Should Wine Be "Withheld" In Fancy Hotels During Ramadan?

Posted on by Mustapha

Annahar journalist Hiyam Al kossayfi was shocked by the treatment she got in a restaurant (permalink) that was “founded by a Maronite Christian” and “blessed with sacred water by a priest” (my translation, hover for Arabic)

We were getting ready to have dinner the other night in that restaurant of that new hotel. While we ordered our food and drinks, the waiter insisted on recommending a good bottle of wine. He then came back and embarrassingly took back the glasses of wine and said “I’m sorry of what I have to say, but we can’t serve wine because we’re in Ramadan

Of course, the (Christian) writer objected strongly on the grounds that this is Lebanon where your freedom ends when the freedom of others begins. She eventually left without having dinner, caused a scene and mentioned some drivel about the Islamic religious police.

But this is not about the “religious police”. This is all about business. That hotelier doesn’t mind losing a coreligionist customer if that meant the increased business of gulf tourists. It makes business sense for an international hotel where the majority of customers in the Summer are from conservative Arab countries.

But the matter is not so black and white. Would the Arab tourists have objected if they were in a Paris hotel and someone drank wine in Ramadan? Perhaps the writer was up to something after all..

7 Responses to Should Wine Be "Withheld" In Fancy Hotels During Ramadan?

  1. Yeah Steve, but this is still selling your soul to make a buck, and it still qualifies as being an unprincipled merchant.

    we always had tourists, and we always depended on our “service” industry. However, it never meant having to change our culture to please tourists; not only the Gulfites, ALL of our guests!! If they don’t like the way we do things, they can go elsewhere, PERIOD! I don’t see France banning wine on Ramadan to please Gulfites (who, btw, litter the Champs Elisees this time of year.) And btw, those people come to Lebanon (and France), to escape the stifling cultural environment of their native countries, NOT FOR US TO RE-CREATE THOSE SAME CONDITIONS FOR THEM. Your lame justification baffles me.
    nuff said.

  2. I TOTALLY disagree with the ban..

    I’m a Muslim and I abstain from alcohol during Ramadan… I don’t have a major issue with alcohol being around; I would understand say if I’m having iftar in a restaurant that alcohol wouldn’t be served around the iftar table because it tickles some people’s feelings… Bass for a dinner at night in a touristic destination? Really?! Has any Gulfie objected? Cause frankly this year I’ve seen more Americans. French and Italians than Kuwaitis and Saudis, so I don’t think they get to dictate their will… However more importantly, I doubt anyone brought up the issue… The hotel was probably just being a sychofant… But our friend here was a bit harsh in her writing, I must say…

  4. I think LNH’s reaction was rather excessive. What Mustapha did was present both sides of the argument.

    Let’s remember that it was a self initiative, not a government sanctioned law. When the latter gets close to becoming a reality, then it’s a different story. Ms Qussayfi’s reaction was hysteric at best, and bigoted at worst.

    The hotel owner has the right to decide what’s best for his commercial interests. There are plenty other outlets around Beirut.

    Personally? Well… I would probably leave that hotel to never come back. But surely I won’t slander a whole religion for it.

  6. I’m surprised – restaurants in Dubai still serve alcohol during Ramadan. And Dubai is the place where you can get arrested for eating during the day!