The sanctity of Ramadan must be preserved, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has stated, adding that to do so, islands engaged in local tourism must bring a stop to publicly serving food to tourists.
Shaheem's remarks were made at the first gathering of the Ramadan Revival (Ihya) Program held last night by the Islamic Ministry.
The Minister urged to bear in mind that Ramadan is a holy month which is important to the Islamic faith, culture and ummah.
"We need to bring a stop to having restaurants open and serving food to tourists openly during the daytime hours in Ramadan," Shaheem said.
Instead, tourists should be served food at their place of accommodation during Ramadan days, the Minister suggested.
"It must be arranged in a way that the public does not see them eating," he said.
Shaheem reflected that it would not be permissible to serve food to tourists in a way that undermines the sanctity of Ramadan.
He further noted that there are regulations in place governing the serving of food to non-muslims during Ramadan, and urged local councils to enforce these.
"And our faith is even stronger than these regulations. The obligations we have towards Allah are of much more importance. The responsibility and duties we have towards our religion are immense," the minister said.
"We must all fulfil these individual responsibilities. The councils need to fulfil their legal duties."
Shaheem cautioned that disregarding such religious matters could erode the respect and importance future generations hold for Islam.
