PA: Anyone eating in public during the Ramadan is a “heretic,” “strike with an iron fist” and enforce “the most severe punishments”
As the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began two weeks ago, PA religious officials have been reiterating the strict prohibition of eating in public during the daytime. Although claiming to be a democracy and claiming to promote religious freedom, the PA is not letting Palestinians decide freely whether they want to observe the commandment of fasting or not.
Whereas the PA’s Grand Mufti instructed “the responsible parties to pursue all those who break the fast publicly, and to hold them legally accountable” [WAFA, official PA news agency, April 13, 2021], the official PA daily in its religious section endorsed an even stricter message from a district mufti in the Gaza Strip.
Rafah District Mufti and member of the Palestinian Supreme Fatwa Council Sheikh Hassan Ahmed Jaber taught readers of the paper that “whoever breaks the fast publicly during Ramadan is a heretic.” He referenced Islam’s prophet Muhammad, explaining that his teachings about eating during the fast of Ramadan means that the person “leaves the circle of Islam and his blood becomes permitted.” Having said this, the Gazan mufti called on the PA Security Forces to enforce “the most severe punishments” on those eating in public:
“I call on all our [Security] Forces in our Palestinian Authority to strike with an iron fist anyone who gives in to the temptation of breaking the fast publicly during Ramadan, by imposing the most severe punishments on them, until [our society] is a pure society that is close to Allah, which fulfills the words of its Master and observes the commandment of fasting as well as possible.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 17, 2021]
Both muftis also called on all cafés and restaurants to close during the daytime hours of Ramadan.
The strict measures to be taken against anyone who does not observe the commandment of fasting during Ramadan is consistent PA policy. Palestinian Media Watch has documented that the PA Grand Mufti in previous years has instructed that anyone eating in public during Ramadan be “prosecuted.”
The following are longer excerpts of the statements cited above:
Headline: “The [PA] grand mufti calls to be considerate of the blessed month of Ramadan’s sanctity”
“[PA] Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories and [Palestinian] Supreme Fatwa Council Chairman Sheikh Muhammad Hussein blessed all members of the Islamic nation – and the Palestinian people in particular – for the blessed [Muslim fasting] month of Ramadan. He called to preserve its sanctity, and called on the owners of the restaurants and cafés to close them during the daytime hours of Ramadan…
In a statement today, Tuesday [April 13, 2021], the mufti called on the responsible parties to pursue all those who break the fast publicly, and to hold them legally accountable.”
[WAFA, official PA news agency, April 13, 2021]
Muhammad Hussein also serves as Deputy Secretary-General and acting Secretary-General of the PLO Popular National Conference of Jerusalem.
Excerpt of an article for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in the religious section of the official PA daily by Rafah District Mufti and Palestinian Supreme Fatwa Council member Sheikh Hassan Ahmed Jaber:
Headline: “The importance of the commandment of fasting”
“Breaking the fast in public during [the Muslim fasting month of] Ramadan is a severe transgression…
Prophet [Muhammad], peace be upon him, said [in a Hadith]: ‘There are three religious foundations and principles of Islam, and the blood of whoever neglects one of them is permitted [to be spilled] – Testimony that there is no God but Allah, fasting, and praying.’ That being the case, whoever breaks the fast publicly during Ramadan is a heretic and denies the commandment of fasting… and therefore, he leaves the circle of Islam and his blood becomes permitted [to be spilled]…
Therefore, I call on all our [Security] Forces in our Palestinian Authority to strike with an iron fist anyone who gives in to the temptation of breaking the fast publicly during Ramadan, by imposing the most severe punishments on them, until [our society] is a pure society that is close to Allah, which fulfills the words of its Master and observes the commandment of fasting as well as possible.
I also call on the café and restaurant owners throughout Palestine to close their businesses during the daytime hours of Ramadan in order to preserve the sanctity of this blessed month.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 17, 2021]