KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Two surveys on Twitter conducted by a Muslim who was criticised for eating publicly during fasting times found that most would not do so personally, although a smaller group believed the act was not wrong.

In the first survey by Maryam Lee, just 23 per cent said they would consume food during the hours between dawn and dusk in the month of Ramadan while 17 per cent said the would not for fear of being caught. Sixty per cent said they also would not, but out of consideration to other Muslims.

Muslims must refrain from food and drink during fasting times, but exceptions are permitted when they cannot perform the fast, such as when they are ill or menstruating, for example.

In a subsequent poll, Lee asked if it was considered wrong for Muslims to publicly eat during fasting times, in which 60 per cent said they did not think so.

Over 1,000 respondents answered the first survey while more than 800 participated in the second.

When contacted, Lee said the survey were informal and and far from definitive, but said the findings merited further discussions.

"Even though 60 per cent said no, it is not wrong for Muslims who are not fasting to eat in public, they would not do it. There are other factors that are affecting their decisions here,” she told Malay Mail Online.

"I am not saying it represents [a concrete study] or whatever. The poll is not my biggest concern. It was just something I wanted to put out there. My biggest concern is the religious policing,” she added.

Lee, a 24-year-old Development Studies Master’s student at University of Malaya, had recently posted on Facebook her experience where she was publicly scolded for eating in public by the manager of the restaurant and another patron.

She said she was then menstruating and could not perform the ritual fast.

The post was heavily discussed online, drawing some support but mainly criticism of the vitriolic kind.

The post is no longer accessible although Lee said it was not deleted.

When speaking to Malay Mail Online, Lee denied the post was a "social experiment” as purported in some reports, saying instead it was a conscious effort not to hide to eat when she was not fasting.

"Even though this has come at a great personal cost, I have gotten tons of messages from women who agree that this needs to stop.

"I want this discussion to have a life of its own, where I don’t have to instigate it anymore. People need to keep talking about the issue,” she said.

To fast or otherwise in Malaysia, as with other countries where Islamic laws apply, is not entirely a moral dilemma. Muslims who do not observe the fast may be punished under shariah laws, which vary according to state, with fines of up to RM1,000 and jail terms of no more than six months.

Such laws are not limited to the consumers, however, as eateries who sell to Muslims during the fasting period are also liable to various punishments including the loss of their business licence, prompting many to be cautious with patrons who appear to be Muslim.