you have at least 60 known diseases in which alcohol plays a role, cancers of the mouth, liver, breast, strokes etc.

also factor in alcohol-related deaths such as murders, suicides, accidents, drowning, poisoning, drunk driving.

But don’t be fooled, fighting alcohol is not achieved by just banning it, that never works. It’s done by convincing people that they don’t need it. The more people you win against alcohol, the smaller the size of the problem, and the slower its rate of growth, the easier it is you can contain it, and the easier it is that you can fight it even more.

It’s always better to go after the root of the problem. And in this case, it is simply alcohol. Not in an Islamic context, but in the pure standpoint of “is it good for you?”. It’s not!

What I was commenting on was the level of hypocricy. Think about it this way, what is the point of repenting for a sin which one knows fully well he or she will commit again in the near future? Ramadan is not about how long you can go without drinking alcohol! Islam is about not drinking it at all. Hence the white sheets we see are a reminder of something we, by default, find shameful.

So I do agree with Jameed that there is a need to regulate these things if we are to achieve a middle ground of catering to minorities and tourists as well as maintaining a healthy islamic nation.

If the west has managed to ban ciggerette ads from the public forum for health reasons then we should be able to do the same thing with alcohol for religious and ideological reasons.

As a quick reply to Natasha and Hatem, I believe what Nas is criticizing is accepting something, then considering this very thing shameful and must be covered up during a certain period of time.
Can you believe that I see MANY “MUSLIM” people who actually buy loads of alcohol before Ramadan to be able to drink it AFTER BREAKING THEIR FASTING!! yes, yes, another picture of hypocrisy and lying to one’s self, they fast, and then drink! Why do they fast in the first place!
Anyway as an answer to your question Natasha, I believe the best thing is for Muslims not to sell something that is forbidden in Islam. And leave it to Christians (or Jews if present in a country) to sell these things (alcohol, pork…etc.) And since Jordan is a Muslim country, then the non-Muslims can cover-up these goods out of respect during Ramadan, but they donâ??t have to in my personal opinion.
This way, Muslims will get rid of their double-standards, and will stop selling anything just for money, and at the same time non-Muslims will still get what they need and won’t feel oppressed.
And most important of all, we wont reach a point where an alcohol-free hotel (for example) would be considered strange!

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Anyhow,what we should realize actually is that its a social probelms just as its a religous one. Our lifestyles have changes, its not the same as 10-15 years ago. Globaliation has its effects. If we want “Starbucks”, “Champions”, “Hard rock cafe” (naiive examples), then we ought to deal with the side effects of these foreign bodies also!

On another note, A few weeks I was in germany we were in the main street of Munich, anyhow. Each like 3 meters there was a sex shop! with this large banner, not mentioning the “e3″ pics. And 3adi it was like a supermarket or something. People comming in and out, not covering up the issue even. That wasnt the case a few years back.

My point is what we’re experiencing is a change in the perception of things;and thats worldwide; each in its own limits, Alchocol might be what we’ve reached for now. the bigger question woudl be, what will it be for the comming years?

When I was at a family dinner last summer, one of my elderly relatives (a parent in the family) asked me if I don’t drink. Notice she didn’t ask me whether I drink, she asked me whether I don’t drink. I said “No, I don’t drink” so she asked “ah .. sha66oor” with a smile and a very curious look. A smile that tries to tell you “great, I’m happy for you” but a look that seems to say “you know you’re being the odd ball here, don’t you?”.

The other thing I notice is when I try to argue with people that you really shouldn’t have the need to drink alcohol unless you think it just tastes good. In which case, even the special taste that pure alcohol can add to a fruity drink can be simulated in a non alcoholic drink. But the most common argument you always hear from people is that they drink socially and only to get in a the mood. Now, I usually try to convince people that I personally do not need chemicals in my blood to be in a good mood and that I know many people who are the same. Honestly, I cannot remember a time when I was out with my friends and those of them who happened to have a few drinks had more fun than I did, and the best part of all is that while it would take one of them to get completely wasted to start acting funny and have a big grin on their face, I would at least be able to remember every moment of the good time I spent that night, and remember every reason I had to have a big grin on my face. And the strange thing, is that when you’re in the middle of having fun with your friends and you have this big smile drawn on your face, and you’re laughing, dancing, and joking around, someone would come and ask “how many drink have you had?” with a wink meaning admit it, therefore tying even your smile to drinking!! What’s really interesting is that if the person was intoxicated, they would smile and they would go into this dramatic confession about how cool it is to be someone who can have so much fun and fit in with others (ie. coz you fooled them into thinking that you’re drinking supposedly) without actually having to rely on a substance, but the next day, if you see someone else who is completely sober and they ask you the same question about the night before, and you give them the same answer, they would give you that smile and weird look that I talked about earlier. It’s really funny, when we’re sober our norms are polluted with the social prevailence of alcohol, but when we’re drunk we’re sort of .. pure.

We first need to understand who we are accomodating and thus what middle ground are we hoping to achieve.

If nearly all restaraunts and cafes in amman serve alcohol who are they catering to? christians? tourists? are these two groups alone the driving force for these businesses? my guess is no.

A few years back it was illegal to open an alcohol shop on the main street. Now I’ve thought about this law for sometime. It was legal to open a shop…just not on the main street. If we are to advertise blindly it will encourage the consumption of alcohol. This is the reason that most of these shops were in the backstreets. Location Location Location.

So it stands that we are essentially NOT catering to a segment of society, NOR are we looking for a middle ground. What we are catering to, is money. Alcohol increases business but it also encourages consumption by its sheer availability. Sort of like ciggerette commercials and billboards in north america during the 60’s. They banned those in the states and canada for a reason although those that choose to smoke still can, they are catered to, and that is your middle ground.

I read an article the other day about a hotel in morocco that is alcohol free. Can we stop for a moment and think about the state that we’re in when it’s so suprising a hotel would ever open up in an Islamic country that doesnt serve alcohol. When this bit of news actually makes headlines because its so suprising. The reason being? No one can fathom a business opening up that does not serve alcohol at this point in time. 15 Years ago, this bit of news would not have been news at all. To where has the social paradigm shifted?

When I drove by Amasi a few months ago, a restaraunt in swefieh that is right next to a mosque, I saw a family restaraunt. Only a few weeks ago they put up large neon sponser signs with their name in front of a huge banner for beer. My perception, along with the perception of others change.

Here’s what I’m getting at. If we were simply reaching a middle ground, i.e. to cater to all segments of society, then no one was complaining about the lack of alcohol 10-15 years ago. Why should the decrease of these places be any different? Secondly, what is the point to Ramadan if the moment it’s over the sheets come off and the bars and night clubs are re-opened for business. business being the key word