On Monday, May 30, 2016 - thanks to ALLAH Almighty – the unification of the international Hijri Calendar conference, held in Istanbul on 28-30 / 5/2016 has ended.
* General Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey *, has called and organized this conference in participation with: * International Astronomy and the European Council for Fatwa and Research Center*, and in participation with several institutions and jurisprudential academies and scientific fatwa committees in more than 60 countries in the world including:
1. Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World Association.
2. The Fiqh Council in the Indian sub-continent.
3. Organization of senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia.
4. Shariah scholars’ complex in America.
Representatives of the fatwa institutions were also present in many Arab, Islamic and European, the Americas, Australia, Russia and other countries.
The conference was attended by representatives from many of the astronomical institutions and enterprises that export calendars in many countries, including:
1. Islamic Crescents Observation Project.
2. Om Al-Qura Calender.
3. Egyptian General Authority of space.
4. Islamic Union of North America ISNA and other astronomical institutions.
By this it is * one of the largest scientific conferences * - but the largest- with respect to * studying astronomical calculations, vision, and unify Calendar *.
A preparatory effort was lasted for more than three years, carried out by the Scientific Committee of the Conference, which is composed of a group of senior scholars and astronomers, which has already held five seminars preparatory conference.
* The conference aims to unite Muslims in their rituals *, so that there is only one certified Hijri calendar, brings together Muslims in the fast, and holidays, and various religious events, rather than country-specific calendars.
Scientists from jurists, astronomers and experts has negotiate during the three consecutive days of different views on the subject in all its legitimacy and astronomical and social dimensions, with particular emphasis on its impact on the reality in the West, Muslim minorities, which do not have binding on all religious institutions, which leads to their division in this events, which in turn affects the unity of their word, and their reputation and the reputation of Islam in Western societies.
The conference also discussed the need for these minorities - more than others - to pre-determine the religious observances and their festivals.
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After agreeing on the most important criteria and conditions that must be included in the calendar, which is summarized in:
- Rely on astronomical calculations.
-Rely on the clear vision to require the possibility of sighting of the crescent, not just its birth
* The projects in the conference have crystallized in two major projects *.
* 1. The first project: (mono Calendar) *:
And the idea that there should be a single calendar for the entire world east and west, it is the beginning to uniform the lunar months around the world, this project starts from the famous idiosyncratic saying and that of the majority of scientists that (no lesson from the deviation of crescent sighting), when the Crescent is seen in a country it requires all Muslims to work on that vision.
* 2. The second project: (Duo Calendar) *:
Where it divided the world in to two ranges:
- The eastern range: includes Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe, and which all countries of the Islamic world.
- Western range: featuring North and South Americas.
So that if the crescent could be seen in any part of the Americas, America is only included the not the rest of the eastern range states.
The project starts from the idiosyncratic saying (the lesson is depending on crescent sighting) and it has identified the planet in to two ranges only.
In this division, the compatibility between the eastern and western ranges in determining the beginnings of months will be achieved by 75% of the months, and will vary in almost 25% of them, in which the countries of the Americas will precede the rest of the countries in the start of the months by one day.
After reviewing the comments received on both projects, and the benefits of each, and effects work with any of them – they were shown to be voted for, * the first project (mono Calendar) has received almost two-thirds of the audience *.
The conference came out with a number of resolutions and recommendations, most notably:
1. Adoption of astronomical calculations based on visibility.
2. The presidency of the Turkish Religious Affairs works by communicating with the Turkish presidency on the draft calendar on the Organization of the Islamic Conference for adoption.
3. Create global monitoring committees with modern monitoring, based on data from astronomical calculations in proving vision.
4. Call the Muslim minorities to unite their fast and Iftar, and benefit from the calendar which will be released later on the basis of the decisions of the conference.
And finally: * The unified Islamic Calendar is a need dreamed by the Muslims in the world to narrow the differences and the reasons for the split *
* It is also a major responsibility shared by the rulers, scientists, astronomers and intellectuals and officials in the Islamic missionary institutions alike, and each is responsible to God from his position that he work in *.
We ask Allah Almighty to bring Muslims together on what is the well in both Dunya and Akhira