First day of Ramadan announced in Turkey and Singapore
Both countries confirm crescent cannot be seen on February 17, join Oman in Thursday start
Dubai: Turkey and Singapore have officially declared Thursday, February 19, as the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, after astronomical calculations showed the crescent moon cannot be sighted on the preceding observation date.
Turkey determines the start of all Hijri months using pre-calculated astronomical data that factors in the possibility of crescent visibility. Authorities begin a new lunar month if calculations on the 29th day show the crescent could be seen, by naked eye or telescope, anywhere that shares night-time hours with Turkey.
Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs said its calculations showed crescent sighting would not be possible on Tuesday, February 17, across the Arab and Islamic world and the Americas, leading it to set Thursday as the start of Ramadan.
Singapore’s Islamic Religious Council, headed by the Mufti of Singapore, follows a similar calculation-based method using local visibility criteria. It said the moon would set before the sun on Tuesday, making sighting impossible from Singapore.
With the announcements, Turkey, Singapore and Oman have formally confirmed Thursday as the start day for Ramadan.
