Police in Egypt arrest 155 for failing to keep Ramadan fast
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Egyptian newspapers and human rights activists announced that 155 people were detained by police forces in Aswan, southern Egypt, for publicly eating, drinking or smoking during daylight hours in the holy month of Ramadan.
However, many of those arrested said that the arrests were random. Some claimed they were actually fasting when they were rounded up by police.
The Ministry of Interior declined to confirm or deny the reports. But earlier, a high-ranked security source told journalists that a campaign against those who refused to fast would be launched to maintain general order and decrease crime during the Muslim holy month.
The arrests were strongly condemned by human rights activists, who said that such detentions have no legal or religious legitimacy.
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