Every year, before the month of Ramadan, there are large battle goes on in Muslim world in the west on which is the 1st day of Ramadan or when is Eid.
Back in our home, we always started Ramadan and did Eid based on local Moonsighting. This is true for Muslims from other S. Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Srilanka, Maldeves etc. They all sight the moon locally and start/end Ramadan based on the sighting.
But, as soon as we come to the West, we become utterly confused to when to start/end ramadan.
One entire Pakistani Muslim community in U.K start/end Ramadan based on moon sighting in Pakistan, as if they are still in Pakistan
. May be they want to keep their strong relation going. Similarly, Arab brothers in the West feel very strong ties with their homeland. As soon as moon is sighted in any Arab countries, mashaAllah, they will start/end Ramadan/Eid. Like the Pakistani community in UK, our Arab brothers probably want to keep strong ties with their homeland.
Our Bangaldeshi brothers are unique in that sense. Since most of our brothers do not really care about practicing Islam in the west (
since we are in the west to get education or earn money, so I have been told many times[/ 
), they say "I will follow whatever the President of our Islamic center decides. or I will follow whatever the Arab sheikh Dr. XYZ decides"
Our Bangladeshi Muslims who usually do not have any positive feelings about any arabs, suddenly becomes great fan of the Arab sheikh Dr. XYZ.
One great thing happens in Ramadan, our Bangladeshi so called "modern" Muslim brothers starts showing up in Iftar parties
That's how I usually meet them, and show our other tablighi brothers from other nations that there are also other Muslims in Bangladesh, not just me
But, it is a good thing that our desi brothers are at least coming to the masjid for something! So keep coming, Islam does not belong to Pakis or Arabs only. Islam is also ours
Edited on, September 30, 2005, 9:35 PM GMT, by Dawah.