Muslims of Southern Russia prepare to welcome Eid al-Fitr

In Southern Russia, Muslims will start celebrating the Eid al-Fitr (Uraza-Bairam) holiday on one and the same day – May 13. The number of believers who are welcoming the Eid al-Fitr in Russia goes up with the growth of the number of Muslims in the country.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 12, Muslim believers in Southern Russia held collective prayers in mosques in honour of the onset of the holy month of Ramadan.

Local Muftiates set different times for the evening prayer and the following meal during fasting in Ramadan, taking into account the geographical characteristics of the region.

The number of Muslims and those who celebrate the Eid al-Fitr in Russia is growing, said Alexei Malashenko, a political analyst.

"But in fact, the Muslim population is growing mainly in Northern Caucasus ... Therefore, it's not worth overstating and claiming that the number of them will be 25 million by 2025," the expert has added.

In March 2019, Ravil Gainutdin, the head of the Russia's Council of Muftis predicted an increase in the share of Muslims in Russia up to a third. According to his version, in 15 years the share of Muslims in Russia will grow up to 30%. In his 2011 interview with the "Kommersant", Mr Gainutdin said that "more than 20 million Muslims live in Russia," and in 2018, Mr Anadolu said that the number of the Russian Ummah had reached 25 million.