Turkey’s Diyanet Says April 2 Will Be First Day of Ramadan
Diyanet announced on Saturday that Ramadan will end on April 31 and Eid al-Fitr will fall on May 1, Turkeyalaan.net reported.
In Turkey, Diyanet is responsible for supervising Quranic and religious activities.
Earlier this month, astronomers in Arab countries also calculated the beginning of Ramadan this year to be on April 2.
While some Muslim scholars rely on astronomical calculations, in many Muslim countries, including Iran, Istihlal (moon-sighting) committees are set up to confirm the start and end of lunar Hijri months, including Ramadan.
Istihlal refers to efforts for sighting the new moon that determines the beginning of a new month on the lunar Hijri calendar.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is the time when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and perform various acts of worship, including reading the Quran.
