I also wonder about the wisdom of this ban, ExSimGuy, given that the bars is one of the major tourism attractions in Bahrain and while religion is important, money never stinks either. In most Western countries Sunday shopping is pretty much the norm, you can shop up until 5pm on Christmas Eve, and people break down the barracades on December 26th to get bargains after "abstaining" from shopping for one day.
It was interesting for me to listen to the musings of one devout muslim, a gentleman who opposed the closing of the bars and restaurants during the Holy month of Ramadan. He explained that fasting and abstinence was a personal choice of every Muslim. It required will-power, devotion, and sacrifice.
He further explained that while he chose to fast, nobody had the right to force him to fast nor did anybody have the right to deny him food if he decided not to fast. In fact, he felt that saying "no" when everything is available to him just makes the fasting more meaningful. It was his choice, and he did so to honor God.
I thought this to be of interesting insight.