More Massages in Maldives! President Reopens Resort Spas Despite Muslim Protests
- Posted on January 4, 2012 at 6:38pm by
Billy Hallowell
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Photo Credit: MaldivesTourism.net
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (The Blaze/AP) — The president of the Maldives ordered the country’s upscale resorts to reopen their spas on Wednesday pending a Supreme Court decision on whether they violate Islam, just days after they were shut under pressure from protesters led by an opposition party. The court decision could be critical to the tourism-dependent island nation’s economic future.
“The government has decided we will open all spas and give all the services to tourists which we have been giving before,” President Mohammed Nasheed told The Associated Press by telephone.
“The tour operators were very worried” about the closure, he said.
Last week, the Blaze reported about on protests that called for an end to “anti-Islamic” activities on the resorts. Following a demonstration in the capital on Dec. 23 in which thousands of people showed up, authorities ordered all spas to close.
President Mohammed Nasheed (AP)
The protesters also demanded that authorities halt the sale of alcohol on islands inhabited by local people, stop plans to allow direct flights from Israel, and demolish statues given by other countries to commemorate a South Asian summit in November which they saw as idols.
“To be racist in any way is detrimental to the tourism industry,” Nasheed said of the call to halt Israeli flights. “This is not the way to go forward.”
Debates on religious issues have intensified since a group vandalized a statue given by Pakistan bearing the image of Buddha. In November a protest followed a call by the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, for the Maldives to end the flogging of women found to have had sex outside marriage.
Nasheed has said he stands for a brand of moderate Islam traditionally practiced in the country and that it is vital to preserve tourism.
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jan hansun
Posted on January 8, 2012 at 12:30amidiotic Americans!
Report Post »jan hansun
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:35pmThe government of Maldives is so hypocritical that it is doing something else other than obliging the simple demands of the huge protest by the Maldivians. The protest demands were very clear. They are:
1. To remove all idolatrous monuments in Addu City;
2. To condemn the speech of Pillay and make public apology;
3. To cancel all flights of the Israeli National Carrier;
4. Don’t declare parts of inhabited islands into uninhabited islands in order to sell liquour; and
5. Close down the massage parlours used as brothels in the capital Male’.
These were the five demands of the protest. It is important to note that it wasn’t a protest of extremists as the government label, but it was a protest of more than 100,000 Maldivians (a third of the total population) across the country including 10,000 in one rally in the capital, dissatisfied and fed-up with the government’s policies including anti-Islamic policies. The also include dissatisfaction of the economic policies of the government, which is hurting the ordinary people. The proof is the recent resignation of the Finance Minister and State Minister of Finance.
It is important to note that protest demand does not include closing spas of luxury resorts nor closing massage parlours in general. Also, there was no such demand to stop the sale of alcohol in the islands. The demand as you can see above was, Don’t declare parts of inhabited islands into uninhabited islands in order to sell liquor; this is about inhab
Report Post »randydutton
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 1:49pmI just finished writing The Carbon Trap, an ecopolitical thriller that starts off in the Maldives. I guess if the people are becoming less friendly to westerners they’ll probably not like a few things depicted in my book. I should watch my step. RainforestPress dot com
Report Post »nosharia
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 11:22amDo not spend one tourist dime in muslim countries. Just stay away. They can eat their qran for supper.
Report Post »RossPoldark
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 4:50amWatch these and forward to your friends. Former Inman converts to Christianity and debunks the Quran. Offers 50,000 for any Muslim to debate him to prove him wrong. Thus far no takers. They are scared of the truth.
http://the-koran.blogspot.com/
Report Post »SoloPocono
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 3:33amA friend of mine leads “Yoga Retreats” to scenic South Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Ireland. Her most popular retreats were those to Bali-in Indonesia which she discontinued last year. Seems that the Muslims correctly associate Yoga to Hinduism, and tensions that are centuries old, are now returning. Barbara said they had multiple bomb threats last year to the private, American owned, retreat center last year; and that “contractors”, who took the retreat attendees on sight-seeing trips, backed out at the last minute. Although yoga is BASED on ancient Hindu practices; few Westerners are actually “Hindu”, in fact Barbara is a devout Catholic and has even had some Nuns attend her classes! But as the rise in popularity of Hatha Yoga, (just the physical practice), has been accepted “as is”-as a stress reduction, no-impact exercise, in the West; our Muslim neighbors on the other side of the globe seem to see it as some kind of infringement on Muslim culture. Barb no longer leads retreats to primarily Muslim countries. It’s just too dangerous.
Report Post »I’ll bet those “massages” at the resorts are a part of programs that include yoga classes/sessions.
I just pray this build-up of tensions doesn’t lead to further strains on the VERY delicate India – Pakistan – Kashmir borders. That’s ALL the Middle-East needs now-another major conflict…
theshortender
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:17amSucks to be a Muslim!!!
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 11:13pmI give em two weeks until the Bombs start going off in the tourism district….. Tops
Report Post »zoro51
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 9:50pmpay NO atterntion to the MURDERING MUSLUMS. they do NOT dictate to the world thier so called religion a CULT thier god ALLAH FALSE STONE IDOL they care LESS about anyones life even thier own they just want to KILL no heaven just the FLAMES of HELL await all murdering muslums…
Report Post »Restore the Republic
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 9:09pmWhat does Religious Mythology have to do with government in the first place?
Report Post »garbagecanlogic
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 8:38pmToo bad, so sad, let the massages begin.
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
Report Post »The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
B-Neil
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 8:33pmI don’t go there. The mucky mucks will have to handle this one. CARRY ON McDUFF p.s. we need jobs for the regular folks.
Report Post »scrapadapolis
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 8:08pmWe should bomb them to hell.
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 7:48pmTheir president should ban muslims in the resort areas. End of massage problem.
Report Post »1me2ao
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 7:44pmi would be scared if i worked there.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 8:15pmI work here and I’m scared!!!
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 8:23pmMohammed Nasheed, forward thinking man; but dead.
Report Post »lel2007
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 7:43pmSri Lanka may hope to go forward, but ishlam is backward by nature.
Report Post »streetrodder
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 7:36pmIt would be OK with muslims if it was 7 year olds giving the massages
Report Post »Deep_Thoughts
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 10:21pmbahaha
Report Post »KennethH
Posted on January 5, 2012 at 12:49pmLOL well said. But not many know about the “acceptable pedophilia” in Islam. It is something even Imams will avoid at all costs in any conversation.
Report Post »Caballosinnombre
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 7:11pmMuslim protests are detrimental to everyone because it usually involves violence.
Report Post »jaylew
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 7:10pmMoney trumps Mohammed every time. The fake whack religion of Islam has the Taliban promoting the farming of opium poppies in Afghanistan……the Taliban stole tons of opium base from Afghan farmers during the Taliban hey day and the stockpiled it…they did not destroy it….and then they eventually put it back on the dope market…and now the Taliban uses dope money to finance their little “us against the world” ideology….the religion of fundamental Islam is the biggest prostitute on earth…so why should a few heavy petting massage parlors in the Maldives be any exception? Anyone who follows and adheres to fundamental Islam…including the caveman concepts of Sharia Law….is nothing but a blithering withering dithering fool. It is 2012…..and Islam is a 6th Century mindset. Archaic in nature and simple hypocritical nonsense not only on it’s face but also way way deep inside. Islam is preposterous….completely and totally worthless to the world as a whole…and wherever there is Islam…there is nothing but toil ,trouble, and turmoil. Islam is not peace….it is an entity of wickedness swirling around and in and living on earth among the least fortunate…and instead of healing anything..it marginalizes the basic notion of being alive. Islam is abject evil. It always has been and it is doomed to always be nothing more…or nothing less.
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 7:16pmBet you’re glad to get all that off your chest, huh?
You need a massage. :-)
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 8:27pmWow………How do you really feel. Great commentary.
Report Post »wisehiney
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 9:18pmDiggin’ that post the most Jaylew!
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on January 4, 2012 at 6:49pmWell, thank God for that good news. Thank you Blaze for delivering this important news.
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