President says Rasmale' will house only Maldivians and Muslims from abroad

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that Rasmale' will be inhabited only by Maldivians and Muslims from other countries, rejecting claims that the project could pave the way for non-Muslim settlement. 

Speaking on PSM’s Nation Chat podcast, the President said the opposition was spreading unfounded rumors about the development, and reiterated that Rasmale' would be established in line with the Maldives’ identity as a 100 percent Muslim nation.

He said the capital would be developed accordingly, with strict adherence to Islamic principles. “No alcohol will be sold here. No alcohol can be used. There will be no pork. There will be the five-hour prayer calls heard there. There will be mosques. There will be no school or educational institution with any influence from any foreign party,” he said.

The President added that Rasmale's environment and lifestyle would naturally attract Muslims who wish to live in a peaceful Islamic society. “I am very sure that there will be Maldivians and Muslims from other countries here. And especially nobody would want to come to a place like this to live any other way,” he said.

His remarks come amid public concern over the decision to allocate more than 500 hectares of reclaimed land to Eagle Hills on a 99-year lease, and speculation that the project could enable Jewish settlement. The President has repeatedly dismissed such claims.

Meanwhile, lawyer and former Kendhoo MP Ali Hussain has criticised the decision to lease land to foreigners while Maldivians continue to face housing shortages. Ali has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to halt the project, but the Registrar declined to accept the case. Opposition parties have also raised concerns, with MDP MPs submitting an emergency motion and a resolution, both rejected by the government’s super-majority Parliament.