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Tunisians protest for right not to fast during Ramadan

Jun 12, 2017 9:56 am By Robert Spencer

“One man openly smoking a cigarette — this is also deemed unacceptable during Ramadan daylight hours — held a placard in French that asked: ‘Why does it bother you if you fast and I eat?'”

Indeed. But Islamic law is inherently coercive, demanding not just the adherence of the devout, but the punishment of the non-devout and the subjugation of the unbeliever. Yet if you protest against Sharia in the U.S., you’re a racist, bigoted “Islamophobe.” Are the Tunisians of Mouch Bessif group racist, bigoted “Islamophobes”?

“Tunisians protest for right not to fast during Ramadan,” AFP, June 11, 2017:

Tunis (AFP) – Dozens of Tunisians demonstrated Sunday to demand the right to eat and drink in public during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and to protest against non-fasters being arrested.

There is no law against eating or drinking in public during Ramadan, but every year the issue comes to the fore in the North African country.

Tunisia’s constitution guarantees “freedom of belief and conscience”, but the state is also the “guardian of religion”.

Following a call by the “Mouch Bessif” (Arabic for “Not against our will”) group, protesters in central Tunis shouted that “Individual freedom is guaranteed by the constitution!”

One man openly smoking a cigarette — this is also deemed unacceptable during Ramadan daylight hours — held a placard in French that asked: “Why does it bother you if you fast and I eat?”

Demonstrators also protested against the arrest of people who were not fasting.

At the beginning of June, four men were sentenced to a month in jail for “public indecency” after eating outside during daylight….

Most cafes and restaurants in Tunisia close during the day in Ramadan, and those that open do so discreetly.

As this year’s fasting month began, a media-oriented preacher went round cafes open during the day to record footage of clients and shame them in a move that was heavily criticised on social networks.

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Filed Under: Featured, Ramadan, Tunisia Tagged With: Mouch Bessif


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Comments

  1. Dave says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 10:20 am

    They are typical “Liberal ” Muslims who don’t Like to conform to societal social/cultural codes like most Liberals.

    But sorry folks you are following Islam and you either submit to it fully or have your head chopped off !

    • john spielman says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 10:52 am

      that ‘s right because if islam did not terrorize and intimidate its adherents with possibility of execution for ‘ apostasy” , it will be finished as a religion!

      • Michael Copeland says

        Jun 12, 2017 at 11:08 am

        “If they had gotten rid of the punishment [death] for apostasy Islam would not exist today”,
        Yusuf al Qaradawi

    • mortimer says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 11:33 am

      Dave said: “They are typical “Liberal ” Muslims” … Disagree. They are CULTURAL Muslims who are non-practicing and skeptical, but they do not declare themselves to be ‘apostate’. About 35% of Muslims are ‘cultural’ Muslims who do not practice. They have some residual loyalty and most will not take a stand against JIHAD TERRORISM. They try to be invisible to Muslims and live like kafirs.

    • Hari Singh says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 11:55 am

      The ban on smoking during Ramadan is based on a linguistic quirk in Arab and Urdu languages where instead of smoking the cigarette the term used is “drinking” the cigarette.
      Since you “drink” the cigarette it is banned during the daylight hours of the Ramadan fast.
      You can smoke four packs all night if you wish and eat 5000 calories at the even break fast and pre-sunrise Morning meals.
      It shows the lack of clear thinking that defies reason and logic in Koranic thinking, but alas reason and logic are haram as well.

      • TH says

        Jun 13, 2017 at 4:21 am

        The fasting is a joke, and during Ramadan they gain weight and many are taken to hospital for binge eating. Islam is about fulfilling ritual and other laws, not about personal commitment. It is not a real religion. Jurisprudence is much more important than theology.

    • TheBuffster says

      Jun 13, 2017 at 12:59 am

      Dave, I don’t see anything in the article that says that these protesters are Muslims. They are non-fasters. They could be secret apostates or Christians or atheists or Muslims-in-name-only, which means they don’t follow Mohammad.

      “They are typical “Liberal ” Muslims who don’t Like to conform to societal social/cultural codes like most Liberals.”

      There is such a thing as rational, objective principles that reasonable, benevolent human beings should live by. I don’t care what the norms of a given society are – if they’re beneath those rational, objective principles they should not be obeyed but fought against. Would you say that people like Ayaan Hirsi Ali should have obeyed her family and married the man they chose for her?

      I applaud these rebels in Tunisia, whether they’re nominal Muslims or not.

  2. balam says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 10:21 am

    HYPOCRICY-THY NAME IS ISLAM.

  3. mgoldberg says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 10:26 am

    His question begs the issue. The Jewish month of Elul prior to Rosh has hannah and yon kipper
    Has never had victims brutalized for not observance-nor those holy days mentioned. Now, what that means is that the Jewish version is to at best be a light unto other nations not the ruler. The Muslim version is to be the ruler-hence all the killing,abusing,torturing others and forcing others to observe ,or else. So to answer the man’s question: Islam is the ‘or else’ religion

    • WPM says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 1:00 pm

      That is because the Jewish religion is logical and compassionate, Islam is illogical and brutal. I am not Jewish but can respect a faith that has compassion and logic in it.

  4. John A. Marre says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 11:34 am

    Instead of arguing about smoking during Ramadan, talk about all the murders during Ramadan.

  5. somehistory says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 11:54 am

    If enough people, in enough places, in enough countries, went on strike, all at the same time, against the unlawful code of sinful, evil, immoral, demonic behavior, there would be too many for the ones trying to enforce it to win.

    When there is a lot of crime in an area, it overloads the system and only the worst crimes are prosecuted, only the worst criminals are arrested, and some crime laws are not enforced at all.
    If there were protesters in large enough numbers to overwhelm, those trying to enforce would face a similar situation.

    The so=called majority of *peaceful* moslums could show with numbers during a demonstration, that they really are just wanting to live and let live. It’s too bad they like the idea of being superior to other humans to show the world how “peaceful” they are.

  6. ibrahim itace muhammed says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    This is exactly what kuffar,whether christians ,jews ,idol worshipers and atheists,want all muslims to be so as to serve the satan together for him to lead all of them to hottest stream of hellfire.He who does whatever his egoe desires he will meet the worst consequence in the life hereafter.so,muslims should not emulate evil jews,filthy christians and idol worshipers in their corrupt ways of life.what they consider a form of civilisation is savagery to muslims.they walk naked like beasts and badly smelly.

    • Dave says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 1:48 pm

      I am reading between the lines here: Are you saying there will be no “kumbayah” moment here? That love doesn’t always win over hate?

    • Nigel GFF says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 2:03 pm

      Matthew 23:27

    • WPM says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 2:58 pm

      Whats with the smell badly? You sniffing butts again Ibrahim itace muhammed the smell of soap and water and clean underwear must be strange and offensive to your noble Islamic nose.

    • Concerned Observer says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 9:33 pm

      In English?

    • moeped says

      Jun 13, 2017 at 5:50 am

      Do you realize that Islam was created by Muhammed? Do you realize that he is your god and you worship him? Do you realize that this is idol worship? Do you realize that Islam was spread by the sword and its adherents are descendants of a conquered people? Do you see how Islam is evil?

  7. Dave says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 1:58 pm

    “What (Jews, Christians and idol worshippers) consider civilization is savagery to Muslims.”

    So democracy, voting, freedom of conscience, freedom to worship the deity of your choice are all “savagery”? Civil respect for people who are different from you is “savagery”?

    And killing people with knives, vehicles, and bombs because they have a different religion is “civilization”? Female genital mutilation of pre-pubescent children is “civilization”?

    Sounds like somebody has the whole thing backwords.

  8. Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 2:36 pm

    How could Muhammad (pbuh) have come up with rules for smoking tobacco when he lived long before Columbus discovered tobacco in the New World?

    As Hari Singh says,
    “The ban on smoking during Ramadan is based on a linguistic quirk in Arab and Urdu languages where instead of smoking the cigarette the term used is “drinking” the cigarette.
    Since you “drink” the cigarette it is banned during the daylight hours of the Ramadan fast.
    You can smoke four packs all night if you wish and eat 5000 calories at the even break fast and pre-sunrise Morning meals.” This same linguistic quirk applies to Japanese too: タバコをのむ = to “drink” a cigarette.

    Another consideration is that Muslims take on a greater fasting burden — and thus gain greater heavenly rewards — if they fast while watching their infidel friends eat and drink during daytime in Ramadan. Infidels who ostentatiously eat and drink in front of their Muslim friends and neighbors are sure to gain their brotherly gratitude. It’s another benefit of diversity.

    Still another consideration is the ever-changing discrepancy between the natural seasons and the Islamic calendar. Are Muslims not meant to reside north of the Arctic Circle (or south of the Antarctic Circle)? The Land of the Midnight Sun experiences 24-hour daylight, and when Ramadan falls during the Arctic summer, a Muslim may not eat or drink at any time during the entire month of Ramadan. The all-knowing Allah must have anticipated this when setting forth the Ramadan fasting rules.

    • WPM says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 2:51 pm

      Thats the cure move them to Antarctic the they starve to death end of problem !

  9. simpleton1 says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 4:15 pm

    A fasting muslim is supposed to be in constant
    It seems like it is like doing a “fart” , or a woman or a dog walks in front of you during prayer, will nullify those prayers.

    http://www.ezsoftech.com/ramadan/ramadan26.asp 1-33 benefits [yeah right.]….all of these blessings were taken directly from Holy Quran and Hadith…..
    11. Glad-Tidings: These glad-tidings are given to the well-wishers while the ill-wishers are to be stopped during fasting.

    So it seems all these blessings and benefits from allah will come to naught, at a time when it is :-

    13. Multiplication of Rewards: Doing good = 10x, 70x, 700x or more during the month of Ramadhan
    30. Every breath is Tasbiih. Every breath and even sleep is Ibadah and awarded.

    So the koran hadith verses are constantly being and recited and new ones beng learned.
    All of this is an exhausting formula that becomes an effective form of brain washing that is super hyped up for any muslim that is doing ramadan.

    • simpleton1 says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 4:20 pm

      Edit 1st sentence to continue
      “A fasting muslim is supposed to be in constant”… prayer, or study of islam, or recitation of verses.

      A knowledgeable muslim would know what verses are the most pleasing to allah, as advised by Mohammad;- that is the abrogating verses that nullify the earlier Meccan verses.

  10. Charli Main says

    Jun 12, 2017 at 5:31 pm

    Ramadan is a vile corruption of the early Christian practice of Lent, where Christians fasted and did good deeds for 40 days.

    Mohammed produced his own perverted version of this Christian custom, turning it into a period of abject gluttony and unmitigated violence against non Muslims.

    • WPM says

      Jun 12, 2017 at 7:39 pm

      Islam is all pervert corruption it mocks Gods and mans good deeds to his fellow man. If you took all the good faiths of the earth smashed them together then look at them thru a fun house mirror you would get Islam. It is a fake poor imbeciic rambling , a religion that glorifies rape, murder, child abuse, wife beatings, thief, false pride ,hate, racism, and plagiarizer “Pagan”, Christian , Jewish works. It is the devil mocking Gods words and good deeds. It works by tempting man to his most base wants lust ,angry ,pride and greed.

  11. Flavius Claudius Iulianus says

    Jun 13, 2017 at 1:18 am

    He’s got way bigger problems than not being able to smoke during ramadamdama.

  12. Matthieu Baudin says

    Jun 13, 2017 at 2:45 am

    “…Tunisia’s constitution guarantees “freedom of belief and conscience”, but the state is also the “guardian of religion”…”

    Yes, the guardian of ‘one’ religion; all the others have to ‘make way’ for it.

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