Guinea:29 Muslims Arrested for Celebrating Eid-el-Fitr on Monday Instead of Sunday
A group of 29 worshippers in Guinea has been arrested for observing Eid El-Fitr on Monday, March 31, instead of the government-declared date of Sunday, March 30.
The arrests, which took place in Kourémalé, a town in the Siguiri Prefecture, have sparked concerns over religious freedom and state control of religious practices.
According to local sources, the detainees had gathered for prayers in defiance of the official announcement by Guinea’s religious authorities, who had aligned the holiday with regional moon sightings. Law enforcement viewed the unauthorized gathering as an act of defiance.
The public prosecutor’s office in Siguiri labeled the act a “rebellion against the state”, stating that organizing prayers outside the officially designated day “undermined national unity and religious coordination.”
Eid El-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” marks the end of Ramadan and the start of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The holiday is traditionally determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, but variations in interpretation sometimes lead to differing celebration dates across countries and religious sects.
While Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Guinea’s religious authorities confirmed the moon sighting on March 29 and set Eid for March 30, the arrested group reportedly followed a different lunar calculation, leading to their observance a day later.
The incident has ignited debate over whether the state should enforce uniformity in religious observances. Critics argue that such measures infringe on personal and religious freedoms, while supporters believe they help maintain national unity.
