Food outlets, restaurants and bazaars will only be allowed to set-up at 2:30pm during Ramadan in Terengganu, according to Ghazali Taib, the state’s exco for Communications, Multimedia and Special Functions. Starting Friday at sundown, Muslims all over the world will observe the month-long fast during daylight hours.
“We only allow the entrepreneurs to be at the business premises at 2.30pm, he said. “especially at the Ramadan bazaars because they come to prepare the business sites and the earliest that these premises can start their operations is 3pm.”
The holy month of Ramadan sees fasting from sunrise to sunset. Observants do not eat, smoke, drink (yes, even water) or have sex during daylight hours. The time is spent seeking enlightenment, forgiveness and fostering a closer relationship with one’s God.
In Malaysia, Muslims are subject to prosecution by religious police for not fasting or eating in public. Section 15(b) of Syariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997, sees that any Muslim person who eats/drinks/smokes in public during this time can be prosecuted. These laws are mostly enforced on a state-level, with Kelantan and Teregganu observing far stricter policies than Kuala Lumpur.
Although the law technically extends to food-sellers who sell to Muslims for immediate consumption before 3pm, a visit to your local KL supermarket during the day will quickly find you in a queue lasting longer than your lunch hour, with many families stocking up goods for buka puasa, or breaking fast.
Last year, the Terengganu state government worked with religious authorities to strictly monitor entrepreneurial activities at markets and restaurants.
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