LETTER | Avoid wastage and practise charity during Ramadan

LETTER | The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) urges the public not to waste food in conjunction with Ramadan because a lot of food will end up in landfills.

Studies show that food waste increases between 15 percent to 20 percent during Ramadan compared to the average in other months.

It has been reported that in 2023 as much as 90,000 tonnes of food is trashed throughout the country during Ramadan.

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 such as diabetes, coronary diseases and hypertension.

Iftar or breaking fast is traditionally done at home with family members or in the mosque in a spiritual environment. However, it has now turn into a “feast with a 100-dish spread” in hotels and restaurants. It has been turned into a source of profits for these enterprises.

Throwing away food is a sin as it deprives food for the needy ones and the future generation. 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 hunger pangs experienced by the poor and marginalised so that we will have empathy for them.

Even now, more than two million Palestinians are facing starvation. So, we should not be 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.

Let us resolve to make this Ramadan more meaningful and spiritually enriching. Avoid breaking fast in hotels and, instead, break fast (iftar) in your homes or mosque with your family members and friends.

Invite your non-Muslim neighbours for iftar too. In this way, we build goodwill and understanding among Malaysians.

Writer is the president of Consumers Association of Penang.

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