By
Ahmed el-Zawayti, IOL Correspondent
NORTH
IRAQ, November 5 (IslamOnline) - The Ministry of Waqfs and Islamic
Affairs in the Kurdish part of Iraq Tuesday, November 5, declared that
Wednesday, November 6, would be the first of the Muslim holy fasting
month of Ramadan.
In
a statement, the Ministry said, “The Crescent was not sighted Monday,
November 4, consequently, Tuesday marked the end of Shaaban, while
Ramadan will start Wednesday”.
The
declaration of the advent of Ramadan in Northern Iraq (Kurdistan) is the
responsibility of committees affiliated to the Ministry of Waqfs and
Islamic Affairs, whose job is to monitor the process of eye-sighting the
Crescent. Such committees comprise several Muslim scholars who keep
trying to sight the Crescent, or receive testimonies to the same effect,
and verify them.
In
special cases, when it is raining or cloudy, the final decision becomes
the responsibility of the Iraqi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, affiliated
to the central government in Baghdad
