> The Prohibition of Alcohol in 1920 - 1933 USA. It failed!

[Qatada]

All of us know that the government of USA banned the sale, manufacture, and distribution of alcohol between 1920 and 1933 because of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The first section of the amendment reads:

“After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.”

It paid millions of dollars to advertise against it; it tried different types of punishments but the problem became worse! More people died; crimes increased and too many people simply refused to abide by the law; for example, people in cafes used to put alcohol instead of coffee and it was then sold on the black market. The innovation of people to get what they want is evident in the resourcefulness used to obtain alcohol during prohibition. This era saw the rise of the speakeasy, home distiller, bootlegger, rum-runner and many of the gangster myths associated with it.

People continued to drink and there was even a rise in the number of women who drank during the era, which helped change the general perception of what it meant to be “respectable” (a term prohibitionists often used to refer to non-drinkers).
It was also a logistical nightmare in terms of enforcement. There were never enough law enforcement officers to control all of the illegal operations associated with prohibition and many of the officials were themselves corrupt.
Therefore, since this experiment had failed, the prohibition was repealed in 1933 as the result of the public’s annoyance of the law and the ever-increasing enforcement nightmare. And there are some celebrations on the anniversary of what is referred to as Repeal Day on December 5th of each year!

(http://www.helium.com/items/922194-t...of-prohibition
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The United States Prohibition of Alcohol - 1920-1933)

This was the case of other governments as well..
However, what was the case in Islam?

Allah said:
"O you who believe! Intoxicants and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are, infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that you may succeed. Satan seeks only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of intoxicants and games of chance, and turn you from remembering Allah and from prayer. Will you then desist? [Holy Quran 5:90=91]

When the Holy Prophet finished his recitation the group of faithful listeners replied to this Quranic Revelation with determined voices: "we have desisted Allah, we have desisted O our God"…
The Muslim citizens of Madinah immediately began to spill their stocks of wine into the sand and streets; so that the wine ran through the streets of Madinah.. There were rivers of alcohol as if the sky rained it! Individuals who up till that moment were enjoying guiltlessly a glass of wine, quickly emptied their cups on the ground and spit out the alcohol from their mouths. They rushed to make ablutions in order to purify themselves.
The news spread fast from house to house and as the call, "Surely Al-Chamber (alcohol) has been forbidden" echoed through the corners of the blessed city, large clay pots and skins full of fermented date-juice, honey and grape were broken or emptied in every house till the streets of Madina ran with little rivers of Khamr (alcohol) as a testimony to the greatest anti-alcoholism movement that humanity has ever witnessed.

The lesson to be learned is that you cannot legislate morals. The only way to eradicate the evil of intoxicants is through religious conviction. Religion has to speak out vehemently and unequivocally against this evil.
ISLAM is the only religion, which has taken a firm stand against this evil. A true believer will not seek to break the Divine Command, because he is aware that God sees all and God knows all.
The only solution to this pressing social problem lies in Islam. In the knowledge and fear of God's wrath and in prayer, This is the only path of salvation. Fear of God's displeasure and in the spiritual help, which comes through prayer.

(http://www.**********************/mis...ohol_about.htm)

How did people immediately accept this prohibition despite the fact that drinking and sale of alcohol was so common and alcohol shops and bars were open 24 hours a day?
This was because Islam built a strong base in their souls.. Islam built a strong feeling of faith.. Islam built a strong feeling of loving Allah and knowing that every command is for the behalf of humanity..
The Islamic command has been succeeded till nowadays.. Of course there are Muslims who drink, but they are few and all of them know that they are committing a big sin.. And if we compare the number of Muslim drinkers with non-Muslim drinkers, the difference will be considerable.. When I talk about the effect of Islam in Muslims' souls, I mean the souls of the true Muslims who are the real believers..