The Islamic Commission of Spain announced in a release that the first day of the month of Ramadan in 1445 according to the Islamic calendar will correspond to 12 March 2024 in the Gregorian calendar.
This precision is due to the “non-observance of the crescent in most countries”, according to the Commission’s text, which takes the opportunity to congratulate Muslims in Spain and around the world on the arrival of this noble month.
The note, signed by the organization’s president, Dr. Aiman Adlbi, also asks “the Highest to help us with his fasting by day and his prayers by night, so that we may achieve his pleasure and that peace and security may reign throughout the world”.
As the Israeli army continues its attacks in Gaza, millions of people around the world are demonstrating for an immediate ceasefire. At the same time, humanitarian efforts are struggling to reach a population besieged not only by bombs but also by hunger, and lack of water and medicine.
The humanitarian organization Open Arms has announced that a ship loaded with food, water, and medicine will leave Cyprus this Sunday afternoon as part of a joint operation with World Central Kitchen to break the naval blockade of Gaza and provide a way to alleviate the plight of millions of people suffering as a result of Israeli attacks.
More than five months of armed attacks in Gaza have left more than 30,000 people dead and human rights systematically violated, according to the NGO. Eight out of ten of the victims are women and children. More than 1.7 million people have been displaced and tens of thousands wounded in a bombed-out territory, it adds.
In addition, initiatives to bring about a ceasefire before the start of Ramadan are multiplying in different areas.
Ramadan, a holy month in the Islamic faith and a month of spiritual reflection, self-control, solidarity, and community for Muslims around the world, begins with the first visible appearance of the new moon, marking the start of a new month.
This year, that start is delayed by one day according to the solar calendar. It is hoped that this delay will help bring an end to the violence and destruction in Gaza.
