Tuesday 8th July 2014
Today I read that a fellow mummy here in Dubai was denied a seat at Starbucks Ibn Battuta Mall to breast feed her baby. The ignorant and uneducated girl at the till, when asked whether a seat could be taken to feed the baby, replied ‘Er, no. Its Ramadan and its not allowed, ma’am…”
Well this is bollocks. Both Islam and UAE society are in favor of breastfeeding (the Qur’an in fact teaches that babies have the right to breastfeed for two years). The Ministry of Health has publicly affirmed the right of a mother to feed her child wherever she is without being hassled, and the Department of Islamic Affairs confirms that this is perfectly acceptable, as long as the mother remains appropriately covered and follows normal dress etiquette if men are present.
Stupid Starbucks girl. Neither she nor anyone will stop me from breastfeeding little Kingsley. We have been doing so in public for seven months now! And this is our first Ramadan to do so…
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