Rabat – The Grand Mosque of Paris announced Thursday, March 23 as the first day of Ramadan 2023.
The religious committee met today to determine the official date of the holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the ninth month of Islamic calendar. It lasts between 29 and 30 days depending on the crescent moon sighting.
Throughout the Ramadan period, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset.
A 2017 survey from Pew Research Center estimated that the Muslim population stood at 5.7 million as of mid-2016 in France. The number represented 8.8% of France’s population.
France’s Muslim community continues to face several challenges, including Islamophobia and discrimination.
Many reports have highlighted vandalism attacks targeting mosques, cemeteries, and individual businesses.
One of the latest testimonies voicing Muslim and migrant concerns came from Mouhssine Zouine, a Moroccan-French baker– whose business is facing a shutdown due to racist and xenophobic attacks.
The baker said that racist attacks started targeting him in November 2021, stressing that he faced a boycott, verbal threats, and trash being thrown on his door.
“I don’t know, there is no problem with my products, the problem is that I am a Moroccan Muslim and (thank god) I am proud of it,” Zouine told Morocco World News.
Many countries are also celebrating the first day of Ramadan on Thursday, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
