LETTER | Ramadan: Avoid food waste and practise charity

LETTER | During every Ramadan, for about 11 years, the Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) has been carrying out campaigns against waste, overindulgence and extravagance which Islam and other religions condemn.

The campaign was initiated by our late president, Allahyarham SM Mohammed Idris, who was horrified by the large amount of food waste and extravagant spending of the Muslim elite during this holy month - while millions of people have no adequate food, shelter, education and healthcare.

Ramadan is supposed to be a month of intense devotion for Muslims but for some, it has become a month of feasting and wasteful spending.

Islam enjoins its followers to avoid gluttony, waste and extravagance.

Contrary to this teaching, some people eat and drink so much that they become lazy and neglect to perform even their obligatory prayers. Gluttony also has serious adverse health effects – diabetes, coronary diseases, and hypertension - on those indulging in it.

Iftar, or breaking fast, traditionally in the home with family members or mosque in a spiritual environment, has been turned into a “feast with a 100-dish spread” in hotels and restaurants.

It has been turned into a source of profits for these enterprises.

Excessive varieties and quantities of food prepared for iftar and sahur leads to waste. A lot of food is thrown away by hotels and families into the waste dumps.

Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) reported in 2016, that every Ramadan 200,000 tonnes of food go straight into the rubbish bins. This quantity of food could feed 180 million people.

Throwing away food is a sin as it deprives food for the needy ones and future generations. It also depletes resources and contributes to environmental degradation through the pollution of seas and rivers and the discharge of carbon dioxide, which is responsible for global warming.

One of the objects of fasting is to feel the pain of hunger experienced by the poor and marginalised so that we will have empathy for them.

Millions of people in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Palestine, Myanmar, India, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan are facing starvation and yet we are throwing away huge quantities of food in the holy month.

The rich should share their wealth with the poor and needy instead of indulging in an ostentatious way of life. Use your wealth to uplift the poor and marginalised out of poverty and oppression and support worthy causes.

Observe Ramadan properly

Our campaigns had achieved limited success and received support from the community and religious leaders and even some politicians.

We are continuing the campaign and appealing to the public to make charitable contributions to NGOs as their activities are to empower the people to build a just, equitable and caring society.

As for us, CAP was founded in 1970 and registered as a society under the Societies Act 1966. CAP’s mission is to promote social justice, sustainable development and environmental protection.

It is a non-profit organisation depending on voluntary contributions to carry out its work.

Let us resolve to make this Ramadan more meaningful and spiritually enriching.

Avoid breaking fast in hotels and, instead, have iftar in your homes or mosques with your family members and friends.

And invite your non-Muslim neighbours to break fast with you. In this way, we build goodwill and understanding among Malaysians.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.