Lebanon woke up in two time zones on Sunday amid an escalating dispute between political and religious authorities over a decision to extend winter time for a month.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati decided on Thursday to roll clocks forward an hour on April 20, instead of entering daylight savings time on the last weekend of March as is usually the case in Lebanon, Europe and other regions.
Though no reason was given for the decision, it was seen as an attempt to score a win by Muslims, allowing those fasting during the holy month of Ramadan to break their fasts an hour earlier, at around 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. Meanwhile, Muslim institutions and parties appeared set to remain in winter time, deepening divides in a country that witnessed a 1975-90 civil war between Christian and Muslim factions and where parliament seats are allocated by religious sect.
The state-run telecoms duopoly sent messages to customers advising them to set the time on their devices manually on Sunday, in case the clocks had automatically gone forward. At a Beirut cafe on Saturday evening, a Reuters journalist heard one customer ask: "Will you follow the Christian or Muslim clock starting tomorrow?"
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