mobanmarketAbu Dhabi: Residents in Abu Dhabi are welcoming the decision to allow restaurants and cafes to serve food openly during Ramadan.
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New guidelines have been issued at certain malls in the capital, ending the long-standing tradition that prevented eateries from serving customers in plain sight of fasting Muslims during Ramadan.
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The change has come about towards the end of Ramadan, with restaurants and cafes removing their partitions at popular malls such as Abu Dhabi Mall and Yas Mall.
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A supervisor at an Abu Dhabi Mall cafe said they received a circular from the mall management regarding the issue.
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“We’ve operated during the daytime hours throughout the month. Two days ago, we were asked to remove the partitions,” she said.
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At Yas Mall, a restaurant supervisor said the removal of partitions hadn’t really changed things. “We don’t see a whole lot of customers during the daytime in Ramadan, but we’ve been asked to remove the partitions, and we’ve complied accordingly,” he said.
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Not all malls and restaurants are serving customers openly, though. For instance, partitions remained in place in Al Wahda Mall, and a cafe server said it had heard of no changes to existing rules.
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Most residents when asked about the development welcomed the change.
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“Personally, I don’t mind one way or another,” said I.M., a 35-year-old engineer from Sri Lanka. “The sight of someone eating, or food on display, doesn’t bother me when I am fasting, and it’s a restaurant’s decision how they want to serve customers,” he added.
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Others said they strongly preferred traditional Ramadan practises.
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“All my life, I’ve seen restaurants keep food out of sight during the day. They were open, but you just had to remain discreet as a sign of respect to those fasting. That’s a beautiful gesture and I don’t know why it has to change now,” said R. Bhatt, 30, a project manager from India who was born and brought up in Abu Dhabi.
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Mohammad Z, 63, an entrepreneur from Bangladesh, had the same opinion. “These Ramadan practises are unique to the UAE, and characterise the tremendous respect the country has for all people. I don’t think they should be changed, especially as eateries are still allowed to serve customers behind the partitions and shutters. I feel as if removing the partitions almost violates the spirit of the holy month,” he said.
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It is unclear at present how the new restaurant practises align with the UAE’s penal code, which calls for fines of up to Dh2,000, or a month in prison, for persons eating or drinking in public during Ramadan.