RIYADH, 22 October 2006 — With iftar parties galore at one end of the Ramadan spectrum and the poor and the sick languishing in hospitals at the other, the holy month presented a mixed picture as it draws to a close.
Indian and Pakistani expats between them have hosted hundreds of Iftars. Restaurants on the outskirts of Riyadh have reported a sharp increase in iftar parties that were booked a month in advance. Hypermarkets had their cash registers ringing as Saudis and expatriates shopped till they dropped.
Amid this plenty stalks penury. While the well-to-do are entertained at lavish iftar parties, the sick and the indigent lie bed-ridden in hospitals. They want to go home in hopes of continuing their medical treatment there. But their hopes are crushed under the weight of parties that keep the affluent busy.
“If I remember correctly, I think that except for two or three days, I have had all my iftars outside my house,” says K.N. Wasif, a veteran photo-journalist.
Shamshad Ali Siddiqui, a Pakistani businessman, likes to draw the line between “social” and “political” iftar.
Restaurant managers, who wish to remain anonymous, point out that one of the major factors for a doubling in their business is the fact that iftar parties have become status symbols. In this game of one-upmanship, each organization wants to outdo the other in mobilizing numbers.
According to Shamshad, iftar parties have lost their religious significance. “Now they have acquired a status symbol. A big number is the name of the game and a hallmark of fame. That’s why I also hosted a big party. But the invitees were poor workers of my company, not the bigwigs of town.”
As for the political iftar, the host has a hidden agenda up his sleeve. He is usually a well-placed business executive who invites prominent guests to his villa. The captive audience is then harangued by the guest of honor, usually a minister back home, seeking to enlist the support of the audience for some project. Alternatively, he claims to champion the cause of the expatriate community. In the process, the host also scores a point as his political stock value goes up.
Companies adopt a similar strategy: Inviting media people with the temptation of food only to inundate them with press packets in hopes that they will write glowing stories about their hosts’ products or services they happen to be introducing to a Muslim market. In fact, this strategy seems to work more often than not.
Syed Zia-ur-Rahman, the CEO of Yahind.com, wrote an article on his website calling on the non-resident Indians to reorient their outlook. He said it would be a welcome move if, instead of throwing lavish iftar parties, they spend part of that money on the welfare of these poor workers suffering in silence with no money to foot their medical bills. His website cites specific cases of sick and impoverished workers. They were probably a few kilometers away from a banquet hall where a lavish iftar was in progress. They certainly provide a food for thought.
