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The controversial sheesha debate continues to rage in Bahrain as traditionalists fight to save their heritage amidst attempts to discourage it for health reasons.
Despite the fact that sheesha is embedded in the culture, the Manama Municipality issued a ban on serving sheesha in seafront coffee shops, putting many of these businesses at risk.
Warnings were sent out by the Manama Municipality to seven coffee shops located on the Al Fateh Corniche to stop serving sheesha by July 1, but the new rules went up in smoke when a government official deemed the ban 'illogical'.
The idea of the ban initially dates back to a ministerial decision in November 2006 which outlawed sheesha in public parks, gardens, on coasts, beaches and corniches.
Coffee shops within 200 metres of homes, hospitals, embassies, educational institutions, government establishments and places of worship were banned from serving sheesha, along with markets and suqs.
But the ban on the corniche ran into difficulties when Manama Municipal Council technical committee chairman Abdul Majeed Al Sebea'a contested the rules, passing a new decree removing the ban from coasts, beaches and corniches as long as the cafŽs are far away from residential areas.
Disputes over banning sheesha continued this month on the issue of omitting it from Ramadan tents and hotels.
Dr Ejlal Al Alawi, of the Health Ministry spoke out saying that serving sheesha in Ramadan tents could be a major threat to health.
