Perdana, Lamp Ramadan Will Decorate Germany's Frankfurt City During The Fasting Month

JAKARTA - Frankfurt became Germany's first city to light up Ramadan lights to welcome this year's fasting month, a move that Muslims in the country welcomed.

Later, ornaments with the shape of a sickle, star and lens will illuminate the main highway in the city, conveying a message of peace and togetherness during the month of Ramadan 1445 Hijri.

The ornamental lights will attack Grosse Bockenheimer Strasse in Frankfurt, which is a pedestrian area, known as Fressgass (the culinary area) because of the large number of cafes and restaurants from March 10 to April 9, will feature a large board that reads "Happy Ramadan!" and other illuminations.

"Ramadan is a time when people reflect on what is truly important in life: having something to eat, shelter and peace and comfort with family, friends and neighbors," said city council chairman Hilime Arslaner, quoted by DW March 7.

"I am pleased that peace messages during Ramadan can be seen in Frankfurt," he added.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Nargess Eskandari-Gr\"unberg said such messages were very important, adding: "This is a light of togetherness: fighting prejudice, discrimination, anti-Muslim racism and antisemitism."

Muslims in Frankfurt welcome this. With a population of nearly 800,000 people, Frankfurt is the fifth largest city in Germany (after Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne) and the center of the country's financial sector. The city is also one of the proudest multicultural cities in Germany, with a Muslim population of about 15 percent of the population (1100,000-150,000.).

Mohamed Seddadi, chairman of the Frankfurt Muslim Community, welcomed this as "meaningly meaningful to Muslims," said it signaled: "We all have each other."

Although public street lighting has long been part of Christian religious celebrations, especially at Christmas. Muslims in Western countries have also started decorating houses and buildings during Ramadan, according to Raida Chbib, head of the Islamic Academy in Research and Society (AIWG) at the University of Goethe in Frankfurt.

Last year, plans to install ornamental lights when Ramadan was rejected by several officials. However, the city's ruling Green Party was able to encourage it to be realized this year.

"By celebrating during Ramadan, the City of Frankfurt sends an important signal to Muslims and appreciates Muslims in this city," the Greens wrote in a request to the city council, quoted from China Daily.