The government has officially decided Ramadan would start on Saturday, or August 22, based on its observations of the position of the moon in nine different places across the country.
During an isbat meeting on Thursday, Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni said his department had not declared Friday as the beginning of the fasting month, since a crescent moon had not been observed in all of the required places as of Thursday afternoon.
The isbat involves representatives of the government and major Muslim organizations. The Islamic calendar is based on moon sightings, with a cyclical period of 29.53 days. The start of an Islamic month is marked by the coming of the hilal on the western horizon at sunset.
Muslim organizations such as Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama have previously determined that the first day of the holy month will fall on Saturday or August 22, tempointeraktif.com has reported. (ewd)
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