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)