Lebanon woke up before 2 a.m. yesterday as the standoff between politicians and religious authorities escalated over the decision to keep winter time for another month.

Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced Thursday that Daylight Saving Time will take place in Lebanon on April 20, rather than the last weekend in March, as has typically been the case both in the country and in Europe and elsewhere.

Although he did not give a reason for his decision, some saw it as an attempt to win over Muslims by allowing those fasting in Ramadan to break their fast an hour earlier, around 6:00 pm instead of 7:00 pm.

But the Lebanese Maronite Church, which has great influence in the country, announced on Saturday that it would not abide by Mikati’s decision, calling it “unthinkable” and pointing out that there had been no prior discussion with other actors in the country and no international standards had been adopted. into account. .

For foreigners and expats in Lebanon and, to a large extent, for the Lebanese themselves, who find it difficult to understand the coexisting time zones in #LebanonI made an example #Time Zonal map of the country based on sectarian sentiments #Christian & #Muslim communities.… pic.twitter.com/n3mfM3Vk8n

— Ali H. Shaib (@AliHShaib) March 26, 2023

The church has announced that daylight savings time will take place at dawn today, followed by other Christian organizations, parties and schools.

In the meantime, Muslim parties and institutions keep winter time.

Businesses and the media, including Lebanon’s two largest television networks, LBCI and MTV, have announced that they will switch to daylight saving time early this morning as calls to defy Mikati’s order intensified.

The LBCI said in a statement that it will continue with daylight saving time as usual, mainly because its business will suffer if it does not. He even added: “Lebanon is not an island.”

Others have tried to adapt: ​​the country’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines, has indicated that its clocks will remain on winter time but will change flight times to daylight saving time to align with international schedules.

“Muslim or Christian time?”

Mikati, a Sunni, announced his decision to extend DST by a month after meeting on Thursday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shia.

In a statement yesterday, the Lebanese Prime Minister’s office explained that the decision is a “purely administrative matter” that has taken a “disgusting doctrinal turn.”

In a coffee shop in Beirut on the eve of the time change, a Reuters reporter heard a patron ask, “Are you going to follow Christian or Muslim time from tomorrow?”

Independent MP Wadah Sadeq commented on Twitter that the decisions are being made “without any thought of the impact or confusion they cause.”

In addition, some Twitter users published an old interview with the famous Lebanese composer and musician Ziad Rabbani, which talks about daylight saving time: “Every year you set the clock forward an hour, and we are set back 10 years,” he says. with reference to Lebanese politicians.

“You have to pay attention to years, not just time.”

At Beirut International Airport, the departure timetable yesterday showed two different times for the same flight: for example, flight A3 947 to Athens is listed twice as it departs at 15:30 and 16:30. Sundays.

“I’m going to the Beirut airport 4 hours before my flight just to make sure I don’t miss my flight because of this nonsense,” Peter Suleiman, director of the media startup, told CNBC.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters, CNBC.