Foreigners Risk Deportation If They Violate Ramadan

Foreigners visiting Saudi Arabia during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan risk being deported if they eat, drink or smoke in public.

The Saudi Interior Ministry is now requiring more strict observances for the monthlong religious period - and citizens of this almost completely Muslim kingdom could lose their jobs if they don’t comply.

All residents of Saudi Arabia, both citizens and foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims, are prohibited from eating, drinking or smoking in public during the daylight hours of Ramadan.

In past years, foreigners violating the religious practice were detained for a day, with repeated violations sometimes resulting in deportation.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and dusk as an act of sacrifice and purification.

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Holy month Ramadan marks God’s revelation of the Koran, Islam’s holy book, to the Prophet Mohammed. It begins with the sighting of the new moon at the end of December or on Jan. 1.