Along with month of Ramadan, Egyptians won't be able to purchase alcoholic beverages during 4 other major Islamic holidays, according to new decision by Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, Minister For Tourism, Govt of Egypt. Abdel-Nour has decided that prohibitions on the serving of alcoholic beverages to Egyptian citizens would be applied on all major Islamic holidays and not just during the fasting month of Ramadan, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported yesterday, according to eTurbonews.com.
Serving alcohol to Egyptians during Ramadan has long been banned in Egypt out of respect for the holy month, during which Muslims tend to strictly abide by Islamic prohibitions and doctrine. According to Islamic precepts, the consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden at all times. Abdel-Nour has reportedly decided to apply the prohibition on four other days of the year: the Islamic New Year, the holiday commemorating the Israa and Me'rag, Prophet Mohamed's birthday and the day of Arafa. According to MENA, Abdel-Nour's decision was made out of respect for "the feelings of Muslims." The serving of alcohol to Egyptians by restaurants or bars on any of these days, the decision stipulates, will result in severe legal sanctions. However, serving of alcohol to Egyptians on any of the aforementioned days has been banned for over 30 years. An owner of a popular mid-town restaurant-bar told Ahram Online that he does not fully understand how the new decision would affect his business. "My license of more than 20 years has prohibited me from serving alcohol to Egyptians during Ramadan and on those four holidays anyways, so I don't know what the Minister's decision is about," he said.
Click here to see the original article>Serving alcohol to Egyptians during Ramadan has long been banned in Egypt out of respect for the holy month, during which Muslims tend to strictly abide by Islamic prohibitions and doctrine. According to Islamic precepts, the consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden at all times. Abdel-Nour has reportedly decided to apply the prohibition on four other days of the year: the Islamic New Year, the holiday commemorating the Israa and Me'rag, Prophet Mohamed's birthday and the day of Arafa. According to MENA, Abdel-Nour's decision was made out of respect for "the feelings of Muslims." The serving of alcohol to Egyptians by restaurants or bars on any of these days, the decision stipulates, will result in severe legal sanctions. However, serving of alcohol to Egyptians on any of the aforementioned days has been banned for over 30 years. An owner of a popular mid-town restaurant-bar told Ahram Online that he does not fully understand how the new decision would affect his business. "My license of more than 20 years has prohibited me from serving alcohol to Egyptians during Ramadan and on those four holidays anyways, so I don't know what the Minister's decision is about," he said.