Former Chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Fayyaz Ismail, said today that granting permanent land ownership to non-Muslims poses a threat as dangerous as the seizure of Palestinian lands by Zionists.
Speaking on Raajje TV’s "Fashaa Iru" program, Fayyaz expressed his opposition to the permanent allocation of land in Rasmalé to non-citizens. He warned that the presence of non-Muslims among these landowners would lead to complications that he cannot accept.
"If this place [Rasmalé] is given permanently to non-citizens, it will naturally include non-Muslims. If that happens, a very dangerous situation is created. We know how global affairs work; powerful nations could then tell the UN that there are, for example, 1,000 Christians, Jews, or other non-Muslims living there who are citizens of other countries and have certain rights that cannot be infringed upon," Fayyaz said.
"They will demand that laws be changed to allow them to practice their religion there. This won't happen tomorrow; it will progress slowly over years and centuries. It is a terrifying prospect. I do not believe that Maldivian land should ever be granted permanently to anyone who is not a Maldivian citizen."
Fayyaz further noted that the Palestinian conflict originated when land began to be allocated to Zionist organisations. He highlighted that the Zionist takeover of that land occurred gradually over many years.
"But the way things are currently structured, that is exactly what is happening. They call it a lease, but it is being granted permanently. The consequences of this can be seen in the Palestinian issue, which began two or three hundred years ago. When Palestine was under the Ottoman Empire, Zionist organisations began buying up land. Over a period of about 200 years, this escalated into a major crisis, as they established rights over that land from that point onward," Fayyaz explained.
However, Fayyaz stated he would support selling land if Maldivian citizenship were first granted to foreign Muslims. He emphasised that the government must seek public opinion before making such monumental decisions.
"I have no issue with granting citizenship to Muslims and selling land to them once they are Maldivian citizens. That is my view. Even then, there will be citizens who disagree. Therefore, the public must be consulted on a decision of this magnitude. Because of the implications involved, I believe the people’s voice must be heard, rather than just proceeding with the Fushidhiggaru [Rasmalé] project as is," Fayyaz said.
The government agreed to hand over Rasmalé to Eagle Hills without charging an acquisition fee or land rent. The only revenue the state will receive is 10 percent of the revenue from the sale of commercial properties and four percent from the sale of apartments.
Rasmalé is planned for development as a tourism destination, designed to allow foreigners to reside there long-term. Eagle Hills has already opened the sale of apartments and villas in Rasmalé to foreign buyers.
