14/08/2008 10:02:55 AM GMT
CAIRO. —The first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan will fall in North America on September 1 according to astronomical calculations, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has announced on its website. "The Astronomical New Moon for Ramadan is on Saturday, August 30, 2008, at 19:58 Universal Time," said ISNA.
It added that the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, thus, will be Monday, September 1.
ISNA said the last day of the dawn-to-dusk fasting month will be on Tuesday, September 30.
`Eid Al-Fitr, one of the two main religious festivals on the Islamic calendar will be on Wednesday, October 1.
During Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.
Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue among Muslim countries, and even scholars seem at odds over the issue.
While one group of scholars sees that Muslims in other regions and countries are to follow the same moon sighting as long as these countries share one part of the night, another states that Muslims everywhere should abide by the lunar calendar of Saudi Arabia.
A third, however, disputes both views, arguing that the authority in charge of ascertaining the sighting of the moon in a given country announces the sighting of the new moon, then Muslims in the country should all abide by this.
This usually causes confusion among Muslims, particularly in the West, on observing the dawn-to-dusk fasting and celebrating the `Eid el-Fitr, which marks the end of fasting.
Source: IslamOnline
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