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Editorial: Shisha smoking 

Smoking shisha, like eating and drinking, is of course a purely nighttime affair during Ramadan. But it often is during the rest of the year too, so chances are that during the holy month, with people socializing during the night hours, consumption will rise. It is thought to be rising in any event, popular as it is with younger people.

The results of research by a UK government department will therefore come as something of a shock to its devotees. It is that shisha smoking can be just as dangerous to health as cigarettes, if not more so. . . .

Despite that and even after GCC moves to ban shishas in public places (Dubai municipality did so in March), consumption is rising. In the UAE, doctors recently reported more women smoking shishas; there is no reason to imagine things are very different in the Kingdom although there are no statistics.

That is part of the problem. People in this part of the world will simply ignore studies carried elsewhere. They do not see them as their concern; it is not their patch of the wood. It would be different if there were a report on the dangers of smoking in Saudi Arabia. That leads to another point: Why is it left to countries such as the UK and France to undertake research in shisha smoking? Shisha is part of Arab culture, not British or French culture. The answer, of course, is that there is no great tradition, let alone the facilities, of undertaking research into social, medical or any other issues here. That will change as new universities open. But it is long overdue.

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