Tunisian Hotel Ransacked for Serving Alcohol

Tunisia: Salafist Muslims Ransack Hotel for Serving Alcohol

World Briefing | Africa
By REUTERS
Published: September 4, 2012

Dozens of hard-line Salafist Muslims attacked a hotel in Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of Tunisia’s revolution, because it was serving alcohol, the hotel’s owner said Tuesday. About 100 Salafists attacked the hotel on Monday night, destroying furniture and smashing bottles of alcohol, the owner, Jamil Horcheni, said. In May, the ultraconservative Salafists staged a protest against alcohol in Sidi Bouzid, demanding that hotels and bars be relocated outside the city. In recent weeks, Salafist groups have prevented several concerts and plays from taking place in Tunisian cities, saying they violate Islamic principles. Since Tunisia overthrew an authoritarian president last year, there have been several attacks on cultural and tourist sites.

1 response
The Ottomans islamic state regulated the sale and consumption within the empire. For instance, the Ottoman state imposed taxes on wine known as Rasm-i Khamr and levied a tavern (meyhane) tax.

The Lawmaker, who collected the wine taxes, was a state official who never drank but led a pious life. At times, This issue has been abused because of ignorance of Islamic law. The essence of the matter is as follows:

All kinds of inebriating drinks are proscribed in Islamic law, which the Ottoman state applied in the strictest way. However, non-muslims citizens were allowed to drink alcohol with certain restrictions and conditions. Non-muslims were even allowed to open taverns on non-muslim quarters.

Part of a recent study by Dr Arif Bilgin on the cuisine of the royal palace and the underlying budget, it is revealed that the royal palace has reserved a special budget to purchase different types of wines to be served for non-muslim foreign dignitaries.

Regards,
Walid.