Maldives Reverses Closures of "Prostitution' Spas ... It Was The Opposition Party's Idea!

The Maldives has overturned a decision made last week to shut down all spas and health centres in resorts, President Mohamed Nasheed has declared.

BBC

The ban followed allegations by an opposition Islamist party that spas were being used for prostitution.

President Nasheed said that he has asked the Supreme Court to decide whether operating spas is against the principles of Islam.

The ruling could be critical to the Maldives' tourist economy.

The islands are a popular destination for wealthy honeymooners and celebrities where luxury rooms can cost up to $12,000 (£7,700) a day.

"We have lifted the ban and all the services will be available for tourists," President Nasheed told Reuters news agency. "We wanted to give confidence to tourists."

The president said that he had ordered the ban in response to calls by the main opposition party, which claimed the spas were fronts for prostitution and led to the spread of drugs and alcohol to locals in the mainly Sunni Muslim nation.

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Maldivians Defend Islam by Closing All Spas

Tourism Ministry issues circular to close spas and massage parlors

MiniVan News

After thousands of protesters gathered last Friday and demanded the government “close the spas and massage parlors and such places where prostitution is conducted”, the Tourism Ministry has today published a circular asking all the resorts to shut down their spas and massage parlors.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair today confirmed to Minivan News that the Tourism Ministry had issued the circular.

The circular informs that the government has decided to shut down all the spas and massage parlors in accordance with demands made by the general public during last Friday’s protest to “defend Islam.”

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday, Zuhair said the protesters did not specify where exactly the prostitution was conducted but mentioned that prostitution was conducted inside spas and massage parlors.

He said the government does not know how to differentiate between the spas and massage parlors that are complicit with prostitution and those which are not.

Therefore, Zuhair said the government has decided to shut down all such locales because Maldivians, including high-profile individuals, have been visiting tourist resorts and having spa treatments.

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Travel Warning: Don't Get Flogged In the Maldives

 Maldivian Islamic groups call for arrest of UN High Commissioner on Human Rights

Minivan News

Protestors gathered outside the United Nations Building in Male’ on Friday afternoon to condemn UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay for her criticism of the Maldivian constitution, namely its provisions endorsing flogging and mandating that every Maldivian be a Muslim.

The protestors carried signboards with angry slogans, including “Islam is not a toy”, “Ban UN” and “Flog Pillay”, and called on authorities to arrest the UN High Commisioner.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News that the sizeable protest was contained and there were no confrontations.

“Police cordoned off the area so people could not enter the UN building or the roads leading to the building. The protest was pretty heated, but there were no confrontations or arrests,” he said.

After a break for Sunset Prayer, protesters renewed their efforts at the Tsunami Memorial.

Shiyam said police guarded the UN building during the evening protest, and kept appraised of its movements.

No concerns have been voiced to the police by the UN.

During a press conference on Thursday evening, Pillay again called for the government and the judiciary to issue a moratorium on flogging.

“Flogging is a form of punishment that is cruel and demeaning to women. I have as High Commissioner traveled to very many Islamic countries, and apart from the Maldives and one other country that practices stoning, flogging is not a practice that is condoned,” she said.

“The issue needs to be examined, and therefore I called for a countrywide discussion. It is much better if the issue is transparent and debated.”

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UN to Maldives: Please Stop Flogging Your Women

The UN human rights chief urged the Maldives yesterday to end the "degrading" practice of flogging women found to have had sex outside marriage.

"This practice constitutes one of the most inhumane and degrading forms of violence against women, and should have no place in the legal framework of a democratic country," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told parliament. 


"I strongly believe that a public debate is needed in Maldives on this issue of major concern," she said calling for law reforms against discrimination against women. 


She told reporters later that she discussed with Maldives officials how to end the practice. 


"At the very least, pending more permanent changes in the law, it should be possible for the government and the judiciary to engineer a practical moratorium on flogging," she said. 

According to the law, 30 lashes are given to women found to have committed adultery. Court officials would not give numbers on how many women are flogged in the conservative Muslim nation, but the punishment is usually done in public. 


Pillay also urged authorities to improve poor, exploitative conditions for migrant workers, especially those from Bangladesh. 


"Migrant workers are often abused, exploited and cheated of their hard-earned income by traffickers and unscrupulous employers in the Maldives," she said. 


She added it was the state's responsibility to protect workers who are vital to the tourism industry in the South Asian island nation known for picturesque beach resorts. 


On her three-day visit to Maldives, Pillay has also expressed concern about rising religious intolerance. The country of 300,000 people forbids practicing religions other than Islam. 


She now heads to Indonesia for meetings on human rights in Southeast Asian countries. 

Maldives: Christian deported for owning a Bible

Mission Network News

Maldives (MNN) ― An Indian Christian had been a teacher in Maldives for two years when he was deported. His crime: owning a Bible.

Voice of the Martyrs reports that 30-year-old Indian Christian Shijo Kakkattu was deported in mid-October. According to Compass Direct News, a co-worker reported Kakkattu to the National Administrative Center after finding Christian materials on a school computer.

Reports say Kakkattu accidentally transferred material from his flash drive onto the school's computer. Mohamed Shiraj, the principal of Raafainu School in Raa Atool, told Minivan News, "The videos were in Indian, so I don't know what they were saying; but the images were Christian."

VOM confirms that police then raided Kakkattu's house and discovered a Bible and other Christian materials. They then charged him with preaching the Christian faith in the Muslim nation of Maldives, which recently tightened restrictions on preaching and practicing non-Islamic faiths. Police took Kakkattu to another island for interrogation and held him for 15 days before deporting him back to India.

Last month, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs published new regulations under the Protection of Religious Unity Act of 1994, says VOM. Anything that represents a religion other than Islam is strictly prohibited, according to Compass Direct News. Web sites, blogs, newspapers and magazines are forbidden from publishing anything contradictory to Islam. Violators face 2-5 years in prison, house arrest, or banishment. As in Kakkattu's case, foreigners accused of proselytizing will be deported.

Maldives ranks sixth on the Open Doors World Watch List for the persecuted church. Pray for protection for Maldivian believers. Pray that they will continue to boldly preach the Gospel as the Holy Spirit leads.

Learn more about Maldives and the nation's attitude toward believers here.