrations that are to follow, by the end of which a certificate of their nuptials will be ready for them.
Once the ceremony is concluded, the celebrant, who is dressed in a shirt and tie – with the shirt left to hang loose over a traditional Maldivian sarong – swaggers out of the makeshift wedding venue – tugging at his tie and proclaiming himself “President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed.”
The celebrant, Vilu Reef Manager Rasheed told Minivan News, is an assistant Food and Beverage Manager named Hussein Didi. As he leaves the wedding venue having concluded his job, someone announces his presence, as “Ghaazee Hussein Didi”.
A Ghaazee is the Arabic name for a judge or magistrate, also adopted to mean the same in Dhivehi.
People clap loudly as the couple, whose marriage vows have just been mocked in some of the filthiest language known to Dhivehi, are videoed making their way to the next part of their ceremony – the planting of a coconut tree to mark the occasion.
Various types of insults about the woman and the man, their clothing and demeanour, are being spoken throughout in the form of a running commentary in a sports video.
As the bride bends down to plant the coconut tree, a man is heard is exclaiming, “Can see her breasts!” The ‘commentator’ observes, “She is wearing something”, he knows, he says, “because my beard has gone grey watching those things… I have seen so many of them now that I don’t even want to look any more when I see them.”
The groom, who is watering the new coconut tree which they have just planted, is totally unaware of the manner in which his wife and her breasts are being discussed by the group of Maldivian men ‘officiating’ at the renewal of their wedding vows.
‘Celebrant’ Didi tells the couple they should return soon to check on the progress of their plant, testament to what had taken place on the island that day.
The video concludes with the ‘commentator’ repeatedly urging the ‘celebrant’ to make the couple ‘suck mouths, suck mouths’.
The resort’s Manager Rasheed was unable to tell Minivan News how much the occasion had cost the couple or where they were from.
Asked if the couple had been made aware of the nature of the ‘wedding vows’ they had taken, Rasheed said they had been sent pictures but not the video.
“Our package includes sending them pictures on the CD the very same night”, he said. Rasheed added that the resort does not have a written ‘khuthuba’ or sermon from which to read, nor is the role of the celebrant undertaken by a designated person.
“It is done on a rotating basis. We have been doing it for ten years now, and from a very small start, it has grown into a very successful part of what we offer at Vilu,” he said.
Rasheed said he had become aware of the nature of the ceremony conducted by Didi shortly after it happened. He had banned Didi from performing any more ceremonies, but did not feel it was necessary to take any further action, until the video appeared on YouTube.
The staff member who uploaded the video, Ali Shareef, a shop assistant, is not being disciplined or investigated further, Rasheed said. He complied with the request by the management to remove the video from YouTube.
The ‘celebrant’, Didi, however is currently under investigation by the Head Office in Male’, Sun Travel and Tours.
Minivan News has learned that the ‘wedding package’ offered by Vilu Reef Resort lasts an hour, costs US$1300 which includes the services of a ‘celebrant’, a sailing trip and Maldivian music and dancing.
The happy couple can obtain photographs of their beautiful ceremony in the Maldivian sunset on Vilu Reef Resort for an additional US$440.
CEO of Sun Travel Ahmed Shakir was unavailable for comment.
Warning: Video contains profanity
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Bryan on Fri, 29th Oct 2010 1:56 AM
What’s the big deal? It’s just like those stupid girls who get tattoos in Chinese that say things like “I’m a stupid whore who can’t read Chinese
You're an idiot Brian, a tattoo may be for life but so is your choice of a wife/husband, if you think it's funny to have paid so much money for this ceremony whilst believing it to be true and valid you are a sad man.
Brian = scheisskopf, that means you nice man.
This is the true face of Islam.
We hate you...
Wow. Previous to this, I was thinking it would be good to visit the Maldives before rising seas took it. But now, I'm thinking maybe not. I'm sad for Maldivians who make it clear in these comments that they're sad and horrified (and glad to know that there are people who wouldn't do this in the Maldives), but the comments of the others who think this whole thing was not only funny but that it's normal make me think that giving the Maldives a pass is probably a good idea...
Good luck to you, Maldives. If you come to one of my countries, I hope I and my fellow citizens will make you more welcome than some of you have made others welcome in your country.
Unfortunate. What's gonna happen when this happy couple see how they were mocked and then decide to go down to the nearest mosque and run over a bunch of people? Or blow up the mosque?
Can you imagine the hue and outcry from the Muslim world if it had been a bunch of westerns mocking an Islamic wedding ceremony?
Disgusting conduct. These maldivans are happy to take the money of these people but the biggest irony is that they denigrate their own religion adopting a prayer posture of Mohammadism and then use such disgusting language - I wish I could say I am surprised ... I think they will feel the consequences in their pockets I intended to go to the Maldives I sure won't now! Disgusting!
Now look at this! The islam pride! What a pityful religion. While we try to integrate those people into our culture, they insult us. . . there is nothing, you deserve except global warming. This is not about christians and muslims, ask the people of India, how much they like you! What a coincidence!
no one laughed. that shocks me. if that was a joke, there had been one of them laughing or smiling or something, so many people can't do such a big stunt without at least one of them failing at being serious.
but this didn't happen. because it wasn't a joke, they were serious ..
If you are thinking of going to the Maldives don't let this put you off 99.9% of the people you will meet are genuine and they will make your stay a pleasure. Don't tar all Maldivians with the same brush.......The Maldives are a true heaven on earth go and enjoy them..
Never will I ever go to your country after seeing this evil sick act. What Horrible people.
The young maldivians are generally sick minded. This bunch happens to be one of them. Its a shame this happened.
Strike Maldives off my list of vacation destinations. If I want to pay money to be insulted and called names, I'd go with Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.
Whites are the hands which feed Maldivians. They have given them technology, and now tourism. What happens if all Whites stop going to the Maldives?
Dang It. I was researching the Maldives because we had decided to have a destination wedding there and wondered if they could accomdate our large families and the employees of my business at this resort. Wife said we are rescheduling to Santorini. Oh well.
As a Maldivian and working in this industry for over many years in the level of managerial / line staff, what I have known is that this is not the 70's & 80's when the tourism began in the Maldives. The time has now changed to upper market.
Not all the resorts and staffs are like this. Am sure with an international chain company, any kind of these acts would not have taken place.
And 'Yes' there are exceptional in reality just the way 5 fingers are not equal. Some still do lack professionalism. It’s sad and disappointing to know such a behavior from a group of people who has taken this as a joke unknowing the true trend, service and professionalism.
I Call to all WORKERS in this industry its 'Time to wake up and open the eyes' and to Work with Professionalism with great attitude.
Am not very pleased with translation of Dhivehi to English by the MEDIA who ever had translated. And Call to correct the words.
I also call Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Promotion Board etc (any related parties/company/government/ political parties; directly or indirectly) – to introduce a basic level for workers to join and scan before getting into the field and give proper training prior to stepping. (This unacceptable behavior had come from unprofessionalism)
Also understand that damage done cannot erased. But there’s always a room to grow and develop not to repeat the mistake once made while keeping it at the back of mind.
I have finally saved enough money to visit the Maldives, my dream destination for decades, in 2011. My dream is now lost, apparently because of the failings, or turning of blind eyes, by managers and more important people. I have visited other Muslim countries and found the people to be wonderful. Every nation, religion and creed has good and bad people.
I feel bad for the good people of the Maldives who will suffer because of this disgusting abuse by a few. I won't be coming and that makes me sad.
I wished to have my vows to my bride there. We are not infidels to them but do not speak the language. We will not go there now.
This whole incident is disgraceful, but the element which is most disturbing to me is the large number of people who witnessed it. I understand that unpleasant people are found all over the world, but I cannot understand how such a large number of people could have kept quiet while this couple were being subjected to this tirade of filth, cursing their love for each other, their religion, and their children.
I can understand that people are resentful of rich Westerners, but would the Maldives really be better off if they stopped coming? If the people of the Maldives are unhappy with their lives, surely they should direct their anger against their own politicians?
I've always dreamed of visiting the Maldives, but I wouldn't even consider it now. Why would I go to a country where at least some of the people would hate me as an "infidel" and despise the culture I come from?
Wow, saw this 'event' on our national news channel in Ireland. We have a recession here, no money to visit Maldives. Can't do much with no money, except fight amongst ourselves, bummer.
I was in Maldives 8 months back. And had a great time. And may have told 50 people since then. And thought maybe I will go 10 more islands in rest of my life.
But with all this - NO ! If this has been going on for as long as some people here have pointed out and with management knowing this, you never know who else is doing this and where all. And I cant be bothered to keep my ear out to see nobody is abusing me.
God bless those islands !
To all the Maldivians who feel bad that this happened, I am truely sorry for the future loss of your tourism industry. To all the Maldivians who blame the messenger (minivannews) or try to minimise the evil of this, you are an affront to Islam, the Human Race, and all Maldivians who have a soul. If this behavior/attitude is prevalent, it was bound to be exposed soon or later. Now that it is exposed, you have a choice; own up to the bad behavior/attitude at try to change for the better or continue to deny until the end. I am a top notch massage therapist In America's #2 spa city and I have a wealthy clientel whom I care about deeply. I will not see them exposed to such hatefull behavior and I am making sure each is aware or the attitude of many Maldivians. I will follow this story and if you decide to face up to and accept the truth and do something about it, I will report to my client base; either way. It is a shame that 30% of the people make the other 70% look bad. Allah will swallow Maldives into the sea if you continue with your evil ways. Good people of Maldives Clean Your House. Excuses will not save your tourist industry. This video is ALL OVER the internet. Act Now!
I am in Canada. I first saw this story from the BBC and now note that it is also being reported here by all of the former CanWest newspaper and television sites. This large national chain included the Montréal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald and Vancouver Sun as well as the English-language "Global TV" network.
These media obtained two articles from Agence France-Presse, an international wire service which feeds many newspapers in many nations:
"Swiss couple victim of marriage 'hate video' in Maldives" October 27, 2010
and
"Hotel remorseful for tourists abused at Maldives love ceremony", October 28, 2010
Both are by Amal Jayasinghe, Agence France-Presse and now reprinted widely across our geographically-vast nation.
http://vilureefmaldives.com/
Post their website as many times as possible and it will move this article higher in the search engines.
They deserve what they get!
As absolutely shameful, unprofessional, and uncharacteristic of the people of the Maldives as the incident is, I can't help but feel it was somewhat inevitable.
This is what happens when a wealthy Western couple travels halfway around the world to have their marriage blessed by a bunch of "magical" foreigners in a language that they can't understand. I find the whole concept somewhat degrading to Islamic and Maldivian culture-- I'm hardly surprised that some Maldivians have this much contempt for the tourists upon whom the nation depends.
Wow. I was googling for a renewal this winter. Vilu Reef came up, and so did this article. I'm so glad I decided to do some reading. I think we will go somewhere else. I don't need to see the video, so go ahead and remove it. Like sure. Oh yeah, better go tell google to remove your worthy site too lest it hurt your country's business making fun of people looking for a nice experience. Laters.
To all the potential tourists who are cancelling their plans to visit maldives now...
I am truly very sorry this has happened in the maldives. This was absolutely a terrible thing to do and 99.9% of maldivians would not condone this type of behaviour. But as you all know there is the 0.01% of bad apples in the basket who would, as in anywhere in the world. And i would like to assure you that you are seeing this 0.01% in this video and from some comments here.
If you dont want to come to the maldives for ur earlier planned holidays, thats totaly ur decision to freely make. If I were you i wouldnt either after hearing about this. But just know that, not all maldivians are like this and most wouldnt condone this type of behaviour. Just thought you should make an informed decision. thanks.
Sad this happened, but it is my believe that these people who mocked the couple didnt really hate them. Its just cheap prank for them! Im not excusing the people who witnessed this and did it, but Im sure they did it not because they hate "white people" or Non-Muslims. Some Maldivians just dont understand to respect other people. For them its a silly joke! But how can anyone mock someone infront of people like that.
I strongly ask teh concerned authorities to investigate this babaric act and punish those responsible.
However, I would like to say to all readers that Maldives is a peaceful and a beautiful country with innocent people. Ofcourse in each and every society, there will be such uncivilized bunch. But do not make the whole population of Maldivians responsible to this. Its only a minority of teh people who are like this and teh rest should not be punished for it.
I am a regular visitor to Maldives and I do now who maldivians are. They are sincere and humble.
This will not change the image of Maldives in my mind and I ask others to follow me and visit this country to see the difference.
Thanks
Alex
News like these spread like wildfire and soon people would forget about it. Itd remain in cyberworld, but not everyone is going to make a big deal out of it.
My point is, the view, the prank these silly people did arent/wouldnt be the same as them. Most of the Maldivians are known to be friendly and kind. Im not saying all Maldivians are the same. In every society and culture you find different people. Some good and s ome bad.
We cant judge all Maldivians and Muslims just because of some minority people's behavior. Why does everything a person does have to be related to Islam? Islam does not teach people to be violent and do bad things to other human beings.
People who have money, can go to the Maldives, and at the same time, choose to renew their vows in a language they cannot understand...
Deserve to be swindled. Pretentious swine.
I am a Maldivian living abroad an I have never been so ashamed to call myself one. To the people involved in this video, being a good Muslim is partly about being a good human being and good human beings don't make unjustified hurtful judgements against people nor accuse them of things No matter what religion or where they come from.
This is so hurful and I have never heard such filthy language in such a short period of time ever in my life.I am still in shock.
It is very shameful to Maldives country. The one who did is really not educated person. if they do not like the people, its not the right way to insult them. It is not really acceptable that kind of personality they have. Maybe the person who did it, is the one who is Swine and 'nagoo balhu'. Very pity for the couple. For sure, the management of the Resort was also knows about this. Very SAD and very BAD!
I'd expect the odds of this being perceived as a case where "a wealthy Western couple travels halfway around the world to have their marriage blessed by a bunch of 'magical' foreigners in a language that they can’t understand" will be diminished by the manner in which media here are reporting this bride as Swiss, not as American.
In Canada, where we sometimes struggle to make ourselves understood in just two official languages, it may be easy to make the old joke that "a person who speaks two languages is called bilingual; a person who speaks one language is called American" but Switzerland immediately evokes the legendary tradition of four official national languages, a long history of carefully-defended neutrality along with open borders to much of Europe.
This openness commands a certain amount of international respect; to mock someone who speaks two or three languages (some combination of English, French, German most likely) for their inability to understand one distant local language will appear most petty when viewed from North/South America.
One could cover most or all of the Americas with no more than five languages - English (Can/USA/Bermuda/Caribbean), French (Canada/St. Pierre-Miquelon/Haiti/Guiane), Spanish (most of Central and South America), Portuguese (Brazilian) and maybe Dutch (Netherlands Antilles/Suriname). That's half a world... meanwhile that handful of languages doesn't come close to fully covering Europe.
If someone from a country like Switzerland-Suisse-Schwitz can be victimised in this manner, what does that mean for those of us who only speak one or two tongues (une ou deux langues)?
The video blatantly reveals the unfriendly attitude of the locals towards those who feed them. Clearly, the people involved followed an established pattern of behaviour.
Luckily there are lots of other destinations with similar possibilities for diving etc. The people working for the travel industry in Maldives should consider the fact that for us Europeans for example the Seychelles, Mauritius, and/or many of the Caribbean countries are within quite as easy reach as the Maldives.
In those destinations acts involving Islamic hate speech will not be an issue.
It's great that you apparently have a free and uncensored press that is willing to expose uncomfortable stories like this.
This is not new. Where ever you go you can see these kinds of things happening whether you are in the UK of in Maldives. I found the clip of New found English Defence league verbally Abusing Minority Muslims. Even Winston Churchill wanted to sacrifice Indians as lambs in the war with out any shame. Racism is every where & this just an individual act & nothing for these Evangelical Christians to scream about. No body asked you to do your ceremony in a language which you do not understand or rituals which you are not familiar with. Do not have a tattoo in language which you do not understand.
Maldives is a country which imposes that all its citizens be Muslim, and Maldivians repress one another to maintain this, yet vehemently deny that this is the case this! There are two maldives, one is bliss and paradise and the face of the serene, beautiful Dhivehinith nothing but compassion towards all, and the other is that behind the mask, tyranny!
There are Maldivians who in their heart of hearts are not Muslims, they may be atheists or Christians or they may be Buddhists, or Hindu’s or free thinkers! It is a cruel and emotionally savage existance they live in to feel forced to deny their true hearts from the rest of their world. This is because, the punishments for denying Islam include extreme alienation, social ostracisation, imprisonment and loss of citizenship. They don’t have money to escape this enforced hypocritical existance in most cases and so they are trapped in a world which imprisons them in a world where they are forced to live as something they are not. Their existance is very dehumanizing and painful because, to live a lie out of fear makes one feel dishonest, cowardly, mistrustful of others. It is dehumanizing and emotionally, mentally, and even physically destructive. The whole society is like this because of this religion being imposed via the constitution!
This is why, when Maldivians see this Islamic prejudice, they are so upset. But they, more than these Westerners, are the cruellest hit by this prejudice.
Now that minivannews has got the attention of the world, I beg, wholeheartedly, to you world. Maldivian non-Muslims desparately need your help to eradicate religious oppression.
Help them. Don’t just go to the Maldives without realizing that Maldivians need your help desparately and urgently. Forget what you heard about climate change, for many maldivians, religious freedom is a far more urgent need.
Pressure your governments to pressure Maldivian Government to give freedom of conscience to its people!
how bad some Maldivians are!!! ok fine you don't eat pork but you are more repulsive than those who eat pork. other countries may have bad things and may posted not good videos but why why why Maldivians should follow this trend.
i was really disappointed coz i am working in the Maldives and i appreciate everything here. but hearing this news makes me say you are just the same with other country.
punishment should be done to those staffs involved so that nobody will follow their acts.
Remember always that if these people who you are calling Swines will not come back and will spread that Maldives is not good. i am sure Maldives will be one of the poor country.
there is a saying in everything you do there will be a fire back of action. so careful and think more than 10 times before doing something BAD.
I think that everyone will have to admit, this is really funny. I'm guessing that if I had to put up with a whole load of tourists all the time, I'd want to blow off some steam with a harmless bit of fun.
There's a couple of people here posting "oooh, these people feed you". Well if people had that attitude towards me then they'd get a little bit more thn me swearing under my breath.
Who? Maldivesresortworkers?? has anyone endorsed these culprits? are they seriosly confirming that its part of our hospitality entertaintment. If so MOTAC should do an audit on these processes and procedures.
As a Maldivian working in tourist resort, I am truly appalled and shocked to the bone to see the unjustice that had been done to the innocent couple.
Having worked previously in resorts where such weddings take place, and having seen such weddings, I would like to note that this is the first time I have heard such injustice being done ...Fortunately all such weddings I have witnessed has been respectful and no filthy language was used... however, it is going to take years to build the trust again....
No amount of compensation will be enough for destroying the personal beautiful moment for them.. Most of the Maldivians are educated and condemn such behaviour and have moral attitudes that are accepting and welcoming others who may not be muslims...It is because of these minor ignorant, uneducated, conceited, racist people like those who participated in this ceremony that our good name is soiled forever...I sincerely hope all those who were part of this mockery and the management of the resort is severely punished and no job is ever given to them...they should spent their lifetime in jail...
Our religion asks to respect people of other religion and to show compassion and kindness to everyone...this is such a blow to both the Islam as well as Maldivian Culture...
I am truly sorry for the couple and we are willing to do anything to make the situation better for the couple. Justice needs to be served and these people who mocked needs to be publicly humiliated and thrown to jail..
David, don't you think that in every industry in every country that our customers feed us? If we abuse their patronage we lose our jobs and income. The tourist industry is no different than working in a shop or factory or in the service sector anywhere. We are paid to serve our consumers however trying that may be and often is.
I'm beginning to feel sorry for the other employees at this resort if they truly didn't know what was happening.
I'd like to say that I e-mailed Vilu Reef and they have already taken the time to reply to me which I congratulate them for in these circumstances.
I was about to book my holiday there for next year. I will not be doing this now. I know that a few posts from people that think this is funny. The reality of it all is that the couple were there for something that was serious to them and now they are being made a fool of on the internet.
not impressed at all. very very unprofessional and not good for tourism in such a tropical place. their website describes the resort as one of Maldives’ premier resorts. now every time someone Google’s their resort this story will come up.
If I was managing, an owner or an investor in this resort which to be fair is not cheap and marketed at the high end to couples hoping to share a special occasion. I would be outraged and the level of unprofessionalism of my staff.
I was looking in to a renewal in the not too distant future. I too saw this resort and also this article as to how they deal with the people who have entrusted them to make their experience a good and memorable one. Now that I have read how "tourists" are thought of and treated, I will not only not go to the Vilu Reef, but I think I will be avoiding the Maldives altogether. There are MANY other places that treat the customers/tourists with respect and courtesy. The poor couple did nothing to deserve this blatant disrespect and to have the memories of their special day ruined forever. I am forwarding this article to all of my other colleagues so that they are aware of how they would also be treated as "tourists"...
After reading this story on this and other websites and in partcular after reading the comments posted under this article, I will never plan to spend my hard earned money on a trip the Maldives, and will similarly advise anyone else I know that a trip to the Maldives will not be money well spent.
If this incident were a one off, and it was clear from comments and actions by hotel management that immediate and strong action had been taken against all those involved, then I would understand that this was the actions of a small number of immaturely minded individuals. But clearly that is not the case, it seems to be part of the culture and mindset of the people of the Maldives.
I would like to thank maldivesresortworkers for his honest post which shows his own ignorance and immaturity, and a complete lack of understanding of this situation. Perhaps he would like to look at this from the tourists perspective, tourists whose money feed him and his family, rather than his own narrow minded and bigotted viewpoint.
Good riddance Maldives.
i am truly ashamed to be a Maldivian..
I just watched the Video and those people there must have been at least 12 made that poor couple look like idiots.
this has already made newspapers around the world. the people who did this and all that were involved are scam artists and criminals. Vilu Reef Beach Resort should be ashamed that this type of carry on is happening and by the relaxed way in which all involved acted I say that this was not the first time.
This makes me sick to watch
I usually go to Club Blue Dreams in Bodrum, Turkey (am I allowed to say that)? That is also a Muslim country. There is a huge mix of nationalities vacationing there and the staff are wonderful and respectful, I have made good friends among them. I would suggest that the owner and management (new management I would hope) take a trip there and see how it's really done. I gather the owner isn't short of cash so maybe he'd like to take up my recommendation. Failing that, I don't understand the rotation of staff taking these ceremonies. Why not employ one trustworthy person to officiate at them?
This is a disgrace it really is. That couple were hoping this was going to be a special day and now because of this resort its totally ruined.
I have been to the Maldives three times and on our first visit we too renewed our wedding vows. Its sad to think this has happened to that unassuming couple and probably many more. It has totally cheapened the ceremony in the Maldives. Hopefully no one else will waste their money on this ceremony.
I would never go to the Maldives again, it costs a vast amount of money, and to see people treated this way is really bad. I will spend my hard earned cash visiting other, more friendly places in future.
This story already published in newspapers here in South Africa. This is very bad. Good luck Maldives - there's a s***storm on its way. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.