http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/07/19/ramadan-and-the-heat/
Ramadan and the heat! Muna Al-Fuzai Ramadan this year comes in July and August, the hottest months of the year. I sympathize with those who have to work under the scorching sun. I feel sorry for them because it is so hard to expose yourself under the sun, unless you are at the beach or near a pool…but when it means you will be working in the street and have to stay out for long hours, then that it surely a cruelty and a way to abuse fasting workers. It will make them hate the process of fasting, instead of enjoying it! Now, I wonder why companies are not being forced by the power of the law in Kuwait to have workers perform their duties after iftar when the sun is down and they are rested and can drink and eat as they wish? If we truly call this month of Ramadan the month of mercy, then we have to be kind to others and not only care about ourselves and our own needs. Those who work on the street are human too, and they are not less than we are, so how come our needs come first while their needs don’t? Another thing is the penalty for those who are caught eating, which is one month in jail or KD 100 penalty, or both. A KD 100 fine for someone they arrest drinking or smoking or eating? Is this person even a Muslim? Was he drinking to upset Muslims or did he not know the culture and the nature of this country ? So, not knowing the culture is a good excuse, because why we let those companies force their labourers to work under the sun in this heat while fasting and blame the poor workers and not them? I guess we tend to punish those whom we can and avoid those powerful managers who sit in air-conditioned offices because we can’t punish them. I believe we the people must embrace this issue and pressure the ministry of social affairs to make the efforts’ to simply do a humane job, at least in this month. By Muna Alfuzai [email protected] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
