Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Mohamed Shainee has on Friday likened expressing anti-Saudi sentiments to devaluing Islamic principles.
In a post on his official twitter account, Shainee described Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to be the ‘leader of the Islamic world’, and warned critics to reflect on the gravity of their actions.
Think carefully. Those who r passing disrespectful comments towards leader of Muslim world, King Salman r trying to weaken Islamic values.
— Mohamed Shainee (@mshainee) March 3, 2017
King Salman is on a tour of Asia, and is to visit the Maldives in March.
His impending arrival is associated with reports that the government has plans to sell the entirety of Faafu Atoll to Saudi Arabia.
The Maldives Police Service (MPS) on Wednesday issued a warning against ‘engaging in any acts that could diminish the reverence of visiting dignitaries’.
The police had raided an opposition party camp and quelled a demonstration in Faafu Atoll over the plans, particularly the government’s silence over it.
President Abdulla Yameen said that the Faafu Atoll ‘project’ is worth USD 10 billion, and would reveal details ‘when the time is right’.
