From Christmas to Ramadan: Frankfurt, Germany’s first city with Islamic street lights
The decoration includes golden stars and glowing crescent moons. “Islam is now firmly anchored in Frankfurt, just like Christianity, Judaism and many other religions”, says the city council.
FRANKFURT · 13 MARCH 2024 · 10:04 CET
Three months after Christmas, the southern German city of Frankfurt has switched on the lights for another religious celebration.
“Happy Ramadan”, reads the street illumination hanging in the centre. For the city council, led by a progressive government, celebrating the Islamic month of fasting is a way of “appreciating” the beliefs of the over 100,000 people in the city who identify as Muslims, representing around 10% of the population.
According to German tabloid Bild, the decoration includes golden stars, glowing crescent moons and colourful oriental Fanoos lanterns.
This first ever Radaman street lights have been inspired by a similar initiative in London last year. They cost between fifty thousand and one hundred thousand euros, similar to last year's Christmas lights.
The official website of the city of Frankfurt stated that “Islam is now firmly anchored in Frankfurt, just like Christianity, Judaism and many other religions”.
According to German website Pro Medien Magazin, mayoress Nargess Eskanderi-Grünber described the Islamic illumination as “lights of togetherness, discrimination, against anti-Muslim racism and also against anti-Semitism”.
In the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the ninth month, when according to Islam, the Quran was revealed to Muhammad, the prophet. In 2024, Ramadan began on 10 March and will finish on 9 April.
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Published in: Evangelical Focus - cities - From Christmas to Ramadan: Frankfurt, Germany’s first city with Islamic street lights