Scholars rally behind Sheikh Fazloon to tear into Ras Malé deal
28 ސެޕްޓެމްބަރު 2026 | ހޯމަ 10:27Maldivian religious scholars have begun expressing deep concerns following the long-term allocation of a significant portion of the Ras Malé project to a foreign corporation. Scholars are criticizing the government, asserting that this decision poses a threat to the nation's independence and sovereignty, and could potentially facilitate Zionist settlement within the Maldives. Consequently, they have called upon the authorities to disclose the full details of this agreement and address the growing public apprehension
Signing between Ministry and Eagle Hills | Housing Ministry
The sheer audacity of surrendering a massive tract of Ras Malé to external interests for nearly a century, territory dragged from the ocean using the public purse and originally promised for domestic housing, strikes many citizens as an outright betrayal by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
The irony is bitter: after swearing emphatically to the electorate that not one grain of sand or single inch of territory would ever fall into foreign hands, the administration proceeded to hand over 500 hectares of sovereign territory to an overseas entity entirely free of rent.
While the deal instantly ignited furious discourse among everyday citizens, political figures, and financial analysts, the country's religious scholars sat in curious, prolonged silence. They held their tongues even as unceasing reports connected the entity taking the land to Zionist networks actively tied to the oppression of innocent populations.
Breaking the silence on a generational sellout
That clerical slumber finally shattered when Sheikh Fazloon Mohamed broke ranks, becoming the first prominent religious voice to openly attack the giveaway of 500 hectares to the United Arab Emirates-headquartered firm Eagle Hills for their Ras Malé Waterfront and Marina development. Sheikh Fazloon mounted an absolute, unambiguous repudiation of the transaction.
Taking to his personal X account, Fazloon characterized the venture as a shadowy, malevolent transgression engineered to funnel Maldivian property directly to Zionists tied to the chief of Eagle Hills. He sounded the alarm that the framework is built specifically so these holdings pass seamlessly down through future Zionist lineages, laying the foundation for permanent foreign settlement right on Maldivian shores.
He cautioned the public that failure to confront this hidden scheme immediately would bring bitter regret, insisting that resistance is imperative before the country forfeits its fundamental sovereignty and tranquility.
The never-ending century clause
Beyond the geopolitical red flags, Sheikh Fazloon drew attention to alarming operational specifics embedded within the transaction and its overall blueprint.
Digging into the official Eagle Hills website, he highlighted a staggering detail: while framed as a 99-year arrangement, every single change in property title reportedly resets the clock, handing the incoming party an entirely new 99-year tenure.
As he laid it out, an individual purchasing or inheriting a unit in its ninety-eighth year would simply pocket a fresh, consecutive 99-year leasehold. According to the developer's own online representations, the system functions as a perpetual, unbreakable loop of foreign control.
The hypocrisy callout reaches the palace
Following closely on Fazloon’s heels, Dr. Mohamed Iyaz Abdul Latheef, a ranking figure within the Adhaalath Party’s Judiciary Committee, demanded that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu directly confront the rising wave of accusations surrounding the 99-year transfer to the Abu Dhabi firm, urging him to govern according to his original commitments.
Directly tagging the head of state on social media, Dr. Iyaz underscored that guarding territorial sovereignty and national liberty falls on every Maldivian citizen. He highlighted the legitimate fears of observers who argue that farming out portions of the country to foreign entities for immense stretches of time imperils self-determination, particularly beneath a cloud of ulterior motives.
Given these stakes, he insisted the administration is duty-bound to lay out the real facts, pressing the president to remember his solemn pledge to lead openly, honestly, and without keeping secrets from his people.
Even loyalists cannot stomach the forever lease
The clerical pushback gained further momentum when religious scholar Zamzam Farish, historically an ardent defender and vocal promoter of President Muizzu's government, entered the fray on X to voice his own sharp rejection of the Ras Malé arrangement.
Farish conceded that his own review of the Eagle Hills portal, prompted by news of the land transfer, revealed stipulations that simply cannot be justified if the posted details mirror the binding contract. In his assessment, signing off on such conditions essentially strips the land from the Maldivian people for eternity.
Transforming Maldivian territory into an inheritable asset for foreigners completely invalidates any pretense of a temporary 99-year limit, leaving zero realistic mechanism for the land to ever revert to its rightful domestic owners.
Having finally trailed behind the public outcry, the mobilization of these religious figures marks a massive political turning point.
The urgent priority has now swung toward organizing direct resistance to these policies, precisely as urged by Sheikh Fazloon, before the nation's core safety and political autonomy are damaged beyond repair.
