Muslims face dilemma of when to observe Ramadan in areas with no dawn or dusk

Our take: The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is a time for fasting and prayer, when adherents must fast from food and water between dawn and dusk. However, for Muslims living at the northern tip of Europe, such observance could mean going without food or water for up to 20 hours. Although there is no religious mandate on how to observe the fast when the hours in countries like Finland don't line up with the scriptures, some have decided to follow the clock of the nearest Muslim country or those of Mecca, the Muslim religion's holiest city.

How do you observe dawn-to-dusk fasting when there is neither dawn nor dusk?

It's a question facing a small but growing number of Muslims celebrating the holy month of Ramadan on the northern tip of Europe, where the the sun barely dips below the horizon at this time of year.

In Rovaniemi, a northern Finland town that straddles the Arctic Circle, the sun rises around 3:20 a.m. and sets about 11:20pm. That means Muslims who observe Ramadan could be required to go without food or drink for 20 hours.

In a few years, Ramadan will begin even closer to the summer solstice in late June, when the sun doesn't set at all.

Read more about No dawn or dusk for some Ramadan observers on The Huffington Post.