The holy fasting month of Ramadan will start Monday, September 1, in most Arab and Gulf countries as well as North America and European countries.
"There was no evidence of any person seeing the new crescent today," Saudi Arabia's Judicial Council confirmed in a statement on Saturday, August 30.
Therefore, Sunday, August 31, will be the last day of the month of Sha`ban and Ramadan will fall on Monday, September 1, added the council.
Religious authorities in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Yemen issued similar announcements.
Divided politically, the Palestinians will be united in starting the holy fasting month on Monday after the religious authorities in both Gaza Strip and the west Bank issued statements to that end.
Sunni religious authorities in both Iraq and Lebanon announced Saturday that the new crescent was not sighted and that Ramadan will fall on Monday.
Syria's top Islamic judge confirmed that the holy month of Ramadan will start on Monday.
In Cairo, the grand mufti of Egypt confirmed that the new crescent was not sighted Saturday and that fasting will start Monday.
The minister of justice and religious affairs in Djibouti also announced Monday as the start of Ramadan.
During Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.
MondayCalculations
The European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) confirmed that Ramadan will fall on the first day of September based on be astronomical calculations.
The French Council of the Muslim Faith, Central London Mosque, the imams' society in the Netherlands, the imams' association in Belgium and the Islamic Center in Milan decided to follow ECFR on the start of Ramadan.
Muslims in Bosnia and Serbia will observe the first day of Ramadan on Monday, the Islamic Sheikhdom of Bosnia and Serbia had said.
Croatian Muslims will follow neighboring Bosnia in observing the beginning of the holy fasting month.
Turkey's Presidency of Religion Affairs, the country's highest religious institution, had earlier announced Monday as the start of Ramadan based on calculations.
Muslims in Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Bulgaria will be following Turkey in observing the dawn-to-dusk fast.
Muslims in Germany, Austria, Romania and Ukraine will fast on Monday based on calculations, according to Muslim organizations.
The Islamic endowment authorities in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia decided to follow Saudi Arabia and Egypt in observing Ramadan as of Monday.
Australian Muslims will start fasting Ramadan on Monday, according to the Islamic center in Canberra.
The deputy head of the Russian Council of Muftis told IOL Monday has been confirmed as the start of Ramadan according to astronomical calculations.
The head of the Islamic cultural center in Saint Petersburg told IOL that the Islamic republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kirghizstan always follow Turkey in depending on astronomical calculations.
Muslim scholars in the Philippines also announced that Ramadan will fall on Monday based on astronomical calculations.
The first day of Ramadan will fall in North America on September 1, according to astronomical calculations, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has announced.
Sighting
Libya is so fat the only country to announce the start of Ramadan on Sunday, August 31.
The North African countries of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco will sight the new moon on Sunday.
This means Ramadan will either fall Monday or Tuesday.
Indonesia's Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim group, will sight the Ramadan moon on Sunday.
Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest group, has already announced that Ramadan will start on Monday.
Muslims in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will sight the new Ramadan moon on Monday.
Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue among Muslim countries, and even scholars seem at odds over the issue.
While one group of scholars sees that Muslims in other regions and countries are to follow the same moon sighting as long as these countries share one part of the night, another states that Muslims everywhere should abide by the lunar calendar of Saudi Arabia.
A third, however, disputes both views, arguing that the authority in charge of ascertaining the sighting of the moon in a given country announces the sighting of the new moon, then Muslims in the country should all abide by this.
This usually causes confusion among Muslims, particularly in the West, on observing the dawn-to-dusk fasting and celebrating the `Eid el-Fitr, which marks the end of fasting.
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