The start of the holy month of Ramadan within days is causing clock confusion in the Middle East, as Egypt and the Palestinians move back their clocks far earlier than usual, trying to reduce daylight hours for Muslims fasting until sunset in sweltering summer temperatures. Politics is also adding a twist. The Palestinian militant group Hamas is ending daylights savings time at midnight Thursday in the Gaza Strip, which it controls – while the West Bank, run by the rival Fatah faction, is waiting until midnight Sunday. The Palestinians have traditionally changed their clocks at different times from Israel in a gesture of independence. Now for the first time, they're directing the gesture at each other, reflecting the rival claims for power in the more than year-old split between the Palestinian territories. “Hamas just wants to show they're different from the Palestinian government, to pretend that they are the real government here,” said Jamal Zakout, a spokesman for the prime minister of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. “It's politics.” He said the PA chose midnight Sunday because Ramadan is expected to begin Monday. Egypt will also move its clocks back one hour at midnight Thursday, a full month earlier than usual. The switch will put Egypt two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and at least an hour later than its Mideast neighbors, further east. The creeping-up of the clock change reflects the complications of the lunar Islamic calendar. Ramadan, which follows the Hijri calendar, comes around 11 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar. Currently, that brings it more and more into the long, hot days of summer, making it particularly tough for those who fast from sunrise to sunset during the holy month. Even in September, temperatures in Egypt are in the upper 30s Celsius. Egypt's decision will enable its people to have their “iftar” evening meal, breaking the fast, an hour earlier. Jordan will switch the clocks back as usual by the end of October, as will Lebanon. Syria falls back in late September, while Saudi Arabia and Iraq don't change clocks. Another issue is schools. Ramadan always is seen as a disruption for classes: Children often start trying to adhere to the fast in their early teenage years, and studying during the fast is difficult. Last year, Ramadan began in mid-September, the same time as schools started, giving a rocky beginning to the school year. This time around, schools and colleges are closed throughout Ramadan in Saudi Arabia. In Egypt, the Education Ministry this Ramadan pushed back the start of school about a week to Sept. 20 to reduce the amount of time students must be in class during the fast. Still, many students are complaining on blogs and Internet chat rooms that the school opening should wait until the end of Ramadan. Egypt's Central Bank announced that banking hours during the holy month will be down to just four hours a day – from 9:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M.
