Clerics say will work with science ministry to end Pakistani ‘moon sighting’ controversy 

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani central government and a newly-appointed chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, the department that announces the lunar calendar in the country, have agreed for the first time to work together and use scientific data to determine the sighting of the moon, which has for decades faced an annual controversy.
The beginning of the ninth and holiest month in the Muslim calendar, as well as the Eid holidays and the mourning month of Muharram, are determined by the sighting of the new moon in Pakistan, with the cleric-led Central Ruet-e-Hilal committee announcing when fasting should begin.
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, the minister for science and technology, has drawn the ire of conservative clerics in recent years over his calls for a science-based lunar calendar.
“We will welcome any scientific data, help and evidence to sight the new moon as we want to end the controversy forever,” Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, the new chief of the moon sighting committee, told Arab News in an interview, saying his committee would collaborate with the ministries of religion and science to gather scientific evidence to take a final decision.
“We have to act as one nation in celebrating our important religious and social events around the year, and we will be trying to unite people through our decisions,” Azad said.
However, he added: “Let me clarify one thing: our final decision will always be based on evidence from witnesses as per Shariah.”
However, Hussain, the science minister, said: “The age of sighting the moon with the naked eye is over.”
“We must use scientific data and evidence to make our decisions regarding the moon,” he told Arab News, saying the new moon committee chief was “welcoming” of science and with his collaboration, Hussain hoped the issue would be settled “once and for all.”
He said the government was setting up at least five observatories with latest telescopes, cameras for image and data acquisition and other necessary equipment to get accurate terrestrial and celestial data. The facilities would be set up in Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and Pasni, a city in the southwestern Balochistan province that is believed to be one of thee first places from where the new moon becomes visible.
“The work on the Islamabad observatory is underway and the remaining will also be operational soon,” Hussain said. “These observatories will help us bury this moon sighting controversy forever.”