Rabat- Muslims living in the United States will begin the Ramadan fast on Wednesday, May 16, one day ahead of Saudi Arabia. US Muslims witnessed the birth of the holy month’s new moon on Tuesday, May 15 and will fast the first day of Ramadan 1439 (on the Islamic calendar) on Wednesday, May 16 which marks the beginning of a month of spiritual purification for American Muslims. While the US will begin the Ramadan fast on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia and Morocco will have to wait one more day. Determining the first day of Ramadan always creates confusion among Muslims immigrants living in foreign countries, especially in Europe and the United States. As Saudi Arabia announced that Thursday would be the first day of Ramadan, it is expected that many Muslims living in the United States will start fasting on Thursday.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 15, 2018 18:19 UTC