Feeding Expatriates in Ramazan

In a move likely to be widely welcomed by the expat community in the Maldives, Trade Ministry has licensed certain designated restaurants in Male to remain open during the daytime hours of the fasting month in order to feed the large number of expat non-Muslims in the capital. Till now they have been facing considerable difficulty feeding themselves in Ramazan as restaurants catering to them were not allowed to remain open.

The ban was probably a vestige of the past in which the only people living in Male were local Maldivians, 100% of who were Muslims. This has changed now with 80,000 registered expat workers in the country, about half of who could be non-Muslims. Most of them have regular boarding arrangements with restaurants especially run for them.

Even during the past there had been initiatives to allow certain restaurants to cater to expats. But due to pressure from the religious lobby, such initiatives never materialized.

Before issuing permits the Trade Ministry has taken certain precautions to reassure the religious lobby that Maldivians will be excluded from the restaurants. For example, the restaurants are required to register their clients and check the identities of customers each time they are served food. Another interesting precaution is not to allow takeaways. This is baffling, as grocers and supermarkets do sell readymade food items during the day time.

Perhaps such illogical precautions are part of the price one must pay to keep everyone happy. All in all, Trade Minister Rasheed deserves congratulations for achieving something that could never be done in the past.