An association of Muslim police officers in the West Midlands, United Kingdom, has invited its non-Muslim colleagues to fast during Ramadan, The Telegraph reports.
The West Midlands Association of Muslim Police has stated that colleagues may take part in a one-day fast during the religious observance in order to raise money for charity.
The initiative has received official backing from the police force, whose headquarters are in Birmingham.
West Midlands Police says this will help officers gain a better understanding of the significance of the religious observance for members of the public.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about the idea:
Critics of the initiative have expressed concern about how effectively frontline officers will be able to carry out their duties while voluntarily abstaining from food and water for extended periods.
The initiative has also prompted political criticism from the Conservative Party:
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said that encouraging non-Muslim staff to observe Ramadan is “entirely inappropriate” and called on the Government to abolish the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public services to have due regard to equality and diversity in everything they do.
“The police should be a national service for all of us, operating according to the same standards regardless of religious belief.”
“There should be no special arrangements for any faith.”
“We should not reshape police culture to accommodate the practices of one religion.”
The phenomenon is not confined to the police:
The Telegraph can also reveal that non-Muslim colleagues are fasting during Ramadan in other public services, including local councils.
According to The Telegraph, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has previously criticised the police for having “capitulated to Islamists”.