Raffi Ahmad Urges Indonesian Society to Uphold the Spirit of Brotherhood

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Raffi Ahmad, an artist and the President’s Special Envoy for Youth Development and Arts Workers, has called on Indonesian society to mutually strengthen care for one another, forgive, and uphold the spirit of brotherhood. “Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1447 H, after one month of restraining ourselves to improve our hearts and strengthen care, today we return to sincerity and togetherness in this moment of victory; let us forgive one another, strengthen the bonds of silaturahmi, and uphold the spirit of brotherhood,” Raffi stated, as quoted from his Instagram page on Saturday (21/3). The husband of Nagita Slavina then hoped that Eid al-Fitr would bring good hopes for Indonesian society. The government, through the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag), has officially set Eid al-Fitr on 1 Syawal 1447 Hijriah to fall on Saturday, 21 March 2026. “Based on calculations and the absence of the crescent moon sighting, it is agreed that 1 Syawal 1447 Hijriah falls on Saturday, 21 March 2026,” said Minister of Religious Affairs (Menag) RI Nasaruddin Umar during a press conference for the Isbat Session for 1 Syawal 1447 Hijriah at the Kemenag office in Jakarta on Thursday. The Menag explained that the decision was made following the results of the rukyatul hilal conducted by the Kemenag RI’s Calculation and Sighting Team, which indicated that the crescent moon’s height across all regions of Indonesia did not meet the criteria set by the Ministers of Religious Affairs of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore (MABIMS). Referring to the MABIMS criteria, the start of the Hijri month is determined if the crescent has a minimum height of 3 degrees and an elongation or angular distance between the two celestial bodies reaches 6.4 degrees. “In determining the start of the lunar month, especially in months involving Islamic worship and concerning the needs of many people, the state facilitates this through the Isbat Session as a form of the presence of ulil amri or the government,” stated Menag Nasaruddin Umar.