The World Briefly

March 28, 2023

What Time Is It?

Lebanon

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Lebanon’s government reversed a last-minute decision to postpone daylight savings, with the initial move not to put the clocks forward on Sunday having caused mass confusion and split the population of the small Middle Eastern country into two different time zones, the BBC reported.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nahib Berri had moved to put the clocks forward as late as April 21, however Mikati announced Monday that the clocks would go forward this Wednesday.

The original delay came during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which falls between March and April this year. Practiced by a majority of Lebanon’s population, the holy month sees Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, which daylight savings would put around 7 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. – requiring practicing Muslims to wait an extra hour before breaking their fast.

The move prompted anger from Lebanon’s powerful Maronite church – the largest Christian institution in the country – saying they were not consulted on the decision and warned that it would cause chaos in the country, which it did.

Lebanese people woke up to two different time zones, with some institutions refusing to implement the change, according to the Associated Press, impacting airports, businesses, as well as tech companies Apple and Google, which could not agree on what time it was in Lebanon.

Some Lebanese called the rushed change an act of support for Muslims observing Ramadan, prompting warnings that such a move could also inflame sectarian tensions in the nation, which maintains a delicate balance between the groups.

Lebanon’s leadership is divided between Sunni and Shia Muslims and Christians.

The controversial decision came as the country reels from soaring inflation, a severely depreciated currency and general state dysfunction.

This story originally appeared in the March 28, 2023 newsletter, The Forever Search.