The government has condemned the participation of a Maldivian woman in the Miss Universe pageant.
In a press release, the Youth Ministry said that the government will not accept the holding of activities and competitions unrelated to the people's religion and culture and that it cannot accept Maldivians taking part in such activities.
It further said such activities go against the common ethical standards of Maldivian and condemn the actions of any Maldivian who is attempting to represent the country in such a competition.
The Ministry called on the individual attempting to take part in the competition to stop her actions.
It went on to say that the Ministry said the government would not support the participation of a Maldivian in such activities in the name of representing the country.
It asked the media not to spread information that suggests that it is done by the government. The Ministry also called on all Maldivians to refrain from taking part in such competitions.
This comes after the Mexican Embassy in India posted on social media that it had issued a visa to Maldivian model Shaina Naseem who would be representing the Maldives in the Miss Universe beauty pageant.
