A fatwa from 10 years ago that declared working in places that sell alcohol and pork to be prohibited by Islamic shariah has been republished to bring the ruling to public attention.

According to the fatwa issued on July 15, 2013 by the Fatwa Council, a Muslim working in a job at a place that produces, sells, trades or provides services related to alcohol and pork is not permitted by Islamic shariah except in states of necessity or duress.

“All scholars agree that earning an income from such work is haram. They exempt states of necessity where there is no other work available to make a living,” the fatwa read.

The fatwa was issued with 10 percent of the Maldivian population working in resorts. Figures made public by the Statistics Bureau showed that the number of resort employees was 52,482 as of 2022.

The number of foreigners working at resorts was 36,885. The number of Maldivians was 15,597. The figures showed that the proportion of foreign workers in resorts was 70 percent.

However, tourism regulations require 45 percent of resort jobs to be reserved for Maldivians.