Manama: A Saudi legal consultant has said people who fail to comply with fasting rules during Ramadan should be made to do community work rather than be jailed or lashed.
In remarks published in local daily Al Sharq, Abdul Rahman Abdul Lateef said: “Community commitments for the offenders could include cleaning mosques or engaging in charity work.”
Throughout the Ramadan, Muslim adults are required to abstain from eating, drinking, chewing gum, smoking and engaging in sexual activities from sunrise until sunset. The elderly, the sick and menstruating women are exempt. However, several Arab countries require their citizens and foreigners, be they residents or visitors, not to offend those who observe the fast by eating or drinking in public. Legal action could be taken against those who flout the restrictions.
Abdul Rahman said that the action taken against offenders should depend on their understanding of the local culture.
“There is a huge difference between not observing the fast for religious reasons and just not observing the fast,” he said. “If the offender is not a Muslim, then there is a need to assess whether he was fully aware of the restrictions when he was eating or drinking or smoking in public. If he is not aware, he should be just told about the restrictions and the local customs and traditions that need to be taken into consideration,” he said.
Last year, 14 cases of non-compliance with Ramadan fasting restrictions were recorded in the Eastern Province of the kingdom.
Ramadan, the ninth moth of the Hijri lunar calendar, is expected to start either on Saturday or Sunday.
The date will be based on the sighting of the new moon.
