Indonesia To Hold ISBAT Session On Feb 17 To Determine Start Of Ramadan

JAKARTA, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- Indonesia will hold an isbat (consultative) session on Feb 17 to determine the start of Ramadan.

Islamic Community Guidance director-general Abu Rokhmad said the session would include a presentation on astronomical data on the position of the crescent moon and verification of moon-sighting observations from 37 locations across the country.

“Next is deliberation and decision-making (during the isbat session), which will be announced to the public,” he said, as reported by ANTARA News Agency.

Isbat is an official government forum to confirm the beginning of Islamic lunar months. The session will be held at the Rasjidi Auditorium at the Religious Affairs Ministry building, here, and chaired by Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar.

Participants include representatives from Islamic organisations, embassies of Muslim-majority countries, the Indonesian Ulama Council, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Islamic astronomy experts, members of the House of Representatives (DPR), and representatives of the Supreme Court.

-- BERNAMA