It is a divine time to become engaged in the community by investing time, skills or other resources at a personal level. It is highly important that people abide by the dress code policy especially during Ramadan, as many visitors remain unaware of the cultural sensitivities of the country.
Malls, hotels, buses, taxis, train and airline centres should put up flyers, to remind people of the courtesy policies during Ramadan. Many tourists coming from Western countries are not aware of the dress code policies and as a result, they might end up touring the country wearing shorts or sleeveless shirts during Ramadan, unaware that this might disturb the people observing the holy month.
It will be useful to spread knowledge on how to keep healthy while keeping to religious obligations. Healthy fasting during Ramadan is of prime importance as people tend to get more obese and diabetic due to irregular eating and overeating after ending their fast. Fasting during Ramadan can improve a person’s health, but if a correct diet is not followed, it can possibly worsen your condition. Therefore, the important factor is not the fast itself, but rather what is consumed in the non-fasting hours.
Non-muslims should be considerate to the feelings of those who are fasting. For those who are new to the country, remember that eating, drinking and smoking in public during Ramadan is forbidden as Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during this time. It shows a lack of sensitivity if some people eat while others fast for over 17 hours. Don’t play loud music because neighbours could be fasting and/or resting.
It will be a good idea for non-muslims to experience a day of fasting followed by an iftar.
I am sure this will give a chance to learn self-restraint and will highlight the importance of caring and sharing.
Also, due to environmental changes, it will be the same time the date palm trees will be ready for harvesting the ripened dates, the nation’s hidden wealth.
Both join together as a double sign of good days ahead and let the country prosper in all ways.
