CAIRO : Ramadan on Horizon

With the sighting of the first sliver of a new moon over the holy city of Mecca, expected Feb. 22 in the United States, the world’s 1 billion Muslims mark the beginning of the month of Ramadan, a 30-day period of strict fasting and religious celebration that constitutes one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith.

The observant refrain from eating, drinking and smoking between sunrise and sunset. Children begin fasting gradually until old enough to do so without injuring their health. The ill, travelers and pregnant or nursing women are exempted from the fast.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar and marks the period in which it is believed that the first verses of the Koran were revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.