Ramadan begins
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the fourth of the five pillars of Islam. It is a time of prayer, fasting, charity-giving and self-accountability for Muslims across the world.
Fasting during the hours of daylight aims to help to teach Muslims self-discipline and generosity. It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor. Ramadan is a time for many Muslims to donate to charity by sharing goods with those in less privileged situations. Campaigns have been promoted in the UK to increase public awareness of safe ways to donate to charity, choosing an honest charitable organization.
During Ramadan it is common to have a meal just before sunrise and another meal at sunset. The United Kingdom’s Department of Health produced a guide to healthy fasting during Ramadan, in order to help people to avoid health complications when they fast.
Almost all Muslims try to give up bad habits during Ramadan by praying more or reading the Qur'an.
Some political leaders in the UK previously made public announcements, greeting Muslims both locally and globally for the month of Ramadan. Their message aim to help raise awareness on the importance of Ramadan among Muslims.
The end of Ramadan is marked by a big celebration called 'Eid-ul-Fitr', the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast.
With about 1.6 billion followers - 23% of earth's population- Islam is the second largest religion. In the same way it is the second largest religion in the UK- 2.7 million, 4.8% of the total population. 40% live in London.
The largest percentage of Muslims living in Britain are of British Pakistani ethnicity.
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