Dubai: Banishing shisha smoking indoors, as proposed by the Ministry of health, elicited a mixed response from smokers - divided between shisha smokers and non-shisha smokers.

Gulf News reported yesterday that a Ministry of Health draft of the federal anti-smoking law, under discussion at the Justice Ministry, includes a proposal banning shisha smoking outdoors at cafes and restaurants, only allowing it in homes.

Shisha smokers Gulf News talked to were against the proposed ban, even as they acknowledged it would likely improve their health and be better for their wallet.

Question of tradition

Nour Hijazi, a Dubai resident originally from Syria, said he could see the financial benefits of banning shisha in public but added it would make him anti-social.

"It will be cheaper to smoke at home. I'll just go home early and smoke shisha at home. I won't go to restaurants anymore," he said. "[And] I don't support it because it's one of our traditions and I like [smoking shisha]. It's a sign of our culture and history," he told Gulf News between puffs from his shisha pipe.

Instead, he suggested the government allow outlets specifically licensed to sell shisha, which will sell drinks but not food.

Mahdi Tabesh, a Panama national of Iranian origin, also said he was against the proposal.

He said businesses in the UAE would suffer if the ban became effective.

"When I come to Dubai, I smoke shisha every day. Shisha is the most profitable part of the restaurant business," he added.

Sameer Nizamuddin, from Pakistan, disagreed. A smoker who does not smoke shisha, he supported the proposal, calling it the "best idea in the world".

"The idea is excellent, the best," he said. "The smell of shisha is pungent. I hate shisha. We have to sit outside because the smell inside the restaurant is too much," he said.

He said the ban on shisha outdoors, as well as other provisions in the draft law such as the blanket ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, would also help him and others kick the smoking habit.

"I used to smoke three packs a day, now I'm down to two. In the case of shisha, people will not like to smoke at home and they will quit," he said.

He added that banning the sale of shisha would also be good to curb teenage smoking.

"And if the law doesn't pass, then the government should make it so expensive, so no one will be able to afford to smoke it," he suggested.