http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=84255&d=21&m=10&y=2006
Saturday, 21, October, 2006 (29, Ramadhan, 1427)
Astronomer Says Eid Will Be Monday
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
JEDDAH, 21 October 2006 - Eid Al-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of
fasting in Ramadan, will be Monday, according to Khaled ibn Saleh Al-Zaaq,
member of Arab Space Science Federation and supervisor of Buraidah Astronomical
Observatory. In a statement carried by Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper, Al-Zaaq said it
would be impossible to sight the Shawwal crescent today (Saturday) as it will
disappear one hour before the sunset.
"We can only see the new moon on Monday evening with difficulty as it
will be visible for only 36 minutes with a glow of 1.90 percent," said Al-Zaaq,
who is also a member of the Islamic Project to Observe the Crescent. He urged
the public not to be confused by seeing celestial bodies on Saturday evening.
Ali Manikfan, an Indian expert on moon sighting, also confirmed that
Monday would be the first day of Eid. "I have observed the waning phases of the
moon in the last days of Ramadan. Yesterday morning I could see the crescent at
about 8 a.m. It was about 25 degrees away from the sun. The crescent will be
visible today (Saturday) before sunrise. This will be the last visible phase of
the moon for Ramadan," Manikfan said in a statement.
"Sunday morning the crescent will not be seen even though it will rise
before the sun. This is the day on which the moon phase is not visible to the
earth. Somewhere in the world both the sun and the moon will rise together on
Sunday," said Manikfan, who is a staunch advocate of a unified Islamic calendar.
called upon Muslims all over the world to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr on the
same day. He urged the Organization of the Islamic Conference to unify the
Islamic calendar.
"Eid Al-Fitr should be celebrated on the first day of the lunar month of
Shawwal. Muslims around the world are now celebrating it on three different
days due to the lack of a unified calendar," he told Arab News.
Manikfan urged Muslims to adopt modern technological methods to sight
crescent.
"Islam is the most advanced and scientific religion. It's impossible to
believe that the Prophet (pbuh) would instruct his followers in this age of
science and technology to search for the new moon with their naked eyes when
lunar and solar dates can be determined in advance on the basis of scientific
calculations," he said. He hoped that Saudi Arabia would take the lead and
prepare a unified Islamic calendar for distribution in all Muslim countries.
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