For most Muslims in the Netherlands, today is Eid. A new crescent moon was seen in Saudi Arabia last night. That is the sign that Ramadan is over: the Islamic fasting period ends at sunset.
The news means that the two largest Muslim communities in the Netherlands, namely the Turkish and the Moroccan, are celebrating Eid on the same day. This is not self-evident, because Muslims use different measurements internationally.
The Turkish community uses astronomical calculations established for a long time by Diyanet, the Turkish government body for religious affairs. That means that people who use the Turkish lunar calendar already knew that today is Eid al-Fitr.
“We know early on where we stand,” says Suleyman Balkaya of the Turkish Süleymaniye Mosque in Tilburg. “We already knew the dates last year. We follow the science.”
Uncertainty
For the vast majority of the Moroccan community, it was still unclear yesterday when the fasting period would end. That group had to wait until the new moon was officially established in Saudi Arabia, in the holiest place for Muslims: Mecca.
There, a group of Saudi scientists set to work with the most modern equipment. So they succeeded in spotting the new moon. If that had not been possible due to clouds, for example, an extra day would have had to be fasted.
“I think it’s beautiful,” Khalid El Kouazi of the Moroccan El-Feth mosque in Tilburg said earlier. “That the prophet Mohammed also looked at the moon with the naked eye more than 1400 years ago and we still do.”
According to El Kouazi, the issue is not so prevalent within the Moroccan community. “This has been going on for years.” Schools and employers are also flexible so that people can be free to celebrate Eid.”
El Kouazi also thinks it is logical that Saudi Arabia is retained to determine the start of Eid al-Fitr. “There is a lot of knowledge there in terms of religion. And Mecca, a holy place, is also there.”
Despite the uncertainty, many Muslims had already started preparations for Eid. There is a lot of cooking and baking, and gifts are bought. On the day itself, family and friends come together and eat and drink together.
