Indonesia Scheduled to Hold Isbat Meeting on April 12

KOMPAS.com - The Religious Affairs Ministry, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and other related institutions in Jakarta will hold an isbat (confirmation) meeting on April 12 to determine the start of the holy month of Ramadan 1422 Hijriah or 2021.

"The isbat meeting will be held on April 12, 2021," the ministry's director general of Islamic Community Guidance Kamaruddin Amin told Kompas.com on Sunday, March 14.

The results of this meeting will determine the first day of the fasting month. The ministry established a committee, namely the Rukyat Hisab Agency (BHR) in 1972, consisting of theologians and astronomers.

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BHR is in charge of taking into account the hisab [astronomical calculation] and rukyatul hilal [new moon observation] methods to determine the start of Ramadan, Syawal and Zulhijjah. The results of BHR study will be taken into consideration during the isbat meeting.

Meanwhile, the isbat meetings to determine other Islamic festivals namely Idul Fitri and Idul Adha (festival of sacrifice) will take place on May 11 and July 10, respectively. 

For years, the second-largest Islamic organization in the country, Muhammadiyah, had set different dates both for the start of the fasting month and for Idul Fitri. This year, however, Muhammadiyah had already announced in January that the start of Ramadan 1442 H would fall on April 13 based only on their hisab calculation.

(Writer: Nur Fitriatus Shalihah | Editor: Inggried Dwi Wedhaswary)

Sources:https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2021/03/15/085000965/sidang-isbat-penentuan-1-ramadhan-1422-h-digelar-pada-12-april-2021

https://www.kompas.com/tren/read/2021/03/15/073100965/kapan-ramadhan-2021-