Ramadan is a time for Muslims to increase their commitment to their religion and redouble their efforts to eliminate sin in their lives and live in ways that are pleasing to Allah. One of the ways they do this is by means of the Ramadan fast. And if they don’t, in Tehran and elsewhere, they get flogged. This is not piety; it is coercion and fear.
Sharia Alert from Tehran: “Five flogged in Iran for Ramadan violations,” Agence France Presse, July 27, 2014 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
TEHRAN: Five people were publicly flogged in Iran as punishment for eating in public in violation of the rules of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, state media reported.
The offenders ignored warnings from police and “ate intentionally” in the western city of Kermanshah, the province’s chief justice Ali Mozafari said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.
Intentionally! It wasn’t an accident?
They were flogged for their actions, he added.
Iranian authorities issue warnings every year to respect Ramadan by not eating or drinking in public. However, the fast is often ignored, especially in hot weather with people drinking water in the street.