Tourists warned of previously hushed risks during Ramadan

After sunset on March 10, Muslims all over the planet begin the holy month of Ramadan – a strict Islamic fast. According to the domestic tourism industry, in the first and most severe days of fasting in Muslim countries, due to the extended weekend on the occasion of Women’s Day, there will be a record number of Russian tourists for the beginning of March. Despite tourist hospitality, some restrictions will affect them too. We learned from Muslims themselves how non-believing guests can avoid getting into unpleasant situations during Ramadan.

According to Russian travel agencies, by the time Ramadan begins, most of our fellow citizens will be in the UAE, Turkey and Egypt. Also in the second ten days of March, compatriots purchased tours to the Maldives and Myanmar, where the titular religion is Islam, as well as to Qatar, Oman and even Saudi Arabia, which, according to the country’s Ministry of Tourism, “began to focus on tourists from the Russian Federation,” although it is still too expensive for mass visits.

Russian tour operators and their partners in strict Muslim countries, when selling tours that fall during Ramadan, mainly warn that alcohol during the holiday will be sold only within hotels for non-believers and that it should only be drunk behind closed doors, so as not to offend by this process fasting Muslims. They remind you that you should not appear on the streets drunk, as well as in “inappropriate form” – that is, in short skirts and shorts, and the ban on the latter, if we are not talking about the beach, but about Muslim cities during the period of fasting, also applies to men. However, Russian-speaking guides on the ground, and these are often Muslims of Russian origin who permanently live in the country, are sure that such warnings are given “on the fly,” and can put the guest in an awkward position, or even worse.

“Yesterday a group from Russia arrived, which will stay in the UAE for two weeks, that is, they will be fully involved in Ramadan,” shares Yusuf, a Russian-speaking guide who was born in Tatarstan, but has lived in Dubai for a long time. “I started telling what is not allowed during Ramadan, and they looked at me with round eyes: they say, but the travel agency told us that this will not affect us. In Dubai itself, hotels where there are no Muslims may not be affected, but this group has a trip to several emirates, including Sharjah. Sharjah is a completely different story. Alcohol is prohibited there and outside of Ramadan, and during fasting, no catering before iftar (night meal; in Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat or drink before sunset – author) does not work in principle. And tourists outside hotels are also not recommended to chew anything before sunset, so as not to tempt the believers. This applies to both water and chewing gum. An exception is only for small children, the sick and the elderly. Those who are in Sharjah on a permanent basis can do this in their hotels, but there is a problem with excursionists. If they are traveling on a bus for a long distance, then at the stops they are in a hurry to have a snack and drink some water.

– What should they do?

– If they have an experienced guide, then he will organize supplies of food and water on the bus and the presence of curtains for the windows. Alas, until April 10, in strictly observant regions, excursionists will have to have a snack strictly in their bus behind the curtains.

“You won’t even notice him!” – said about Ramadan to those who also bought tours to the Maldives, Turkey and Egypt. Is this really so, we ask local Muslim guides.

“Most of our hotels occupy separate small islands,” says Ibrahim, a hotel worker on one of the atolls, “so there is no reason to limit tourists in any way. But there is another problem: only citizens of the Republic of Maldives work in the Maldivian tourism industry, foreigners are not hired on principle, and the Maldivians are all Muslims. And for a true believer in Ramadan, it is haram (sin – author) not only to eat before sunset, but also to watch how others do it. During this period, Muslims should pray a lot and not indulge in any carnal joys. And the staff of our hotels also fall into sin because they observe women sinning during the holy month (meaning ladies in swimsuits and the fact that only men are allowed to work in Maldivian hotels – author)

– How will you work?

– Not everyone will work; many will go on vacation during this period. And those who remain ask for the blessings of the imam, and then atone for their sins. Therefore, during Ramadan, service in Maldives hotels may be worse than usual. Of the troubles with guests, I remember only one case: during Ramadan, guests rented a yacht and sailed on it to inspect the islands. They anchored near one and had a party on the deck. The island seemed uninhabited to them, but it turned out to be the private property of a respected elderly Maldivian, a very religious man. He called the owner of the hotel that gave the yacht to the guests and threatened to complain to the president about him. The scandal was terrible, the guests were moored from there with the help of police boats. Mainly because no one warned tourists that sailing to other islands without special permission is prohibited.

As for Turkey and Egypt, local Muslim guides only warn about “decent behavior” (do not chew in public or walk naked) only on city streets, especially in the center, near mosques and other places where the local population gathers. Moreover, in a number of restaurants, even inside hotels, they may not sell alcohol to foreigners during Iftar and until Suhoor (from sunset until morning prayer – author), since this is a special sin. And outside hotels, catering may be completely closed at this time, since the Muslim staff of establishments also eat and pray at this time.

“A year ago, the day before, a tourist who arrived went for a walk around the neighborhood during the day, wandered into the territory of the mosque and sat down on a bench there to have a snack,” recalls Ahmed, a Russian-speaking Muslim guide working in Phuket. “He didn’t know about Ramadan or iftar, and no one told him. And he was very surprised when the locals attacked him with shouts and almost fists, and only women. He saw how they were all covered from head to toe, and began to realize that he had broken something. Fortunately, the mullah came out and saved the tourist, otherwise the Muslim women would have torn him to pieces for insulting the Almighty. So keep in mind that restrictions during Ramadan apply not only to completely Islamic countries, but also to areas of compact Muslim residence in other countries, and especially to the areas around mosques, which are found in almost every city in the world.