Ramadan fasting likely from August 11

A project that tracks lunar cycles has predicted that the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan could be August 11 in some countries.

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A project that tracks lunar cycles has predicted that the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan could be August 11 in some countries. Most Muslim nations will attempt to observe the crescent moon denoting the beginning of the month on August 10, since the majority of them observed the start of Sha'ban, the lunar month preceding Ramadan, on July 13, said the Islamic Crescents' Observation Project. Lunar months can last 29 or 30 days.

But the crescent moon will not be visible to the naked eye on August 10 except in the south-west of the South American continent, said Mohammad Awda, the project's chairman, according to the state news agency WAM. Since the crescent will be visible in some parts of the world, some Muslim countries, including the UAE, will begin fasting the next day, on August 11. However, countries such as Oman that require a local moon sighting before declaring the start of the month, will begin fasting on Thursday, August 12, as the crescent moon becomes visible in more territories.

Countries including Morocco and Pakistan, which started the month of Sha'ban on July 14, will probably also begin fasting on Thursday, said Mr Awda. kshaheen@thenational.ae