Maldives To Prohibit Indecent, Un-Islamic Mixed Gender Dancing

Although the Maldives is an Islamic Republic island nation in the Indian ocean, and there is no freedom of religion there, it has been known for it's "liberal lifestyle", probably because it relies so heavily on tourism. But all that's about to change. Like so many other Muslim-majority countries that are trending towards religious conservatism, and succumbing to the hardliners in their midst, so is the Maldives.

The Islamic affairs ministry sent a circular “to all government institutions banning the holding of any mixed-gender dance events,” the private Minivan newspaper said, quoting guidelines issued on Thursday.

 ministry also ordered a ban on events where adolescent girls were required to dance, the report said, adding that the directives were intended for both state bodies and individual citizens.

It was not immediately clear if the move was legally enforceable under existing regulations, and Minivan said there were exemptions.

Events such as children’s activities, performances exhibiting military skills, parades, playing the national anthem, boy scouts and girl guides performances... were acceptable forms of entertainment,” it said.

There was no immediate comment from the president’s office or the foreign ministry, but Youth Affairs Minister Mohamed Shareef said the "guidelines" were only targeting “indecent” behavior.

“There is a public debate on music and dance and what is permissible according to religion and culture,” Shareef said when contacted by telephone.“What the guidelines are saying is that if people are dancing in an indecent manner, it should not be allowed.”

Members of the Adhaalath Party (fashioned after Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood), and the Islamists of the Maldives, form the bulk of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, which recently declared that music is a very bad influence on the nation's youth.

"The worst of all is our youth’s addiction to music and songs, something that is 'haram' (forbidden),” the party said in messages on its Twitter account which also condemned homosexuals.

Cigarettes, music and Internet are gateways to higher addictions like alcohol, pornography and hard drugs. Attack root cause and save our kids.”

They have a Twitter account?

The hardliners have also been trying to shut down all those fancy tourist resorts that serve pork and alcohol, but naturally the more secular types have refused, at least so far.  They realize that with approximately 28% of the GDP coming from tourism, and a whopping 90% of the government's tax revenue derived from tourist taxes and import duties, they need to keep those sun and sand worshippers coming.

Who knows what will come next, but it will come. The trouble in paradise started early this year, and will only get worse.

Saudi Woman Wants Separate Beaches For Women

Lina Almaeena is a Saudi woman who founded the Jeddah United basketball team. She also happens to be its captain. Pretty progressive for a woman living in a country that frowns on female athletes. But she also wants separate beaches for women. In an opinion piece on Al Arabiya, Almaeena claims that a disproportionate amount of women drown in the Kingdom- usually 18 to 28 year-old women, and 70% of those drownings occur at night during the holidays. Why? Because they don't want men staring at their bodies, even though they make burqinis that they could easily wear.

According to Khaled al-Arkoubi, a spokesperson for the border guards:

“when swimming, some women hit rocks due to the blurry vision at night. Some are attacked by sea animals or suffer nausea and fainting. Moreover, most of women swim in their abayas (black cloak traditionally worn by women in the Gulf) and veils which are not appropriate for swimming and impede the body movement in water. The cloak might get wrapped around her body which might suffocate her and prevent her from screaming and calling for help. Thus, women may drown or even die. And since these incidents happen at night, it is difficult to spot them.”

So, Almaeena proposes this:

..we should find solutions to protect them and give them a chance to benefit from the beauty of nature that God has bestowed on us.

Since we have separated men from women in education facilities, banks and restaurants, why don’t we do the same with beaches? Why don’t we give women the chance to swim by appointing female lifeguards and supervisors? Why don’t we organize swimming lessons so that women can teach their children how to swim while their husbands are at work?

If we undertake these measures, we would create a new sector for employment and put at the hands of women the swimming technique that could help them survive in certain conditions (like the Jeddah floods for example). At the same time we would sprinkle happiness on the souls of our girls and women so that happiness does not become the privilege of those who can afford buying or renting a beach cabin or chalet.

Just like any other women, I wish I could swim in women-only beaches. Women-only beaches are likely to boost local tourism and reduce the reliance on foreign touristic destinations that are pulling millions of riyals per year outside of the Kingdom. All of this can be done if we invest in women-oriented sectors.

Why don't they just create a separate city for all Muslim women who want to be segregated from the male population? Or maybe move to a different planet. Oh wait, women need men to procreate.  If God had wanted men and women to be segregated He would have created just males or females and the ability to bear children without the need for someone of the opposite sex.