The Dublin-based council said moon sighting will not be possible in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, or across Europe on Monday, September 3.

CAIRO, October 1, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The holy fasting month of Ramadan is to start in Europe on Wednesday, October 5, according to astronomical calculations, the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) said Saturday, October 1.

The Dublin-based council, the main religious authority for Muslims in the West, said moon sighting will not be possible in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, or across Europe on Monday, September 3.

It did not cite the partial eclipse of the Sun, which astronomers expect on Monday.

The vice-chairman of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences (AUASS)'s Moon Sighting Department said on Thursday, September 29, that a partial eclipse would occur Monday, which will make it impossible to sight the Ramadan moon.

The ECFR, which meets twice a year in Europe, aims to serve Muslims living in the West and facilitate their positive integration into society while preserving their Islamic identity.

Hard Evidence

The council, headed by prominent scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, said hard scientific evidence by astronomers overpowers "uncertain" and "hypothetical" counts given by people.

The council, however, stressed that such evidence should neither be based on calendars nor given by those who practice astrology, which is rejected by Islam.

Astrologists believe that the positions of certain celestial bodies either influence or correlate with people's personality traits, important events in their lives, and even physical characteristics.

"But this evidence is all about the contemporary astronomy built on scientific and mathematical bases," said the statement.

The council has further called on Muslims worldwide to act in unison ahead of the dawn-to-dusk fasting month.

The Islamic Shura Council in North America (ISCNA) has said that a confirmed moon sighting report in North America will be accepted as long as it does not contradict indisputable astronomical information.

The council consists of the main Muslim organizations in North America: the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the American Muslim Association of North America (AMANA).

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 (such as Egypt's Dar al-Iftaa [House of Fatwa]) announces the sighting of the new moon, then Muslims in the country should all abide by this.