Saudi Gazette Jeddah — The Supreme Court in the Kingdom has asked people to sight Shawwal's new moon on Friday. According to the Saudi Press Agency report, whoever sees the new moon, whether through a telescope or the naked eye, should go to the nearest court to give his testimony. Under the Shariah, if the new lunar crescent (hilal) is seen by a trustworthy person supported by two witnesses, his testimony will be documented and the entire nation will celebrate Eid accordingly. Since the Hijri calendar is purely lunar, it's 12 months are a combined approximate total of 354 days and therefore it shifts with respect to the Gregorian calendar's 365 days. Muslims remain divided on how to determine the sighting of the moon with traditionalists relying on actual sightings of the moon and others relying on astronomical calculations, which can precisely predict when the new moon will appear. Last year, officials in the Kingdom announced the new crescent on Aug. 29. Astronomers on the other hand, said sighting of the new moon was not possible on the date and people were mistaking Saturn for the new moon. This year, astronomers have again said that it is impossible for the new moon to be visible on Friday and have called for scientific methods to be used to determine the new moon. Many have urged authorities in Muslim countries to take every precaution possible and confirm, with absolute certainty, all sighting reports. Actual sightings of the moon depend on a variety of factors including weather conditions, optical properties of the atmosphere and geographical location of the observer. According to a report from the Islamic Crescents' Observation Project (ICOP), the sighting of the moon Friday night is impossible in almost all parts of the world because the moon will set before the sun. But on Saturday, some parts of the world will be able to see the new moon. Prior to the start of Ramadan, Mohammed Odeh, President of the Abu Dhabi-based ICOP, urged countries to rely on scientific astronomical calculations to determine the start and end of Ramadan. “People who see the new moon with the naked eye, are the same people who have been seeing it for the past 20 years or so. With all this technology, astronomers and experts, we have special telescopes directed to the moon and then traditional moon sighting people say they saw the moon. I believe it's time to trust science," Odeh was quoted as saying at the time.
