By Ashraf Abdul-Wahab.
Tripoli, 13 December 2013:
The Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani, has issued a fatwa forbidding bakeries from selling subsidised flour . . .[restrict]privately for profit.
The flour they bought at discounted prices from government stores had been subsidised to keep down the cost of bread so that everyone could afford it, a statement from the Grand Mufti’s Dar Al-Ifta said, explaining that it was haram (forbidden) to sell it on for profit.
The statement said that some bakers were obtaining large quantities of flour at discounted prices and selling some of it off to animal breeders and farmers at less than the market price of animal feed. It was dishonest and could cause shortages, it added.
The only time bakers could sell the flour, the fatwa ruled, was if it had gone off and was unfit for human consumption.
Libyans like to buy bread in bulk quantities once if not twice daily and it is quite common to see large amounts of stale bread thrown out. Much of this is collected for animal feed. [/restrict]
