Police Enforce Cafe Closures During Ramadan

Co-written with Kevin Ivey and Myriam Ben Ghazi

With the start of Ramadan in Tunisia comes the closure of cafes and restaurants. While many restaurants open at night to celebrate iftar (the breaking of the fast), it is expected that they will be closed during the day. According to Business News, Tunisia’s Ministry of the Interior allows for cafes in tourist areas to remain open, but does not permit them to serve clients in public or on terraces. Cafes and restaurants that do remain open are expected to cover their windows and to keep out of the public eye.

On Friday, however, the Tunisian blog Nawaat reported that eyewitnesses in the tourist area of Cite Ennasr had seen police officers harass cafe and restaurant owners. According to the report, the officers became aggressive with restaurant patrons to push for restaurants’ closing.  Other eyewitnesses later said that “bearded men” on “behalf of Islam” came to ensure that the cafes and restaurants were following through with police directives to close.

A subsequent TAP report, however, explains that there is no truth to the claims of police pressuring cafe and restaurant owners. According to the article, police asked five cafes and one restaurant to respect the regulations for the month of Ramadan, including not selling food or drinks publicly. It added that the establishments addressed already had complaints raised against them.

According to the Business News report, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Khaled Tarrouche explained that these restrictions have been in place for years, and that their enforcement should not cause controversy. The report adds that according to regulations, restaurants in the tourist area of Cite Ennasr were permitted only to serve food to be taken out.

Tunisia Live had the opportunity to meet with local cafe owners to discuss their experiences during the first weekend of Ramadan. One cafe owner by the name of Alaa, says that he has not been approached by the police, despite the fact that his cafe remains open during Ramadan.

Alaa’s neighbors and fellow cafe owners, on the other hand, have not been so lucky. ‘They came and harassed them. They told them that if they found it [their restaurants] open again, they would come again and force them to close,” he explained.

During Tunisia Live’s visit yesterday, Alaa’s cafe – which he requested not to be identified – was packed with people, all of whom were drinking or smoking and avoiding the leering glares that they would have inevitably received on the street. Many people hid their faces when approached, and no one wanted to be interviewed.

Islamic law holds that the elderly, the young, and the sick are exempt from fasting, which is one reason why these cafes remain open, albeit under some restrictions. “Many of my customers are sick or are among the elderly,” the owner stated.

Alaa also said that he did not want to close his restaurant for an entire month for the sake of his workers. “One month is a long time to go without pay. Many of these people have families. What should I say to them?”