Ramadhan fasting month to start on Thursday

Ramadhan fasting month to start on Thursday

JAKARTA (JP): After meeting with representatives of major
Islamic organizations on Thursday, the government announced the
Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan would begin on Thursday as
widely expected.

The decision was reached after all of the organizations said
they failed to sight the crescent moon before dusk on Tuesday,
meaning that the month of Sya'ban will last for 30 days and end
on Wednesday, Antara reported.

The Islamic calendar is determined by lunar movements.
Although the beginning and ends of months can be calculated, they
must still be confirmed by the sighting, or non-sighting, of the
crescent moon.

This means that a month can last for either 29 or 30 days,
with the sighting of the crescent signaling a new month has
begun.

A number of Muslim organizations here often disagree with the
government on when Ramadhan begins and ends.

A spokesman for Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia, which has
often differed with the government on this matter, said on
Tuesday it had been flooded with calls from its followers asking
when Ramadhan began.

The group said it concurred with the government that Ramadhan
would begin on Thursday. (emb/01)