Faithful Muslims in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and many other locations, will begin observing the holy month of Ramadan beginning on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, according to the moon sighting committee of the UAE.
The Mufti of Committees for Legitimacy and Scientific Fatwa, Sheikh Shawki Allam of Egypt, announced officially that Wednesday is the first day of Ramadan.
In Jordan the Chief Justice said on Monday, broadcast over state television, that Wednesday will be the beginning of Ramadan observance. The declaration of Wednesday as the first day of the lunar month is in agreement with predictions made by a majority of astronomers.
According to experts at the Sharjah Planetarium at the Department of Culture and Information in the UAE, the Ramadan Crescent will first be visible at 11:45am on July 8, and will set later that day at 19:08pm, five minutes before sunset. The crescent will then be visible the next day, on July 9, in the evening. Therefore the first day of Ramadan falls on July 10. Astronomically this corresponds to Ramadan 01, 1434 H.
In Thailand the Muslim religious authority declared via the Bangkok post, in agreement with the UAE Muslim authorities, that indeed Ramadan will begin on Wednesday. Therefore, the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, will take place on August 9, ending the 30-day fasting period.