7 Countries Where Drinking Water in Ramadan Could Land You in Jail

Ramadan is the holiest month of Islamic calendar. Every year, Muslims around the world fast from just before dawn until sunset. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister was among several non-Muslim celebrities wished Muslims a very ‘Happy Ramadan’ few weeks ago. His recent video message shows a good gesture of interfaith tolerance. Millions of practicing Muslims living in different non-Muslim secular countries enjoy religious freedom.

But the non-Muslims living in most of the Islamic states don’t enjoy the same level of freedom. You might be shocked to learn that several Muslim countries still consider ‘breaking fast in public’ a criminal offence. Here are the 7 worst Muslim countries where ‘happy Ramadan’ becomes a nightmare for those who don’t fast.

Saudi Arabia:

If you’re a non-Muslim or even a ‘secular Muslim’ who chooses not to fast, then Saudi Arabia is the worst country to live in during Ramadan. The ‘holiest’ Muslim country has the strictest law that prohibits anyone to eat/drink in public in daylight during ‘holy’ Ramadan. There’s no exemption for Non-Muslims under any circumstances. Mutawa, the religious police in Mecca keep looking for the violators and immediately arrest them for this ‘crime’.

And a bad news for expats, they would be deported back to their home countries after serving jail time for ‘breaking fast in public’! Although other GCC states are more ‘liberal’ than Saudi Arabia yet one cannot eat or drink in public during Ramadan. Foreigners have been arrested for ‘breaking fast’ in Kuwait and United Arab Emirates strictly forbids anyone to eat/drink during daylight in Ramadan.

2. Pakistan

This is ‘Islamic Republic’ where I live. The life of a non-Muslim is hard in Pakistan and it gets even harder in Ramadan. “Respect for Ramadan” Ordinance (احترام رمضان قانون) introduced by hardline Muslim military dictator in 1980’s makes it illegal to open any restaurant or serve food in fasting hours. The law also forbids any citizen to eat or drink anything in public. Someone caught ‘red handed’ is immediately arrested, s/he has to pay fine and serve up to 3 months jail time. The government has recently made this controversial law stricter by raising the fine from RS 500 ($ 5) to RS 25,000 ($ 250).

All restaurants in Lahore (my city) are closed during day time, there’s no way to have lunch. Even if I manage to buy some food from a bakery or carry lunch box, I still have to be very careful to avoid being caught. Living as an ‘apostate’ in this country is a big challenge. I pretend to be a Muslim so I can’t ask my boss for a ‘safe dinning’ place at work where I can eat lunch without ‘hurting’ my Muslim coworkers’ feelings who are (presumably) fasting. Finding a quiet corner in a busy city is not always an easy task. I have to stay hungry until I get home. But I can’t survive without drinking water in extremely hot climate so I ‘conceal carry’ a water bottle and keep sipping when no one is around. Sometimes I have to go to toilet to drink water. And getting arrested is not the worst part because you can bribe the police to skip jail.

The worst part is getting caught by religious angry mob because they could beat you to death! Last year (2016), an elderly Hindu man was brutally beaten by a police constable and his brother for ‘breaking fast in public’ in Sindh province of Pakistan.

3. Iran

This is another Islamic republic where inhumane Sharia Laws are imposed. Just like Saudi Arabia, Iran has the strictest Sharia laws against ‘breaking fast in public’. One cannot eat or drink anything in public, even in his/her private car! Where we Pakistanis could face fine and imprisonment for this “crime”, the punishment for Iranian ‘fast breakers’ is more painful as they may face lashing for ‘sinful’ act.

4. Brunei

In the past few years, Brunei has been preparing to implement 1400 years old Sharia laws in 21st century. Enforcing ‘Respect for Ramadan’ rules is a part of Sharia revolution in the Southeast Asian Muslim country.

Drinking water or eating anything in public or dinning in ‘secret’ restaurants during Ramadan could cost you B$ 4,000 (US $ 2880).

5. Palestine

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu wished Muslim citizens “mutual respect and peace” for Ramadan lately.

But the ‘peaceful’ Palestinian Authority started arresting citizens (including non-Muslims) for the sinful act of ‘breaking fast’. 1960s Palestinian law, amended in 2011 dictates that ‘fast breakers’ are to be jailed for a month, or fined $21. All we can say, Israel is a much better place for secular citizens.

6. Tunisia

North African Muslim country has no specific law banning eating in public during Ramadan but ‘fast breakers’ could still get arrested for ‘sinful’ crime. On June 1st, 2017, a court in northern Tunisia handed one-month jail terms to four men for eating in public during the month of Ramadan.

However, secular Tunisian citizens are fighting back against inhumane laws. Dozens of civil rights activists gathered in the capital to protest for the right not to fast during Ramadan, following the arrests. This is something we can’t do in countries like Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia!

7. Morocco

Several Muslim scholars say, “You can break your fast before sunset if you’re dying of thirst!” But when two Moroccan porters tried to follow this ‘advice’, they got busted. It was a very hot day in Morocco and they were extremely dehydrated after day long of hard work. Drinking a glass of water in Ramadan got them arrested and they were given 2 months’ suspended sentence by Zagora court.

It’s pertinent to mention that article 222 of the Moroccan Penal imposes 10,000 Moroccan Dirham (U$ 1000) and 2 months imprisonment for ‘breaking fast in public’.

Other than local police, extremist religious citizens also become ‘morality police’ whenever they see something ‘un-Islamic’ in Morocco. Last year (2016), a diabetic man was badly beaten by angry mob just for drinking water in Rabat.

Here I have mentioned just few terrible stories to let the world know how minorities are discriminated and criminalized for no reason in these Muslims states. Even holy Koran allows certain people to skip fast; “… Yet if one among you is sick or is on a journey (such a person shall then fast) the same number of other days…” [Koran 2:185]. Following people are exempted from fasting in Ramadan:

People with serious health problems

Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers

Elderly persons

Travelers

Non-Muslims

But there’s no way even the persons ‘legally exempted’ from fasting can eat or drink anything in the above-mentioned countries because they can’t buy food and they could end up in jail or worse, beaten up by angry mob like what happened to diabetic patient in Morocco and elderly non-Muslim in Pakistan. Similarly, the holy Koran says:

“There is no compulsion in religion (Islam). The right direction is henceforth distinct from error.” [Koran 2:256]

But the reality is totally different, there is compulsion in Islam! They impose Islam on everyone by force. One may argue that non-believers/minorities should “respect” the local laws but one should also remember that human rights are not optional. We can debate over strict liquor laws and whether they should allow night clubs in Muslim countries but food and water are universal human rights.

Making it illegal to drink water in public for a month is a serious human rights violation. I am not an ‘extremist’ atheist and I believe in interfaith harmony. So I suggest these countries including Pakistan should introduce legal reforms in these controversial laws. Restaurants should not be forced to close till sunset. However, they may use curtains/blinds to respect the “sanctity” of Ramadan and not to hurt the feelings of Muslims. Like not all the restaurants are closed in Turkey and it not illegal to serve food before sunset in Jordan.

Muslims can pray, fast, or even demand Sharia laws in non-Muslim secular states but religious minorities are deprived of basic rights in Muslim countries. We need to stop it and Muslims should remember this golden rule; “Treat others the way you want to be treated!”