Jakarta, NU Online
The first day of Idul Fitri, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, will fall on Sunday, the Religious Affairs Ministry has announced.<>

The decision was made after the ministry completed the isbat (confirmation) meeting on Saturday evening, attended by representatives from various Muslim organizations and Muslim scholars.

“Calculations based on hisab (astronomical calculations) and rukyat (observation) all indicate that Idul Fitri falls on Sunday," said Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali during the meeting.

With this decision, all Muslims throughout the country will celebrate Idul Fitri on the same day, although Ramadhan began on different days for different Muslim groups.

The country's second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, determined that the first day of Ramadhan fell on July 20, while the government announced July 21 as the start of fasting.

Muhammadiyah had previously declared that the awaited religious holiday of Idul Fitri would fall on Sunday, following its own astronomical calculations.

Muslims in Indonesia are used to starting Ramadhan and Idul Fitri on different days because of the different methods used by various parties to determine the dates. However, during the meeting, the minister suggested that in the future all parties should sit together to decide upon a scheme to unite them all.

“I hope we can find a way, so we can avoid these differences in determining the beginning of the fasting month and Idul Fitri,” he said.

Editor : Sudarto Murtaufiq