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Marrakech – As Ramadan approaches, anticipation builds among Muslims worldwide – particularly in non-Muslim societies, where clarity on the sacred month’s timing carries both spiritual and practical significance.
In France, which hosts Europe’s largest Muslim population, religious authorities have now set out the key dates for the 2026 observance, offering long-awaited certainty to millions of faithful.
The French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) declared that Ramadan will begin Thursday, February 19. The announcement follows astronomical calculations showing the new moon conjunction occurring Tuesday, February 17 at 1:01 p.m. Paris time. “The conditions for the visibility of the new moon will be fulfilled only on February 18,” the CFCM stated.
The traditional Night of Doubt will take place February 17 at 6 p.m. at the Great Mosque of Paris. A religious commission will examine lunar observations and astronomical calculations before final confirmation. Chems-eddine Hafiz, Rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, stressed preserving this tradition “for the unity of Muslims.”
Built with Moroccan craftsmanship and adorned with traditional zellij, the Great Mosque of Paris was inaugurated in 1926 by Sultan Moulay Youssef, embodying Morocco’s enduring religious, artistic, and diplomatic imprint on Islam in France.
The month-long fast will conclude March 20 with Eid al-Fitr celebrations. The CFCM set Zakat El Fitr at €9 per person, though amounts typically range between €7 and €12 depending on religious interpretations.
Islam in France
Islam represents France’s second-largest religion. According to recent INSEE data, approximately 10% of the population aged 18-59 identifies as Muslim – equivalent to roughly 6 to 7 million people in a country of about 69 million inhabitants.
This community, concentrated in major urban centers such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Lille, maintains strong religious practices during Ramadan – often most visibly in working-class districts shaped by migration histories.
In areas like Barbès in Paris, once surrounded by bidonvilles and informal housing, Ramadan has long structured communal life, blending faith, survival, and neighborhood solidarity into a distinct urban rhythm.
French cities are transformed during the holy month. Markets extend hours before iftar, mosques overflow with evening prayers, and communities organize collective meal distributions. A 2008 study shows 70% of French Muslims observe Ramadan fasting, indicating the practice’s central importance.
France’s Muslim population originates primarily from former North African colonies. Moroccans, alongside Algerians, constitute one of the largest and most influential components of this demographic landscape, with estimates placing between 1.5 and 2 million people of Moroccan origin currently residing in France.
As for Moroccan nationals specifically, recent French official residency permit data cited in public reporting place the figure at 603,482 valid residence permits as of the end of 2023. This number reflects only legally resident Moroccan citizens in France and does not include French nationals of Moroccan origin or later-generation descendants.
The Moroccan community represents the primary nationality receiving new residence permits since 2018, with over 30,000 granted annually. Most recent data show that Morocco receives very large financial transfers from its diaspora, and France is one of the biggest sources.
According to reporting of European remittances data, money sent from European countries to Morocco recently reached new highs – close to €5 billion collectively from France and Spain, with France consistently identified as the leading single country source of remittances to Morocco, accounting for about 32% of total funds sent by Moroccans abroad.
That implies several billion euros annually come from the Moroccan community in France alone. Moroccans in France sent around €3.4 billion to Morocco last year.
Religious diversity within French Islam spans various traditions, with Sunni Muslims forming the majority alongside Shia and Sufi minorities. The community operates approximately 2,125 Muslim places of worship nationwide.
French secularism principles, known as “laïcité,” require strict separation between religious and public spheres. This framework means religious practices must remain within private domains, creating ongoing debates about Islam’s visibility in public spaces. Despite these constraints, Ramadan’s communal aspects create visible public expressions of faith.
The principle of “laïcité,” established in 1905, mandates that publicly funded schools remain secular, leading many Muslim parents to choose private Catholic schools for religious education.
Once framed as neutral republican discipline, the principle has evolved into an exclusionary tool, operating in tandem with the country’s assimilationist policies toward immigrants.
Bans on Islamic symbols in schools and public spaces have normalized suspicion toward Muslims, while the rise of xenophobic far-right politics has weaponized secularism itself – turning religious visibility into a pretext for social policing, cultural stigmatization, and political fear-mongering.
Against this climate, Morocco will dispatch 320 religious scholars abroad for Ramadan 2026, reaffirming its long-standing religious diplomacy. France will receive the largest contingent – 82 scholars – followed by Germany and Spain.
Coordinated by the Hassan II Foundation, the mission provides spiritual guidance, leads prayers, and promotes a Moroccan Islam rooted in Maliki jurisprudence, moderation, and coexistence – offering structured religious presence where identity and faith are increasingly contested.
