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Every burqa has a silver lining, but vacationing in the Maldives won't be for everyone. Check out this article at Family Security Matters. Following is part of it...with thanks to Pam Meister..

"Er, maybe not the Maldives, unless Shari'ah law is your cup of tea. If Sheikh Abdul Majeed Bari, (leader of the religious Adhaalath party scholars' council) gets his way, the death penalty for apostasy (converting from Islam to another religion) and the "amputation of hands for certain types of theft" could make their way into Maldivian law.

He believes the current legal system causes "conflicts in society." "There would be peace if the country was practicing Islamic Shari'ah," he says.

Perhaps it all depends on what your definition of "peace" is.

As the concept of Shari'ah law gains popularity in the Maldives, implications for happy vacationers could range from frustrating to downright unpleasant. Just imagine your arrival: in Hawaii, visitors are draped with leis from women in hula skirts and greeted with a friendly "Aloha!" In the Maldives, women can expect to be draped with a burka instead of a lei, while the men could receive a handbook entitled "Practical Tips for Beating Your Wife Properly (and Other Ways to Make the Most of Your Maldivian Vacation)."
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Okay, so the beach may not quite pan out the way you imagined, but there are still tennis lessons with the hotel pro to look forward to. Still, be careful: if anyone sees him showing you how to position yourself for your overhand shot, he might be the one with the shot - a shot in the back. And forget about having a torrid, steamy affair with him (the kind they write about in paperback romance novels), because a future feature of many luxury resort hotels could be a stoning pit located right behind the outdoor bar.

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As your dream Maldivian vacation draws to a close and you pack your bags to head home, the bad news could be that the hotel receptionist who romanced your teenage son is dead. Unfortunately, she would have been "honor killed" because she fell in love with the wrong kind of guy and shamed her family. The good news is you'll save money by not having to buy your son a return plane ticket to visit her next year.

Hey. Who said that the Maldives wasn't a gorgeous, relaxing and fun place?

Enjoy!"

To read the full essay click here