A scholar has sparked controversy by telling British Muslims that they can cut their Ramadan fast because of the long summer days.
The holy month begins on Thursday, and believers will by tradition stop eating and drinking from dawn until dusk.
However, Usama Hasan has issued a fatwa saying that Muslims can fast for shorter periods in 2015 because Ramadan falls during summer.
The Islamic calendar uses lunar months, so the fast occurs at different times on the western calendar each year. In the Middle East, where Islam originated, the days are shorter. In Mecca the fast lasts between 12 and 15 hours. Fasting is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith.
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Let me tell you, even in the places closer to the equator, you don’t want to be on the roads as dusk approaches when drivers who haven’t had any water, food, or tobacco since dawn are racing to get home and eat their nightly feast.