Dark Knight Rises Opening Date Falls on Ramadan, So Muslims Will Miss Out

Since The Dark Knight in 2008, people across the globe have been waiting patiently for the last installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. However, what if I told you that you had to wait one month more?

In short, Muslims across the world have a very important choice to make: is it worth it to go see The Dark Knight Rises this weekend regardless of their religious obligations, or must they wait even longer (a month to be exact) in order to see the movie?

However, some Muslims will not even have a choice due to the fact that movie theaters in predominantly Islamic countries, like Egypt, might delay showing the movie altogether:

The Islamic calendar is lunar and is thus shorter than the Gregorian calendar (what we use) by a dozen or so days each year; this is the reason why Ramadan can be celebrated in any month given the specific year. Yet, one thing is for certain: Ramadan always begins with a Hilal, or a crescent moon, which has been scientifically predicted to be none other than this Friday, opening day of The Dark Knight Rises.

If the Hilal is visible on Thursday as predicted, fasting will begin Friday, meaning that those who strictly follow Ramadan will have to wait another month to eat as well as see The Dark Knight Rises. As a fan of Batman, I honestly don't know which one would be worse. Those of you who aren't as religious will have to decide whether seeing the film is worth it or a waste of time, especially because it is one of the holiest days in the Islamic year.

However, there is a chance that the Hilal is not visible until Friday, which would make Muslims with tickets very lucky, given that the holiday would then start on Saturday.