Belgian Muslim Council to Announce Eid al-Fitr Date Today

Pending the official announcement of the end of Ramadan date, Muslims in Belgium plan to end the month of fasting on Friday. But the doubt remains, until the council of theologians has met to officially set the date of the end of Ramadan. Two methods are authorized by Islam to set this date. The first, the calculation method based on astronomical predictions of the lunar cycle, is used in particular by Turkey which predicts the end of Ramadan for Friday, after 29 days of fasting.

The second method, called lunar observation, is the one adopted by several countries including Morocco. In these countries, the appearance of the new moon determines the end of Ramadan. In case of impossibility to see the new crescent, it will be necessary to fast for one more day, to close the month of fasting after 30 days. Consequently, the date of Eid el-Fitr could be set on Saturday. This last method is less and less used in Belgium which prefers the calculation method, reports La Libre, specifying that it makes it possible to anticipate the end of Ramadan.

The calculation method also makes it possible to avoid that certain communities in the same country celebrate Eid el-Fitr one or two days apart, as was the case for Moroccans and Turks in Belgium. The blame is on foreign influence and politics. For example, Saudi Arabia and Iran started the fasting month on the same date, which some observers see as a consequence of their rapprochement in Beijing. Similarly, Morocco and Tunisia have had to celebrate the end of Ramadan to differentiate themselves.