Muhammadiyah Starts Ramadhan Sept. 13

By Barrie | September 6th, 2007 | No Comments

In the lead-up to Ramadhan, the country’s two largest Muslim organizations Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah said they would use different paths to decide the date for the beginning of this year’s fasting month.

Muhammadiyah has already declared Sept. 13 the start of Ramadhan 2007, but the government said their decision should not be viewed as a fragmentation of Islam.

“Muhammadiyah is organizing an international symposium on a united Islamic calendar, including the start of Ramadhan, while NU will hold an internal meeting to discuss the issue in Bumiayu, Brebes (Central Java) on Thursday,” Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni told detik.com.

“The difference is natural as Muhammadiyah and NU use different reference books,” he said.

Muhammadiyah has always used hisab (mathematical and astronomical calculations) to decide the start of Ramadhan, while NU has always used hilal, which relies on the moon.

Source: Jakarta Post