Saudi writer Ali Al-Shuaibi has proposed opening restaurants during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan. He argues that this is necessary to cater to women, children, and non-Muslim expatriates who may not be fasting for health or religious reasons. Al-Shuaibi made this suggestion in a tweet, where he noted that if a city like Riyadh has six million people, half of whom are women, and half of those women are not fasting, there is a significant market for daytime dining. He also believes the traditional belief that one must not eat in front of those who are fasting is outdated, and that people should fast for God, not for the opinions of others.
Al-Marsad Newspaper: Saudi writer Ali Al-Shuaibi suggested opening restaurants during the day in the month of Ramadan, and considered this necessary because of women, children and expatriates.
Al-Shuaibi said in a tweet to him on his Twitter account: If we assume that Riyadh – for example – has 6 million people, half of whom are women, and half of the women will not fast for health and religious reasons, and at intermittent periods, not to mention children and non-Muslim expatriates.
He added, “The story of not eating in front of those who are fasting, out of consideration for their feelings, is no longer valid. Fast for God, not for people.”
Overall, Saudi writer Ali Al-Shuaibi proposes an interesting idea for Ramadan. Opening restaurants during the day might make a significant difference for those who cannot fast for a variety of reasons. These individuals deserve to have options available to them, especially considering the size of Riyadh’s population. Moreover, Al-Shuaibi’s argument that fasting should be done for God rather than for others is an important one to consider. It will be interesting to see if this idea gains traction in the coming years.
