Eid ul-Fitr moon sighted in Saudi Arabia, other countries

The Shawal moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia heralding the start of Eid ul-Fitr holidays in the Kingdom from Friday, the official Saudi Supreme Judicial Council announced Thursday evening.

Muslims in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will celebrate Eid ul-Fitr on Friday, the Al-Arabiya news channel reported. Local media in Qatar also announced the sighting of the Shawal moon, marking Friday as the start of Eid holidays.

Meanwhile, the Shawal moon was also sighted in Turkey, Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan where Eid will be celebrated tomorrow (Friday).

The Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, the main official body tasked for sighting of the moon in Pakistan, is scheduled meet today (Friday).

Eid ul-Fitr celebrations begin after the end of the holy month of Ramazan, during which Muslims abstain from food and drinks from dawn to dusk. Eid ul-Fitr starts when the new moon is spotted in the sky, making the Eid holiday different around the world.