Ramadan begins

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An elderly man reads verses of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, on the first day of the fasting month of Ramadan on Thursday in the Grand Mosque in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen. The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate. Muslims often donate to charities during the month and feed the hungry. Muslims around the world marked the start of Ramadan on Thursday. Muslims follow a lunar calendar and a moon-sighting methodology. This year, religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia and most other parts of the world announced based on their sightings of the moon that daily fasting would begin Thursday.

An elderly man reads verses of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, on the first day of the fasting month of Ramadan on Thursday in the Grand Mosque in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen. The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate. Muslims often donate to charities during the month and feed the hungry. Muslims around the world marked the start of Ramadan on Thursday. Muslims follow a lunar calendar and a moon-sighting methodology. This year, religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia and most other parts of the world announced based on their sightings of the moon that daily fasting would begin Thursday.