The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. ARCHIVE

Eid Al Fitr: Astronomical Center abolishes date mix-ups

The International Astronomical Center (IAC) has refuted social media rumors that Saturday (April 22) will be Eid Al Fitr. These assertions are false, according to the IAC. Moreover, it said that “Some media outlets published a piece of news attributed to the International Astronomy Center stating that it announced that Eid al-Fitr will be on Saturday.” The conditions for seeing the crescent in different parts of the world were depicted in great detail in the original article. The relevant authorities established the beginning of the month using this information. “Note that the criteria adopted for the beginning of the month in the Islamic world are multiple, and the sighting of the crescent may depend on non-local places,” it added. IAC added that on Thursday (April 20) AD, the Islamic nations will observe the crescent of the month of Shawwal (Eid Al-Fitr 1444 AH), which cannot be seen with the unaided eye or through a telescope from anywhere in Asia or Australia but can be seen using a telescope only and with difficulty from western Africa and Europe. In the western regions of the two American continents, it is challenging yet possible to do with the naked eye. This is customary under such circumstances for most Islamic countries to announce the start of the month on the following day, so many countries are expected to announce Eid Al-Fitr on Friday (April 21). This is because there is a chance that the crescent will be visible with a telescope from parts of the Islamic world on Thursday (April 20) and because the conjunction occurs before sunset. The moon sets after sunset in all regions of the Islamic world. The International Astronomical Center advised the general public to avoid such websites and consult legitimate government websites for news and laws. KD/Expat Media
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