Ramadan and non-Muslims
By Sheraz Khurram Khan
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service in Pakistan
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06090131.htm

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- The advent of Ramadan, the Muslim’s holy month takes away the liberty of the non-Muslims to eat publicly in Pakistan. Restaurants and other food outlets only operate either early in the morning or at the time of breaking fast. No non-Muslim could dare eating publicly for the fear of being beaten up by the fasting Muslims.

The “punishment” for violating the sanctity of Ramadan could even be more rigorous and gruesome. It is believed that the faith of fasting Muslims could falter if they happen to see someone eating in front of them. But seen from a humanitarian perspective the very restriction forces the non-Muslims to go hungry and thirsty when they are away from their homes. Why should they be condemned to abide by the Ramadan schedule?
Islam lays greatest focus on Haqooq-ul-Ibad (Rights of people). Does this practice of slapping restriction of not eating publicly on non-Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan not deprive non-Muslims of their right? The enlightened Muslim scholars could do their bid to ease this restriction for the members of minorities communities in the country by telling their Muslim brethren that there is no harm if someone from minorities communities eats publicly or in front of them.

Against their will most of the non-Muslims have to learn to restrain their appetite and thirst. Despite the presence of cafeterias on some work places they remain closed during the day, forcing the non-Muslim employees to go on working without having taken lunch. Even if they bring lunch boxes with them they are likely to be confronted with unhappy gestures.

If the Muslims’ holy month could force non-Muslims not to eat and drink publicly then it is not hard to imagine a Muslim demanding a certain Christian to stop going to Church on Sundays because his going to Church makes him feel uneasy.

How about a fasting Christian expecting of Muslims not to eat in front of him? How will Muslims react to this demand? Many are going to vehemently oppose it for sure. They are most likely to react in this fashion: “It is a crazy demand. Why should we be not eating when we are not fasting?” The demand is likely to prompt hard-line Muslim leaders to take out protest rallies, stage sit-ins and protest demonstrations. It may make some brand the demand as conspiracy against Islam.

If the Christians in the country insist that Muslims do so how hard will it be for Muslims to keep them from eating publicly for 24 hours. Instead of this tit-for-tat demand the best solution lies in transformation of society into an open, liberal, enlightened and progressive one.

In pre-dominantly Christian countries Muslims observe their holy month of Ramadan despite the fact that people of other religions eat and drink publicly. If the public eating and drinking of non-Muslims in the West does not pose any hindrance to the fasting Muslims there then why the same concession could not be granted to Pakistani Christians so as to make them feel more relaxed and less stressed during the month. This measure will go to allay their sense of deprivation and will boost their productivity.

The way things stand the chances of public eating of non-Muslims seen not as violation of the sanctity of Ramadan seem bleak. Even if such a concession is advocated by some enlightened Muslim scholars the fundamentalist Muslim leaders will pose a stiff opposition to any such proposal. It is about time that we ensured that while engaged in a holy practice we are not making life difficult for the people of other faiths.