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Rabat – A group of Muslim federations in France announced March 23 will be the first day of Ramadan 2023 in France.
Citing astronomical calculations, the federations said that imams and Muslim leaders will gather at the Grand Mosque of Paris on Tuesday to announce the start of the holy month.
“The Muslim Federations invite Muslims in France to prepare spiritually for the fasting of the blessed month of Ramadan in unity, sharing, and solidarity,” the press release concluded.
Reports suggest that Muslims remain a “relatively” smaller minority religion in Europe.
A 2017 report from Pew Research Center said that Muslims make up roughly 5% of Europe’s population.
“However, in some countries, such as France and Sweden, the Muslim share of the population is higher,” the report said, adding that France has the largest Muslim population in Europe.
“As of mid-2016, there were 5.7 million Muslims in France (8.8% of the country’s population),” the report said. Whereas, the Muslim population across the world is estimated at over 1.9 billion.
The Muslim community continues to face several challenges in European countries, particularly France. Islamophobia tops the list of the challenges that Muslims face in the European country.
Ramadan, which is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, is also set to start on March 23 in Morocco.
Several Moroccan astronomers announced March 23 as the first day of Ramadan. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs is yet to confirm the official date of Ramadan following the crescent moon sighting.
During the holy month, Muslims fast for 29 or 30 days – depending on the crescent sighting.
Throughout the month, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset. In addition, smoking, and chewing gum are prohibited during fasting hours, as well as taking non-prescribed medicine. Only people with illnesses requiring medication and the elderly are exempt from fasting.
Children are also exempt and only allowed to fast when they reach puberty.
