The consumer rights agency of Bangladesh has ordered traders, especially those in the Baitul Mukarram area of Dhaka, to stop selling water believed to have been collected from the Zamzam Well, located at Masjid Al Haram in Makkah.
The authorities are checking the religious aspects of trading the water from the well, which is considered holy to Muslims, according to bdnews24.com.
The shops owned by the traders selling Zamzam water will be sealed off if they continue defying the order, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection said after a meeting on Monday.
Its Director General AHM Shafiquzzaman thinks the image of Bangladesh will take a beating if the Saudi Arabian government learns about the Zamzam water business “in such a disgraceful way”.
The DNCRP has asked the Islamic Foundation to submit a report within two days about the religious aspects of selling Zamzam water.
“The directorate will decide on the matter after hearing the explanation. The sale of the Zamzam water will be suspended until then,” he said.
Shafiquzzaman said the DNCRP agents would closely monitor the markets. “Shops will be sealed off if they are found selling the Zamzam water.”
“The traders will have to inform the law enforcers about details of the water, like how they collected it and how it is sold,” Shafiquzzaman added.
The DNCRP launched a drive in Baitul Mukarram Market on Sunday following the report of a private broadcaster which found at least 250 traders in the vicinity selling Zamzam water at Tk 2,000-3,000 per litre with other stuff.
The pilgrims bring the water to Bangladesh on their return after performing Hajj. They carry bottles containing 5 litres of water and sell them to the traders afterwards, the private broadcaster said, citing the traders involved in the business.
Md Sultan Kobiraj, a trader in Baitul Mukarram Market, said the Hajj instructors bring some bottles of water to the market after leaving the airport. The traders purchase them for around Tk 2,200 and sell them at Tk 2,500.
“It’s (Masjid Al Haram) such a holy place that nobody visiting the place would think of doing business centring something from there. It seems impossible to me,” Shafiquzzaman said.
“Drinking Zamzam water is a part of performing Umrah or Hajj. If such a holy thing is sold in an open market, it's a matter of concern.”