Most people who live in Yemen never will know the taste of alcohol. Nor will they fall victim to its virulent talons.
You see alcohol is strictly forbidden in Islam. The Holy Quran clearly stipulates that alcohol is prohibited.
In an interview a 28-year-old Yemeni man said he often declined to so much as smell or look at an alcoholic drink. However, added stresses, including major political and social upheavals made him look for an escape.
Known only as “Farouq”, the young man claims that given the hardship the country was going through after a year of popular uprising which led to a meltdown of the country’s economic and financial institutions, many people turned to illegal substances to forget their problems and breathe a little easier for a few hours.
Farouk recalled how on one instance his friends expressed some concerns over his tense demeanor, saying that if he was to drink a beer or two he would feel much more at ease with the world.
Pimping Beer – Yemeni Style
They then took somewhere in the Hadda area, through a myriad of back streets. Lost the group of friends were asked by local residents if they were looking for “beers”.
He admits to being shocked that Yemeni shopkeepers would ever sell the forbidden beverage.
What did he think of his first drink at the age of 28? After he finished his drink, Farouq said that although he felt “cozier”, but not all that different.
He however said that he felt truly guilty of having so bluntly disobeyed God, swearing that he would never do it again. Despite Farouq’s guilt, his plight is part of a worrying trend as depressed and harassed people are turning to those alcoholic points to escape their problems.
No doubt government will continue to crack down on this problem so it does not get out of hand. I am tolerant of all people and all religions. I am certainly in favor of abstinence as a means for controlling alcohol consumption.
Source: http://www.yobserver.com/reports/10021874.html