Imagine the scene: “State police! Put down that sandwich and keep your hands in plain view!” Orwell’s nightmare featured the Thought Police; even he never imagined the Food Police.
Sharia Alert from modern, moderate Malaysia. From Reuters (thanks to Twostellas):
A Malaysian state ruled by a hard-line Islamist party has set up a snoop squad to catch Muslims who ignore a religious ban on eating, drinking and smoking during the fasting month of Ramadan. Ramadan, which began last Thursday in Muslim-majority Malaysia, is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar.
Practicing Muslims abstain from food, drink and sex during daylight hours in a discipline intended to purify their souls. Religious officials in the northeastern state of Kelantan, ruled by the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), have detailed 10 municipal officials in plainclothes to keep watch at food outlets, the New Straits Times newspaper said on Monday. “This is the first time the council is taking action as we have received numerous complaints about those who eat openly during the fasting period,” said Azman Mohamad Daham, a municipal spokesman in Kota Baru, the state capital.