What was the Islamic world's view of American prohibition?

by generalchainsaw
jdryan08

I can't speak directly to the views of Islamic legal and religious establishments about Prohibition, but I can tell you that none of the Middle Eastern countries had bans on alcohol prior to or during the time that America did. Islamic law generally has discouraged alcohol consumption, but there has always been some debate on the meaning of the scripture on this one - the Koranic law dictates that becoming inebriated from wine is a sin, but scholars disagree about whether the sin is becoming inebriated (and if so, how to define inebriation) or if it is consuming wine (the word used in the Koran for wine is an archaic one, some interpret it strictly, others use it to mean any substance that alters your mental state, like coffee). As such, it hasn't been until the second half of the twentieth century when clerics began holding greater influence over certain governments that you've seen outright bans on alcohol in the Middle East. And even today, on balance most countries do not have such a ban, usually only suspending sale of alcohol during Ramadan, and even then it tends to be something that can vary from town to town.