Dar al-Fatwa Says Ramadan Starts Friday, Shiite Council Says Month Begins Saturday
Dar al-Fatwa, the highest religious Sunni Muslim authority in Lebanon, on Thursday announced that Friday will be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, as the Higher Islamic Shiite Council declared that Ramadan will start on Saturday.
The holy month will begin on Friday in most Arab countries, religious authorities announced, but in Oman and Syria as well as for Iraq's Sunni Muslims and in non-Arab Iran it will start on Saturday.
Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen were among those to announce a Friday start.
During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious and charitable.
The month begins with the sighting of the new moon, which varies from country to country.
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