Vijayawada: Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the culmination of the Muslim month of fasting, will be celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India on Saturday (March 21). The central moon-sighting committee, which met on Thursday, announced that the crescent of Shawwal, the 10th month of Islamic calendar, was not sighted anywhere in the country. Consequently, Friday (March 20) will be the 30th day of Ramzan and Eid will fall on Saturday.
With the announcement that Eid will be celebrated in India on Saturday, this year too the dream of a universal Eid eluded the Muslim community. While Singapore announced that it will celebrate the festival on Saturday, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries said they will celebrate Eid on Friday.
A universal Eid is nearly impossible as Muslim scholars in India and their counterparts in the Arab world are divided on the method of sighting the moon. While Muslim religious leaders in India insist that the moon be sighted with naked eye, those in other countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, prefer the use of optical aids including observatories. This results in the Eid being celebrated on different days in different parts of the world.
Syed Akbar is a senior journalist from Hyderabad. He is a special...
Read MoreSyed Akbar is a senior journalist from Hyderabad. He is a specialist-journalist in science, technology, health, politics, environment, development, wildlife, religion, communities, and consumer affairs. He has been in the profession for the last 24 years. Before joining The Times of India, he worked with Deccan Chronicle and Indian Express.
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