Muslims in Lleida ask for an exception to the nightly curfew for Ramadan

For the thousands of Muslims living in Catalonia, a very important month is coming up starting on April 13 of the Gregorian calendar - the month of Ramadan. 

Ramadan is one of the biggest months for religious observances and is marked by Muslims with fasting, prayer, and reflection. As part of the observance, members of the Islamic community refrain from eating between sunrise to sunset. 

As such, Muslims in the city of Lleida are asking the local council to be allowed to skip the curfew during the month of Ramadan, which will last until May 12. 

This was formally requested by the representative of the Watani Association, Mourad El Boudouhi. 

The document submitted calls these 30 days "sacred" to the Muslim community and involve religious rituals that last "until the early hours of the morning."

Specifically, El Boudouhi asks the city council to authorize religious entities and their faithful to go to pray in places of worship beyond 10 pm, when the nightly curfew comes into force in Catalonia, all the while respecting the capacity limits allowed at such places.

He also outlines that Watani is an association formed mostly by immigrants and practitioners of the Muslim faith and that this gesture would help the "integration" of this group and "strengthen coexistence."

The latest episode of the Catalan News podcast, Filling the Sink, examined religious diversity in the country. You can listen to episode 22 of the pocdast here: How religious is Catalonia today?