Coffee shop attacked in Lebanon for not closing during Ramadan

A café open for customers during the day of the fasting month of Ramadan in the Lebanese city of Tripoli was attacked by unknown gunmen with a grenade, wounding four people and causing material damages to the café.

Two unidentified men on a motorcycle threw the bomb at Makiya café whose owner insists on opening his shop for customers who do not observe Ramadan fasting.

Observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan.

One of the city’s residents, who refused to be named, said that Makiya is one of the cafés in the northern city which opens its doors to non-fasting customers who have chronic diseases, such as diabetes, pressure, kidney and ulcers, pointing out that they are regular customers.

He said that this incident reminds him of the time when Tripoli was controlled by the Islamic Unification Movement in the eighties of the last century.

The attack comes after a statement issued by the Municipality of Tripoli urging residents to respect the Muslim holy month by not eating in public places.

Mayor Nader Ghazal also addressed owners of restaurants and coffee shops to “respect the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan.”

But some Tripoli’s residents said not eating in public would be considered as violation of their personal freedom.

Ghazal defended his stance and said that “it was not mandatory [not to eat in pubic] as there is no law prohibiting it.”

Tripoli is Lebanon’s second largest city. It has diverse groups including Christians and Lebanese who consider themselves irreligious.