Kosovo: Ramadan celebrations May 26/27 to June 25

Event

Muslims in Kosovo and elsewhere in the world will begin their month-long celebration of Ramadan on May 26 or 27. The end of the month of Ramadan, marked by Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, will take place on June 25. Some businesses, restaurants, and government administrations may operate on reduced schedules during this holy month.

Transportation disruptions are to be anticipated during this period due to an increased number of travelers, especially in airports. Heavy traffic after dusk (particularly on weekends) is to be anticipated as Muslims typically gather to celebrate the holy month with family. Furthermore, traffic accidents tend to increase during Ramadan (especially at dusk) due to a combination of exhaustion, hunger, dehydration, and impatience.

On a related note, Kosovo typically faces a heightened terrorist threat during religious holidays and the Islamic State (IS) actively recruits in the Balkans region. Around 300 citizens from Kosovo are believed to have joined Islamist extremist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Context

Ramadan is a period of reflection and self-restraint and carries great significance within the Muslim calendar. Muslims traditionally observe daytime fasting and are called to practice increased devotion and abstain from certain activities.

This period also marks a significant increase in the terror threat in Muslim-majority countries. In recent years, IS, as well as other groups, have called on their fighters to perpetrate attacks during Ramadan. On June 26, 2015, IS fighters killed 39 people in an attack targeting Sousse, Tunisia. The same day, a similar attack also claimed by IS targeted a mosque during Friday noon prayers in Kuwait City, killing 27 people. In 2016, members of Jordan security forces were killed on June 21 in a car bomb. In Lebanon a series of suicide attacks killed six people. In Turkey, on the evening of June 28, 2016, an attack carried out by three gunmen/suicide bombers was perpetrated at Istanbul-Atatürk International Airport (IST), leaving 44 people dead and scores of others injured.

Advice

Individuals in Kosovo are advised remain aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious behavior or objects. Although fasting is not strictly enforced as it is in some other countries, it is advised not to eat, drink, or smoke in public throughout the period in more conservative neighborhoods. Travelers are also advised to allow additional time for travel and to avoid any form of public demonstration or public gathering.

On a separate note, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all but essential travel to the municipalities of Zvečan, Zubin Potok, and Leposavic, and to the northern part of the city of Mitrovica due to high tensions between ethnic Serbians and Albanians.