President: No Other Religions in Rasmalé Development

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the area being developed by Eagle Hills in Rasmalé will have no opportunity for other religions. Speaking at The Pulse program regarding the Rasmalé development project, the President said the area would be governed by the laws of the Maldives, and no place of worship for other faiths would exist. He dismissed claims of a foreign community settling permanently in Rasmalé, calling them baseless political talk, and assured that no foreign settlement would be allowed. The President also clarified that no individual would be granted Maldivian citizenship through the project, and that the project would be implemented under a strict legal framework. Noting that there are already between 100,000 and 200,000 foreign workers in the Malé region, he said those with concerns do not take this into account. He also mentioned that about 200,000 tourists are present in the Maldives at any given time, and that resorts do not have places of worship for other religions—only mosques—and the same will apply in Rasmalé. The Maldives Waterfront and Marina project, part of the Rasmalé development, is a $20 billion investment covering 500 hectares of the approximately 1,000 hectares in Rasmalé.