THE
HAGUE, September 22, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – To spare the Muslim
minority the usual disagreement on the beginning of the holy fasting
month of Ramadan, five Dutch Muslim organizations agreed to start the
fasting on Wednesday, October 5, according to astrological
calculations.
In
a statement issued Wednesday, September 21, the Imams Society,
Moroccan Mosques Union in Central Netherlands, Moroccan Mosques Union
in Amsterdam, Islamic Council in Lunenburg and the Federation of
Islamic Organizations in the Netherlands said the new moon would not
be sighted on Monday, October 3, and consequently the first day of
Ramadan would be Wednesday.
The
statement, a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net, urged all
other Muslim organizations in the northern European country to begin
fasting on the same day.
The
start of Ramadan last year was marked by the launching of a Ramadan
Web site, featuring information about the dawn-to-dusk fasting,
reports on buzzing activities by mosques and Islamic organizations
during the month as well as a review of Islam in the Dutch press.
There
are one million Muslims in the Netherlands, mostly hailing from
Turkish and Moroccan origin.
Unity
Drive
The
new move aims at overcoming differences among the various Muslim
community in the country regarding the beginning of the holy month.
"This
initiative is part of efforts by several Islamic bodies and centers in
Europe to bring closer Muslim minorities in Europe through an
agreement on the beginning of fasting and `Eid", chairman of the
Imams Society Sheikh Al-Baqali Al-Khammar told IOL.
It
is high time for Muslims in the West to unite, especially vis-ŕ-vis
issues of such importance, he added.
Al-Khammar,
also the imam of Al-Islam Mosque in the Hague, said differences on the
start of Ramadan are common among Arab Muslims and less so among
Pakistanis, Turks and the Surinamese.
Moon
sighting has always been a controversial issue among Muslim countries,
and even scholars seem at odds over the issue.
While
one group of scholars sees that Muslims in other regions and countries
are to follow this sighting as long as these countries share one part
of the night, another states that Muslims everywhere should abide by
the lunar calendar of Saudi Arabia.
A
third, however, disputes both views, arguing that Islam is against
division and disunity, since Muslims, for instance, are not allowed to
hold two congregational prayers in one mosque at the same time.
This
group believes that the authority in charge of ascertaining the
sighting of the moon in a given country announces the sighting of the
new moon, then Muslims in the country should all abide by this.
Please
also read:
