Cape Town - As the holy month of Ramadaan comes to an end, associations under the banner of the United Ulama Council of South Africa will lead local Muslims in attempts to sight the crescent moon from vantage points in Cape Town, Joburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth on Tuesday night.
If the crescent moon is not sighted, Muslims will gather again on Wednesday night.
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The sightings will take place after news broke of a series of attacks in Saudi Arabia, including one in the holy city of Medina, in which at least eight people were killed.
Magamat Yusaf Tandy, chairman of the Crescent Observers Association of South Africa said the new moon, which was born just after 1pm on Monday, will be 28 hours and 49 minutes old when hundreds of thousands of Muslims flock to try and spot it at sunset. During Ramadaan, Muslims around the world worship, pray, fast and give to charity.
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Moon-sighting organisations will only have a window of one hour and 19 minutes in which to sight the moon after the sun has set.
“We have a moon-sighting leader at Three Anchor Bay in Cape Town,” said Tandy.
If the moon is sighted, Eid ul-Fitr will be observed on Wednesday and if not, another day of fasting will commence.
Meanwhile, four police officers were killed on Monday when a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Prophet Muhammad Mosque in Medina, the second most sacred site in the Islamic world, the Saudi Interior Ministry said. The attack was the third suicide bombing to hit Saudi Arabia on Monday.
At least one other bomber hit the mainly Shi’a city of Qatif at almost the same time, with the parts of three bodies found at the scene. A third attack near the US consulate in Jeddah killed only the bomber.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the bombings. -
Cape Argus and DPA