Three countries celebrate Eid on Sunday

RABAT/ RIYADH: Niger, Mali, and Afghanistan observed Eid on Sunday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramazan.

Niger’s news agency ANP said on Saturday the “lunar crescent” for the month of Shawwal was seen in several locations across the country. Shawwal is the tenth month in the Islamic calendar; it marks the end of Ramazan.

Many countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and the UAE, said that the sighting of the crescent moon yielded no result this weekend and therefore announced today (Monday) as Eid Al Fitr. Muslims in European countries and America will also observe Eid today following Saudi Arabia

In India, the crescent moon for the Islamic month of Shawwal was not sighted on Sunday evening, after which prominent clerics announced that the festival of Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in India on May 3.

“The crescent moon of the Islamic Month of Farangi Mahali of Lucknow’s Markazi Chand Committee. In Iran, the office of the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has declared Tuesday as Eid ul-Fitr.

The office’s headquarters tasked with moon sighting said Monday is the 30th of the month of Ramazan as the crescent of the moon of the lunar month of Shawwal was not observed in the sky.

Like Pakistan, Iraqis are set to celebrate Eid al-Fitr on two different days after authorities in the country differed on the end date of Ramazan. The Kurdistan region of Iraq and the Diwan of Sunni Endowments announced Monday as the first day of Eid al-Fitr, while Shia authorities have set the celebration for Tuesday.

The office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shia authority in Iraq, was quoted by the Iraqi state News Agency (INA) as saying: “The crescent of Shawal is expected to be clearly seen on Monday evening, thus Tuesday will be the first day of Eid.”