PHNO-HL: MUSLIMS JOINS FELLOW ISLAM BELIEVERS IN SEARCH FOR RAMADAN CRESCENT

MUSLIMS
JOINS FELLOW ISLAM BELIEVERS IN SEARCH FOR RAMADAN CRESCENT


[PHOTO -MUSLIMS IN THE PHILIPPINES]
MANILA, JULY
18, 2012 (MANILA BULLETIN) By EDD K. USMAN -
Muslims in the Philippines will join fellow Islam believers across the globe in
searching for the Ramadan crescent tomorrow, Thursday, to determine the first
day of fasting.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar called Hijrah. It's the
year 1433 in the Islamic calendar, compared to 2012 in the Gregorian calendar.

When the Islamic holy month arrives, adult Muslims are obliged to abstain
from food, drink, cigarettes, sex, backbiting, etc., from dawn to dusk.
The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) has formed the National
Moon-Sighting Committee (NMSC) to scan the horizons and look for the tiny
glimpse of the crescent that will signal the advent of Ramadan.
The NMSC, chaired by Director Sultan Masiding Salic, also gathers results and
awaits religious leaders' verdict before announcing the first day of fasting.

Islamic religious leaders and organizations in Regions 9, 11 and 12 are also
gearing up for the sighting of the moon, said Habib Zain Jali, head of the
Bangsamoro People's National Parliament (BPNP).
"If the crescent is seen by the naked eye on July 19, then Ramadan will start
the next day; if it is not seen, then fasting will be on July 21," Jali told the
Manila Bulletin.
Moon-sighting is a responsibility of the ulama (top Muslim religious
leaders), he said. "It is very clear in the Qur'an to sight the moon with the
naked eye," he said.
"We are trying to adopt a single start for Ramadan in the Philippines," said
Jali.
He said the Darul Iftah (House of Opinion) of Region 9 will be coordinating
with the Darul Iftah in Regions 10 and 12.
"We should be starting to fast in Ramadan on the same day as a show of unity
and brotherhood," said Jali.
He said only the ulama and other religious leaders should be involved in
moon-sighting, saying it is not part of the government's responsibility.
"Moon-sighting is a religious activity. It should be left to the religious
leaders," said Jali.
The Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA), which was later replaced by the NCMF,
created a moon-sighting group every year.
Muslims in other parts of the world also do not normally agree on when to
commence their fasting, some claiming geography as the reason.
Purely a lunar calendar, Hijrah's 12 months are reckoned from the phases and
stages of the moon. While the Christian calendar has 365 days, the Islamic
calendar just has 354 days.
Every month of the Hijrah starts and ends with the moon cycle. (Edd K. Usman)


Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved




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