During the evenings of Ramadan, single men, women and families spend their time doing the same thing: sitting in coffee shops smoking shisha.
As you enter the coffee shop, the sweet smell of flavoured tobacco hits you instantly, while walking through the loud murmur of people laughing and talking.
Going to 'smoke shisha' does not mean that everyone merely sits quietly smoking their pipe, and then leaves when it's done.
Smoking shisha is more cultural than anything else, and has become part of socialising with friends and family and should not be mistaken for being an activity in itself.
Coffee shops have been banned from serving shisha since 1993. Customers living in Sharjah spoke to Gulf News about having to commute if they want to smoke shisha.
Rakan Sharif, a Saudi national who smokes shisha about three times a month, has no problem commuting to Dubai to smoke shisha, and finds it a relief to leave the Sharjah traffic jams once in a while.
"The traffic is always so bad, so imagine if everyone was going to the same place to smoke shisha. It would be even worse," he said. Leaving the city a few times a week helps him unwind from stress.
"Personally, I don't like shisha. I'm just here because of my friends," said Yousuf Hallab, from Libya, who goes to smoke shisha all the time.
The majority of his friends don't smoke it, but they put up with the smoke because the relaxing atmosphere compensates for it.
"It doesn't matter whether we smoke or not, but it's a good place to talk, watch television and play a game of cards," he said, adding that commuting is not a problem as there are so many places to choose from, and he does not go to places that are far away.
Egyptian student Dareen Honeine finds it a treat to go to Dubai to smoke shisha with friends, and does not think it a negative point that coffee shops in Sharjah are unable to offer shisha.
"If I want to smoke shisha in a coffee shop, I'll go to Dubai. And it's not a problem because it's nearby," she said. If people want to smoke shisha in Sharjah, they can do so at home.
"Many families smoke shisha at home, so there's really no need to go anywhere else if you don't want to."
"I don't like shisha, and the smell stays for a long time on the clothes," said Ahmad Bensasi, who was sitting with a large group of friends.
"I don't like coming here and would rather go somewhere else, but the few that smoke shisha persuaded me to join."
"There are only a few guys here who smoke, the rest of us don't," said Bensasi, and commented how glad he is that shisha is not available in Sharjah, and should continue that way. "This way, my friends don't smoke as much."
Bid to protect young
In 1993, His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, issued a circular banning public cafes in Sharjah from serving shisha to their customers.
That decision was preceded by one in 1991 which prohibited cafes from serving shisha to minors.
The move was aimed at protecting the public, particularly young people, from the health hazards of smoking.
"Personally, I don't like shisha. I'm just here because of my friends," said Yousuf Hallab, from Libya, who goes to shisha cafes all the time.
The majority of his friends don't smoke it, but they put up with the smoke because the relaxing atmosphere compensates for it.
"It's a good place to talk, watch television and play a game of cards," he said.
Gulf News
