By Mostafa el Safadi, IOL correspondent in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, Nov. 14, (IslamOnline) - Jerusalem's General Mufti Sheikh Ekrema Sabry called Palestinians to observe Wednesday night Ramadan's new moon.
In his statement, the head of the Palestinian Fatwa Council called on Palestinians to tell Jerusalem's Fatwa House or the nearest Fatwa House, or any Islamic Court, if they saw Ramadan's new moon.
The statement noted that if one person saw the new moon, his testimony would be enough to start the Holy month of Ramadan.
Sheikh Abdel Halim Eaish, a member of the Fatwa Council confirmed to IOL that the council depends on more than one method of sighting Ramadan's new moon. The most important and most legitimate method, however, is the observation of the new moon by local people.
He added that if it were difficult for people in Jerusalem to sight Ramadan's new moon, they would depend on neighboring countries that already confirmed sighting the new moon using technologies local authorities lack.
Eaish added that the Palestinian Fatwa Council does not take into consideration astronomical calculations, even if Arab and Islamic countries depended on it in sighting Ramadan's new moon. He explained that the reason for this position is that these calculations may be erroneous.
He called on all Palestinians to seek the new moon on Wednesday night and to inform the nearest Islamic court.
Sheikh Eaish emphasized that the sighting of the new moon is, according to the Islamic
shari'a (law), which depends on the prophet's hadith (saying). The specific
hadith instructs all Muslims to fast and break their fast according to their sighting of the new moon.
