Moon gazing

There should be nothing controversial at all about the setting up of a committee, comprising five scientists, to predict the days when occasions such as Eid, Muharram, and Ramazan will begin. The announcement to this effect by new Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry should be welcomed in a country that has failed to respect the advantages modern-day technology can offer it. Predicting moon cycles through scientific means and releasing calendars which lay down holidays based around the lunar calendar well in advance of the day itself are the norm in many Muslim countries including the UAE, Kuwait and others in both the Middle East and elsewhere. It is as such unclear why we must tolerate the extravagant ritual of men climbing on top of rooftops and gazing out at the dusk sky through telescopes in the hope of determining if the crescent has been spotted.

In today’s world, this process can be completed through some calculations and astronomical knowledge. The reason the minister has come under attack could then be linked to the fact that the annual moon siting ventures of the Ruet-e-Hilal committee cost us Rs3.06 million last year, and the committee itself, made up of eminent religious scholars, is maintained and funded by additional sums. Perhaps there is anxiety about losing these benefits or simply about allowing science to play any meaningful role in our lives.

The truth however is that science and religion are not in conflict with each other. They can complement each other perfectly and strike the kind of harmonious, rational chords we need in the country. We hope this venture will succeed and not be pushed aside by the waves of obscurantism which have in the past swept across our landscape and pushed aside other equally rational ideas. Knowing when a holiday is to arrive naturally makes life much simpler and more practical for citizens everywhere. It is also significant for business and trade. In this day and age, handing over such issues to scientists would also end the annual controversies we see over whether the moon has been sighted or not and the issues which arise from this. It would indeed be a welcome change to celebrate Eid jointly across the country and do so without the ugliness and discord that have arisen in the past as a result of disputes over moon-sighting.