Pakistan moon sighting committee to meet today to sight Ramadan crescent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's central moon sighting committee will meet today, Friday, to sight the crescent for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Pakistani state media reported.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, wherein Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise till sunset for a month.
This is followed by the sighting of the new moon and is marked by Eid Al-Fitr, a religious holiday and celebration that is observed by Muslims across the world.
'A meeting of Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will be held in Peshawar on Friday for the sighting of the Moon of Ramadan ul Mubarak,' the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad will preside over the meeting, according to the report.
'The Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committees will also meet separately at their respective headquarters,' it read.
Pakistan's national space agency has forecast that the Ramadan moon will be invisible to the naked eye on Feb. 28, which means that the South Asian country will likely mark the beginning of the holy month from Mar. 2.
The crescent will be difficult to sight on Friday due to its low altitude and distance, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency. The angular distance between the sun and the moon will be 7 degrees on Feb. 28, making the crescent 'invisible to the naked eye' that day, it added.
But in Pakistan, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is tasked with sighting the moon for new Islamic months. Dates for Ramadan and Eid festivals are confirmed by the committee through visual observations and based on testimonies received of the crescent being sighted from several parts of the country.
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