The holy month of Ramadan is the best time for Muslims to quit smoking, says a senior Health Ministry official.

Ali Alwadey, director general of the ministry’s Tobacco Control Program, said there are 54 anti-smoking clinics, which include 10 mobile ones, throughout the Kingdom to assist smokers.

Alwadey said Ramadan creates a conducive environment for smokers to quit because they abstain from dawn to dusk. It would not be difficult for smokers to continue to abstain at night from iftar to suhoor.

Emphasizing the spiritual side of the holy month, the official said: “The hand that touches the holy Qur’an during the month, should definitely refuse to touch tobacco.”

He said the clinics are open daily from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. during Ramadan. There are 10 clinics in Riyadh, with one exclusively for women. “Our mobile clinics come to your doorstep to help smokers,” he said.

He said his unit has organized several programs at regional health directorates to combat smoking.
These programs highlight the hazards of smoking and Islamic injunctions about it.

 

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