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Subscribe to RSSA ban on luxury spas at hotels and massage parlors in the Maldives was lifted Wednesday -- a week after it was imposed as part of an effort to curb perceived vice -- following pressure from the country's key tourism industry.
"We have lifted the ban and all the services will be available for tourists," President Nasheed told Reuters by telephone from the Maldives capital Male. "We wanted to give confidence to tourists."
Nasheed said he ordered the ban in response to calls by the main opposition party, which claimed the spas and parlors were fronts for prostitution and led to the spread of drugs and alcohol to locals in the mainly Sunni Muslim nation of more than 1,200 atolls home to a population of 400,000.
But former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said the Progressive Party of the Maldives had not asked for the ban. He claimed it was really aimed at leisure businesses owned by some opposition members.
The ban badly affected the tourism industry in the Indian Ocean island nation where pristine white sand beaches and turquoise waters attract more than 800,000 tourists annually, including honeymooners and celebrities from around the world.
Call to ban Israel flights
The country's Supreme Court is due to make decision on whether they spas and parlors violate Islam.
Protesters have 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.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Too late Maldives, we already know you're full of religious extremist whack-jobs.
Ah yes! Where else can you have a few cocktails, procure a prostitute for the evening, and then have her arrested or beaten for dishonoring her family? Whacky Islamic Funland!
"Sunni Muslim nation of more than 1,200 atolls home to a population of 400,000"
So 400000 is good enough for all sorts of bans!
Why visit as a tourist an Islamic hell hole in the first place, when there are better places in the world?
Religious nuts get told to kiss off by people trying to make a buck. Excellent!!
If Allah needs you for protection, he is weak and deserves no worship or respect.
If you want to butt snuff 5 times a day, that is your choice, BUT if I choose to worship God by having a drink in his honor or celebrate the joy of sex, then that is my business.
In Muslim majority nation, your business becomes their business!
If Muslim population crosses 20 percent (10 percent in case of "best" Muslims) in a place, then love, peace and "pious" Muslims will start coaching you how to conduct your business.
Yes! I can go back to getting high, drunk and a "happy ending". Which gives me the opportunity to sneer at Islam.
hahaha!
Let the countdown until there is a Islamic fundamentalist uprising begin!
I don't have a problem with their desire to possibly enforce a strict brand of Islam, but you really have to call into question the intelligence of the people requesting these changes when it's blindingly obvious that the proposed changes would've absolutely ruined the local economy which is probably dependent on tourism for the vast overwhelming majority of its revenue.
No probably about it. All Maldives (not "the" Maldives) has is tourism and tuna...and the tuna is running out.
Brock!Brock! C'mon man.That is a pansy comment! Their desire?good for them.They killed the goose that laid the golden egg,with a news story..My next comment to the muslims can be dicovered by checking out "ugly Americans" and seeing what the manbirds say
Islam can't be too strict on S-E-X because we seem to be up to our eyebrows in muzzies lately.
Now the Maldives understands what drives tourism -- and it aint a call to prayer five times a day!
Evil! Evil! Evil!
What?
No more money?
Hmm...OK...we changed our minds, not Evil!
Better minds prevail occasionally. Glad to see the Maldives are back on the list of places to visit.
Yes, the massage business is against Islam, so is drinking alchohol, eating pork, playing stringed musical instruments, dogs, chess, outgoing women, etc...Anything that is a vacation or fun is haram.
But then you need to ask yourself, are these things inherently wrong? I answer no.
It is best not to let a 7th century mindset be your guide. We have newer improved secular laws that serve the modern mind. Laws are best thought out, not revealed by ancient angry Gods.
Go Maldives! I've heard it's a tropical beauty, with remarkable biodiversity for the naturalist to enjoy.
At least there is one news story today that has a happy ending.......
Can't do anything to hurt the tourism business. That's why the Maldives are planning on building bigger airports.
While at the same time throwing guilt trips on Western countries over producing CO2 and claiming that the Maldives will be flooded from rising sea levels due to CO2. I guess somehow any CO2 that is produced traveling to and from the Maldives by tourists is magic CO2 that doesn't have any effect on the Earth. It is only the CO2 from American and European cars and power plants that harm the Earth.
The Maldives needs a new tourism slogan. "Get hypocritical, come to Maldives!"
Took this place of my bucket list. Won't be putting it back on either. Place is whack.
once again your massage can have a happy ending in the eyes of allah
Even Islam bows to the Almighty Dollar!!!! LOL!
It is better to live under no umbrella, than to be a hypocrite!
How relaxing to have a soothing massage.While a guy seethes in the background wringing his hands
extremisim placed on others is not only un-holy like if that is the way it is because we have freedom to practice what we preach and it isn't what they preach. So, if they want Islam to be the strictest way of living, then you will get no tourist to visit there because most are not islamist, where are you going to get your coins then to prosper. In all religions there becomes a line and if you cannot cross it, don't go there, simple, but don't damn everyone else who doesn't share your complaints (not religion) because then you try to hold hostage other religions, not very religious, huh. Get a grip, this is life, you live the way you want, so will I. If you don't like my way, you don't get paid, simple.
These Americans are so ignorant, they don't know what they are talking about. Idiots!