Show some respect, please!

A banner in my neighborhood asked people to “respect those who are fasting” ("hormatilah orang yang berpuasa"). I tried to think, what is ‘respecting those who are fasting’? In my childhood, I was taught that it simply means not eating or drinking in front of people who fast. Perhaps if I someone who fasts sees me enjoying my meals, he or she will get tempted to break the fast.

But then, refraining yourself from eating and drinking (and smoking and having sexual relationship) during the day is the essence of fasting, isn’t it? Giving up one’s utility from eating and drinking is and individual choice. Then, respecting those who fast is a matter of respecting property rights and personal choice. When it’s a personal choice, no one is justified to force them to eat or drink during the day (or tease them or humiliate them).

Similarly, it’s an individual choice not to fast. And the non-fasting people also have the rights to remain eating, smoking or drinking. No one is justified to ask them to stop, in the name of ‘respecting the fast.’ And during the night, whether one was fasting in the day or not, one has the right to spend the night in café or pubs. The café or restaurant owners have the right to do keep their business open at any time. Nobody has any justifications to prevent anyone to go to restaurants at any time. Nobody possesses the right to force restaurants, pubs or cafes to close at any time. (Unless, of course, if the pubs create noise that prevent one from sleeping.)

The rights to perform fasting as a religious duty include the rights to tell others that it is already time to start fasting when they are OK to be told (or when they asked you to do so). Similarly, people have also the rights to remain sleeping and not being disturbed by ‘wake up calls’ from masjids or minutemen. Hence, in my opinion, those shouting ‘sahur… sahur…’ using megaphone from masjids are abusing own’s right, and violating other’s property rights. The solution is simple: use alarm clock, telephone, or if it necessary, put a sign in front of your house that you want to be waken up.

Another obvious thing, whether fasting or not, we do have the rights for a ‘petasan’ (explosives)-free environment. If we ever need the government during this Ramadhan month, it is to regulate petasan and noise from masjids. Not closing down business or night lives.

Back to the banner in my neighborhood. Usually, a banner is a signal of something. What does it possibly mean?

One, those who fast felt that they are not respected enough. Two, those who don’t fast have given enough respect, but those who do ask to be more respected. Three, it signals a kind of threat: respect us, or else…


Religion | Ramadhan