Kuwaiti astronomer predicts start of Ramadan

Ramadan will start on August 1 and the Eid, the feast that follows the month of fasting, will be on August 30, a Kuwaiti astronomer said. The lunar month is decided in most Muslim countries upon the sighting of the crescent, and not on astronomical calculations. "Shaaban, the month that precedes Ramadan, will last 30 days and will end on Sunday July 31," Adel Al Marzouq said. "So, Ramadan will start on Monday, August 1. It will last 29 days and will end also on Monday, August 29. We will have Eid on Tuesday August 30," he said, quoted by Kuwaiti newspaper Al Anba. Muslims follow a lunar calendar and the premise that fasting for Ramadan should begin when one new moon is sighted and end when the next is sighted. However, Muslims have disagreed whether the sighting should be with the naked eye or based on astronomical calculations. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food, drink and sensual pleasures from sunrise to sunset and focus instead on their relationship with God. From / Gulf News