JEDDAH, 8 September 2006 — Sheesha (hubble-bubble) smokers will have to spend more on their gasoline to enjoy having a huff and a puff because of a government regulation banning the smoking of sheesha at cafes and restaurants within the city.

More than 300 cafes that serve sheeshas around Jeddah will be affected by the implementation of the rule and many are expected to perhaps close down. According to market experts, most Jeddah cafes depend on sheesha that provides over 50 percent of their revenue. The other 50 percent is usually made from food and drinks bought by sheesha smokers.

According to a source at the Jeddah Municipality, although the government regulation was issued several years ago, the law is only being implemented now. The source said that the regulation states that there is a ban on the sale of sheesha within the cities and towns.

Municipality inspectors are now visiting cafes to make sure that they abide by the regulation. Cafes caught flouting the rules would be warned, fined and then shut down.

The source said that details of the regulation were brought to the attention of the authorities after a recent incident in which one Jeddah cafe was caught adding narcotic substances in the tobacco used in sheeshas.

He said that the unusual increase in the number of cafes around the city also prompted the authorities to re-enforce the regulation especially since the municipality had received complaints about teenagers (boys and girls) frequenting sheesha outlets. Cafe owners say they will form a committee to talk to the authorities to press for the revision of the ban. Dr. Khalid Al-Harithi, owner of the Break Time Cafe on the Tahliah Street, said his cafe is to lose a huge amount of money on account of the ban.

He said that cafes depend on the sheesha as a major attraction to their business. “If any losses occur then that would no doubt affect the economy. Any partial loss suffered by cafes would certainly affect the wider economy,” he said. Al-Harithi added that the current law does not ban sheesha because the regulation states that cafes can serve drinks, food and sheesha.

“I hope that the municipality will create a clear and organized investment base that would allow investors to develop their businesses with comfort,” he said.

Saleh Ahmad, manager of the Al-Reem Cafe in the Madain Al-Fahad District, said, “70 percent of our profit is generated from sheesha. If we stop serving sheesha we would end up closing our business within a short time.”

Ahmad said they have been operating for seven years and that they have customers who only come for sheesha. “We were so surprised when we received a memo from the municipality this month ordering us to stop selling sheesha. We don’t know what to do,” he said.

Ahmad said his cafe didn’t stop selling sheesha hoping the authorities would reconsider their decision. “If nothing happens this month then we would end up closing,” he said.

Zaid Adel, manager of the Crystal Cafe in the Musaidia District said that he had no problems working with the new regulation.

“I had my doubts about sheesha in the beginning. I know it’s dangerous to smoke and even more harmful than cigarettes, so I stopped selling them since I received the warning letter. I know it does affect business, but I know that if all cafes stop selling sheesha then over a period of time business would get back to normal,” he said.

Saleh Al-Zahrani, a Saudi teacher who smokes sheesha on a daily basis, described the ban to be unfair. “How come they just ban sheesha? Gathering in a cafe with friends and smoking sheesha together was one of the few entertainments left for single youths here,” he said.

He said that the law will have an impact on the customers. “If all cafes are shifted to the outskirts of Jeddah it wouldn’t be easy and fun to go there. It might encourage more people to smoke cigarettes instead.”