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Muslims in Reykjavik fast the longest compared to other cities
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Sunrise over the Bosphorus, a view from Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul. (Shutterstock/-)
M
uslims in Reykjavik endured the longest first day of fasting in the month of Ramadhan, as revealed through a graph cited by The National.
The first fasting day in the capital of Iceland on Monday lasted 21 hours and 38 minutes, with dawn prayer beginning at 3:08 a.m. and maghrib (sunset) approaching at 11:44 p.m.
(Read also: Q&A: What is Ramadhan and why do Muslims fast all day?)
The list sourced from Islamic Finder compares the length of daylight hours of 68 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, the US and Australia on the first day of this year's Ramadhan.
Several cities in the Nordic countries such as Helsinki (Finland), Kap Farvel (Greenland), Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway) saw sunlight for more than 20 hours on Monday, making fasting harder for Muslims as they must abstain longer from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset.
As comparison, cities in the southern hemisphere, such as Sydney (Australia), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Cape Town (South Africa), Auckland (New Zealand) and Santiago (Chile) had an average 11 hours of daylight on that same day. The city with the shortest first fasting period was Auckland at 11 hours 16 minutes.
(Read also: A simple guide to healthy eating during Ramadhan)
This year's fasting rite will be harder for Muslims living in the northern hemisphere as the holy month falls in summer, which has longer daylight hours than other seasons. In addition to that, this year will also be the longest (and the hardest) Ramadhan in the last 33 years as the holy month coincides with the summer solstice, known as the longest day of the year, which will fall on June 20.
Because it follows the Islamic calendar, which is based on calculations of lunar movement, the month of Ramadhan shifts over the years. (kes)
