Islamabad, May 28 : Pakistan has launched its first ever moon-sighting website in a bid to end decades-old controversy over the start of key lunar months that decides the beginning of the holy month of Ramazan and Eid festivals.
The website “pakmoonsighting .pk” was inaugurated on Sunday, two weeks after Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry made an announcement regarding the preparation of a scientific lunar calendar.
He said the website would show the exact dates of important Islamic occasions –Ramazan, Eidul Fitr, Eidul Azha and Muharram, the ‘Dawn’ reported.
Speaking at the launch of the website, Chaudhry said that it will end the “moon-sighting controversy” in the country.
He said that not only Pakistan but also other countries can benefit from it to decide the sighting of moon.
The website features sections such as Islamic calendar for the next five years, a day-to-day lunar calendar against dates from the Gregorian calendar, and the dates on which the first day of every lunar month will fall.
Everyone can access year-wise data about the new moon, its monthly visibility maps and monthly coordinates in major cities on the site as well.
“A mobile phone app was also being prepared to make it further easier to know when the lunar month would begin,” Chaudhry said.
Pakistan has been facing controversies on key religious occasions like start of Ramazan and Eid as religious leaders from different regions differ on sighting of the moon.
This year, Ramazan started in Khyber-Pakhtunhwa on May 06 while in rest of the country it began on May 07.
It is also possible the celebration of Eid will be held on two different dates.
Chaudhry said such issues have been resolved and the coming Eid will be on June 05.
But his efforts to resolve the dispute may not end as most of the clerics insist that sighting of moon with naked eye is essential.
Islamabad, May 28 : A
Cleric files police complaint against Pak minister over moon-sighting website
Muslim cleric has filed a police complaint against Pakistan’s Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, alleging that he had deliberately violated norms of Islam and Sharia by introducing a moon-sighting calendar.
Mufti Inamul Haq has filed a complaint with the Secretariat Police Station here, alleging that Chaudhry had deliberately violated norms of Islam and Sharia by introducing a moon-sighting calendar, ‘Dawn’ newspaper reported.
In the complaint, it is stated that the minister had also used derogatory remarks against the religious figures and hurt the sentiments of the masses.
Haq has requested the Secretariat Police to lodge a First Information Report against the minister.
