Cambodia: Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan) June 24-25

Event

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on May 27, will come to an end at sundown on Saturday, June 24, or Sunday, June 25 (depending on the moon). During this time, Muslims in Cambodia will gather to pray and celebrate with family and friends. While practices vary by area, Eid al-Fitr celebrations are likely to have an impact on many businesses and services in Muslim communities that will close or significantly reduce their hours of operation beginning on Saturday or Sunday evening; similar disruptions could also continue into coming days.

Context

Eid al-Fitr celebrates the conclusion of 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting and remains one of the most important dates on the Muslim calendar. Generally speaking, the month of Ramadan is historically marred by a significant increase in terrorist threats and as such there is a potential for attacks to be carried out during Eid celebrations.

Around 2 percent of the current Cambodian population is Muslim. Massacres by the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979) decreased the Muslim population from 15 percent of the population to around 5 percent.

Advice

Individuals in Cambodia are advised to remain vigilant and to avoid large public gatherings.

Political tensions remain high in Cambodia, and although incidents of politically-motivated violence have fallen in recent years, political disputes still have the potential to trigger violent protests. Avoid large demonstrations, and political rallies and avoid expressing opinions on Cambodian politics or culture.