THE moon sighting controversy just fails to go away. Since far back as the 1960s, moons-sighting has been contentious. It is ironic that we never scan the skies for ‘sun sightings’ to determine sehri, iftar and prayer timings, and rely on printed tables for cities provided by the meteorological department.

We should likewise rely on the moon-rise calculations of the same department for this time zone (meridian 75°E).

The controversy is mostly for the first of Shawwal and sometimes for Ramazan. These are the only two occasions on which the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee is active. Why is there no controversy in the remaining 10 months?

As visual sightings and recording witnesses’ statements from remote areas of the country have not proved to be a reliable method, the lunar calendar may well be good enough for the future.

Asif Jah

Karachi

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LIKE previous years, confusion was thick in the air on the eve of Eidul Fitr about moon-sighting. Traditionally, the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee used to announce the sighting, but a few years ago, the ministry of science and technology launched a website for the purpose and the controversy has only intensified since then.

Creating such confusion on our religious occasions is totally uncalled for. The moon-sighting authorities and any other ‘authority’ interested in the matter should cooperate with each other in the interest of the people.

Laiba Khan

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2021