In Pakistan, the holy month is mostly written and pronounced as "Ramzan", although brainwashed die hard fundamentalists prefer to say "Ramadhan". This is one of the results of Zia's policies that were intended to make Arabs think that Pakistanis are good Muslims. In Zia's days, there used to be a news telecast in Arabic. The hypocrite apparently thought this was a good way of getting petrodollars from rich Arab states.


In the 1950's and 60's, Pakistanis were much more tolerant than they are today. Restaurants, cafes and even bars would be open during the fasting hours, though in most eating places, a sheet of cloth was used to conceal those inside to prevent those who were fasting from being tempted. Most men did not fast, and I doubt if they do today as well, not in the rural areas at least. In the cities, office buildings have eating rooms where non-Muslims can take lunch or tea, but most Muslims  also go there, as was the practice twenty years back.

One never heard of men being killed or hurt while eating in public in the month of fasting. Only once did I heard about a man being hammered by the public for drinking water or smoking in the daytime during Ramzan. I would wonder why they did it, as the victim could have been a Christian or a Hindu. Moreover, fasting is supposed to help you become patient and tolerant, so the authorities should penalize or punish those who get infuriated and resort to violence whenever they attack anyone who is not fasting. This year, after many years, Dubai has allowed restaurants and eating places to operate during fasting hours in Ramzan.

It would be a good thing to do this here as well. I fast every year, and I frequently come across Muslims who don't fast but I never react.

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