Moonsighting panel declares start of Ramadan
The committee, comprising Shaikh Adnan bin Abdulla Al Qattan, Dr. Farid Yaqoub Al Miftah, Dr. Ibrahim bin Dairi, director of the Majmaah University Astronomical Observatory, said: 'The crescent has been seen. Tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan.'
A similar process has played out for centuries, following the instructions decreed by the Prophet Mohammed about 1,400 years ago.
Rashid Al Muraikhi and Shaikh Rashid bin Hassan Al Buainain made the declaration after convening at the SCIA headquarters.
While no local testimonies were received, the committee decided to adopt the official moon sighting confirmation from Saudi Arabia. As a result, Ramadan for the year 1446 AH will begin on Saturday, March 1, with fasting observed accordingly.
Separately, Abdullah Al-Khudairi noted that sighting expeditions are often unsuccessful, delaying the start of Ramadan for at least a day. 'Stirred dust, clouds, or industrial and environmental pollution' can all obscure the view, Khudairi said.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring United Arab Emirates, authorities took a more modern approach: flying drones equipped with artificial intelligence in an attempt to capture the moon.
'This method will complement traditional naked-eye sighting accounts,' the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE Council for Fatwa.
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