Home Minister Umar Naseer has said that Maldives always seeks to stick to the beliefs and that adhering to those beliefs should not be seen as following ISIS.
Speaking in the ceremony held to mark the National Unity Day, Minister Umar said that Maldives had always been an Islamic nation. He said that the Maldivian culture and traditions were deeply entrenched in Islam.
He said that there will be significant differences between nations that had accepted Islam and those who did not.
“Many Maldivian women have adopted the hijab. Public nudity is not acceptable in the country. So putting a board banning bikinis in public should not be seen as espousing ISIS principles,” he said.
Minister Umar said that the pictures of the boards had circulated on social media, with messages saying that Maldives was following the footsteps of ISIS. He said that this was not true.
Minister Umar also said that same sex marriages and religious freedom were commonplace in many nations. However, he said that this was not part of Maldivian society.