On the eve of the month of Ramadan this year, Muslims in France found themselves facing a state of unprecedented confusion, after a disagreement over determining the first day of fasting between the Grand Mosque of Paris and the French Council of the Islamic Faith (CFCM).

Published on: 02/18/2026 - 08:51 Last updated: 02/18/2026 - 08:56

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This year, Muslims in France experienced a state of confusion regarding determining the beginning of the month of Ramadan, due to conflicting announcements between two prominent religious bodies.

On the night of doubt, like other Muslims around the world, millions of Muslims in France awaited the official announcement of the first day of the month of fasting, while closely following the legal sighting of the crescent and astronomical calculations.

Read also: Wednesday is the first day of Ramadan in France and in a number of Arab countries

In this context, the Grand Mosque of Paris announced, based on observing the crescent moon supported by astronomical calculations, that Wednesday is the first day of the month of Ramadan, which prompted a number of worshipers to prepare to fast from this date.

On the other hand, the French Council of the Islamic Faith (CFCM) confirmed that the beginning of the month of Ramadan falls on Thursday and not Wednesday, relying in turn on special criteria in adopting the vision and calculations.

This discrepancy in setting the date led to clear confusion among Muslims in France about the correct day to begin fasting, and brought back to the forefront the annual debate regarding the mechanisms for unifying religious authority between visual vision and astronomical calculations, in a country that includes one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe.

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