Gautrain NUMSA

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Muslim detained for breaking his fast on a Gautrain faces backlash

A Muslim man was detained after he chose to break his fast in a Gautrain. He received backlash for his act knowing what the rules say.

Gautrain NUMSA

Gautrain is offering 50% off train rides every second weekend of the month.
Photo: Stock/Canva

Eyousuf Aziz, a Muslim has received some backlash for calling out Gautrain after he was detained for choosing to break his fast in one of the trains on Thursday night.

Gautrain stations, trains and buses are strictly a no eating and drinking zone. Not even bubblegum is allowed.

MUSLIM DETAINED FOR ‘EATING’ IN A GAUTRAIN

Aziz’s tweet which has since been deleted read “I got DETAINED for breaking my fast on a Gautrain. I explained it to them so nicely but they didn’t seem to care. @TheGautrain please get woke. Educate yourselves.” 

In its response, Gautrain did remind Aziz about its rules, Ramadan or not.

“Kindly note as per Gautrain rules, eating, drinking or chewing gum is not permitted within the Gautrain Stations, including trains and stations.” 

Gautrain

While fellow Muslims pleaded with the Gautrain to accommodate people for their religious beliefs, others said Aziz felt entitled and wanted the rules to be broken specially for him.

“Rules are rules. If they make an exception for them then they have to make an exception for everyone. You know you’re fasting, plan your trips accordingly,” a Twitter user said.

“Your religion is your choice to follow. Others do not need to bend or break their rules to accommodate your life choices. The Gautrain has rules which it applies to everyone. It is on the onus of each individual to plan their breaking fast times accordingly,” another user said.

Aziz told News24 that his tweet was taken way out of context and he shouldn’t be ridiculed for airing his opinion.

“One of the guards saw me and I tried to explain to him that I just needed one sip of water or a small bite just to at least break my fast. He began to argue and that’s where the situation got out of hand. I finally managed to get home, and me being an avid customer, I took to Twitter to vent,” he said.

Aziz has also reportedly deleted Twitter after the backlash he received.

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