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| Saturday, September 3, 2011 |
| Saudis mistook Saturn for new moon - declared end of Ramadan day early |
| Saudi Arabia's Mistake in Announcing Eid al-Fitr Angers Muslims Worldwide News number: 9006110174 15:39 | 2011-09-03 http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9006110174 TEHRAN (FNA)- The Jeddah Astronomy Society's mistake in sighting of the new moon in Saudi Arabia has angered the many Muslim nations who followed suit and pronounced Tuesday as Eid al-Fitr wrongly. The society had said that people actually saw the planet Saturn and not the crescent moon that marks the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal. Hatem Auda, director of the National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research, had said that astronomical calculations by scientists of the institute noted that the first day of the Eid was Wednesday, August 31, making Tuesday, August 30 the last day of Ramadan for the Hijri year of 1432. Various news agencies such as Al-Arabiya and Aljazeera have also reported that the planet Saturn has been mistaken for the Hilal (crescent moon), and this means that what was announced as the first day of Eid al-Fitr was supposed to be a day of fasting, rather than celebrations. According to the Aljazeera report, the source of these problematic Hilal-sighting is from Sudair, a region located approximately 150km North of the capital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The vice-president of Jeddah Astronomy Society reassured that it is impossible to view the Hilal with the naked eye. Saudi government officials have reportedly apologized to their nation and said that they would pay Kaffarah (an amount of money paid as expiation for breaking the fast during the holy month of Ramadan) for the entire Saudi nation. While a number of Muslim countries like Iran announce the new crescent only on the basis of frequent sightings by the people, astronomy societies and clerics inside their borders, many others rely on the sightings done by Saudi Arabia and announcement of the Eid crescent by Riyadh. Thus, those Muslim nations who have followed the Saudi suit as usual and celebrated the last Tuesday as Eid al-Fitr are now angry with the Saudis as Eid al-Fitr is the biggest eve for the worldwide Muslim community. ============== Saudi Arabia and 14 Arab countries to celebrate Eid al-Fitr on Tuesday http://www.spa.gov.sa/English/print.php?id=921256 Arab Capitals, Ramadan 29, 1432, Aug 29, 2011, SPA -- Saudi Arabia and at least 14 other Arab countries announced they would on Tuesday celebrate the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr feast, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The Saudi royal court issued a statement to this effect after witnesses reported to the higher court their sighting of the crescent moon Monday night. Fourteen other countries - Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, followed suit in compliance with Islamic teachings. --SPA 00:31 LOCAL TIME 21:31 GMT http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=53594 |
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