First day of Idul Fitri falls on Sunday: Govt

First day of Idul Fitri falls on Sunday: Govt

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government announced on Friday evening that the first day of
Idul Fitri would fall on Sunday.

The announcement was made following a meeting chaired by
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi Shihab at the
Ministry of Religious Affairs.

The meeting was attended by religious leaders, the chairman of
House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious
affairs, Yusuf Muhammad, Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan
and leaders of various Muslim organizations.

Participants at the meeting discussed reports from Muslim
leaders from around the country on their sighting of the moon, or
ihlal.

"There were reports sent in from 26 cities across the country
and all of them said they had not seen the moon. Therefore, we
declare that Idul Fitri falls on Sunday, Nov. 14," Alwi said.

The head of calendar calculations at the Ministry of Religious
Affairs, Wahyu Widiana, said that when the sun set on Friday the
moon was still positioned below the horizon.

Unlike previous years, there has been no dispute this year
between the country's two largest Muslim organizations, Nahdlatul
Ulama and Muhammadiyah, over when Idul Fitri will begin.

Nahdlatul Ulama, which has about 40 million members, announced
on Thursday Idul Fitri would begin on Sunday.

Muhammadiyah, which has approximately 30 million members, also
announced on Friday that Idul Fitri would begin on Sunday.

Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Ma'arif also dismissed any
concerns the organization's branches across the country might
have about Idul Fitri beginning on some day other than Sunday.

"The decision is final and there is no possibility that Idul
Fitri will fall on other day except Sunday," he said in
Yogyakarta on Friday.

In the past, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah have sometimes
celebrated Idul Fitri on different dates.