President Mohamed Muizzu said on Wednesday that despite the sale of Rasmalé to Mohamed Alabbar—a UAE businessman known for his close ties to Israel—the development will prohibit the consumption of alcohol and pork and will attract a Muslim clientele.
Speaking on the President’s Office program "Nation Chat," Muizzu asserted that the freedoms typically granted to foreigners at Maldivian resorts would not be available at Rasmalé.
"It is even more limited than the scope of activities at a resort. The limitation is that alcohol cannot be sold here. It cannot be consumed. There will be no pork. The call to prayer will be broadcast five times a day," the President said.
Muizzu further noted that the ban on alcohol and pork at Rasmalé would be legally codified to ensure compliance.
"I will certainly not allow anything to happen that could lead to negative influences among us. I will ensure all these matters are handled through legal means, within the agreement, and in every possible way," he said.
Additionally, during Wednesday's program, Muizzu expressed confidence that non-Muslims would not reside in Rasmalé.
"I am very confident, highly confident, that those staying here will be almost entirely Maldivians and Muslims from other countries. People who wish to live differently will not want to come here; they will not want to come to the Maldives for that," the President stated.
While the government maintains that Rasmalé is being leased for 99 years, Alabbar’s company, Eagle Hills, has stated that if the property is sold before the initial 99-year lease expires, a new 99-year lease term will commence.
Commercial terms for the sale of 500 hectares of Rasmalé—which is being reclaimed at Fushidhiggaru lagoon using state funds—to Eagle Hills were signed on September 21. Efforts are underway to sign the permanent project agreement on November 11, coinciding with the Maldives' Republic Day.
The government’s deal to sell Rasmalé comes after Muizzu had previously pledged that not a single grain of sand from the site would be leased or given for free to any foreign party, even for a single day.
"Every grain of sand reclaimed there [Ras Malé] is a grain of sand owned by the Maldivian people. It is not land that will be leased or given for free to any foreign party for even a single day," Muizzu had previously declared.
