DST to end Before Ramadan and start After Ramadan

Egyptians will have to change their clocks four times this year, after Egypt's cabinet decided that Daylight Saving Time (DST) will not be used during Ramadan, but will continue after the month of Ramadan. This is the first time that Egypt has used this DST schedule to coincide with the holy month of Ramadan.

Egypt's DST schedule changes are:

DST ends and clocks will move one hour back at midnight (00:00) between Tuesday 10 August 2010 and Wednesday 11 August 2010.
Egypt will revert back to DST after Ramadan and move its clocks forward at midnight (00:00) between Thursday 9 September 2010 and Friday 10 September 2010.
Egypt will end its 2010 DST schedule at midnight (00:00) local time between Thursday 30 September 2010  and Friday 1 October 2010.

According to the spokesman for the Council of Ministers - Dr. Magdi Radi, the decision to end DST before Ramadan and then resume DST after Ramadan was made in accordance to Law No. 14 of 1995. This law states that Egypt’s DST period will start on the last Friday of April and end on the last Thursday of September each year. However, according to the second article of Law No. 141 of 1988, there is an exception when the month of Ramadan coincides with Egypt's DST schedule.

DST is seen as an energy saving measure to help push economic growth. The daylight saving schedule aims to preserve energy and cut down on electricity usage by providing more hours of sunlight in the late afternoons and early evenings. The DST schedule during Ramadan has been an annual debate in Egypt. Ramadan is the Muslim fasting holy month that follows a lunar calendar, which can occur during the DST period. Ramadan is a time when Muslims around the world focus on prayer, fasting, giving to charity, and religious devotion. In order to prevent Muslims from fasting one hour longer, the DST schedule usually ends before the start of Ramadan.

How Ramadan Effects DST in Egypt

Regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of the dates for Islamic holidays, which begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday. The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days begin at sunset, so there may be a one day error, depending on when the New Moon is first seen.

timeanddate.com

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