· Can Eid be celebrated together in Pakistan?
· Why are women not included in the sighting committee?
· Reaction on social media
Mufti Muneeb removed: Will the change of the chairman of Ruet-e-Hilal Commitee end the controversy over the moon in Pakistan?
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has been expressing his concerns over the Ruwit-e-Hilal Committee since taking over the ministry.
In Pakistan, the month of Ramadan and Shawwal has always been the subject of various controversies
However, on Wednesday, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, who had been the chairman of the Ruwit-e-Hilal Committee for nearly two decades, was removed from his post and a new 19-member committee was formed.
The new chairman of the committee will be Abdul Khabir Azad, the current Khatib of Badshahi Masjid in Lahore and a member of the Ruwit Hilal Committee for the past 15 years. The new 19-member committee does not include any women.
On the occasion, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said in a tweet that “the problem is not with Muneeb-ur-Rehman’s interpretation of what one of our religious sects does, which rejects science and technology.”
There has been a mixed reaction to the removal of Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman after nearly two decades, and while some have called it a success for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, most people have praised Mufti Muneeb for so long. Keep up the good work.
However, the question arises as to whether the change of chairman of the committee will change the way we look at the controversial Ramadan and Shawwal moons each year, or whether the debate between science and religion will continue.
All matters are to be settled on the basis of evidence but we will seek the help of science.
In this regard, when the new chairman of the Ruwit-e-Hilal Committee, Abdul Khabir Azad, was asked what would change in determining the sighting of the moon, he said, “All matters are to be settled on the basis of evidence. Yes, but cooperation from science will definitely be sought.
It may be recalled that Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has been expressing his concerns over the Ruwit-e-Hilal Committee since taking over the ministry.
To bridge the gap, they released a lunar calendar for the next five years last year with the help of science, as well as an app that allows ordinary people to find out about the moon. ۔
Talking about this, Abdul Khabir Azad said that he has met Fawad Chaudhry and “he has his own opinion but we will try to take all parties together”.
The new chairman of the committee will be Abdul Khabir Azad, the current Khatib of Badshahi Masjid in Lahore and a member of the Ruwit Hilal Committee for the last 15 years.
He said, “I don’t think there have been any such issues before. There may be some misunderstandings and I have talked to Fawad Chaudhry about this and we will take guidance from wherever we get it, so that the Shariah principles Decisions can be made accordingly.
Mufti Zameer Sajid, a member of the Ruwit-e-Hilal Committee, reacted to Fawad Chaudhry’s statement by saying, “There was no such thought. It is Fawad Chaudhry’s own thought.” Scientists before that were and still are members of the vision, we didn’t deny it before, we still won’t. ”
“The moon will be observed according to Shariah principles.”
Can Eid be celebrated together in Pakistan?
For the past several years, a non-governmental committee headed by Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai at the Qasim Ali Khan Mosque in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been deciding on the sighting of the moon, which has led to two Eids across the country.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had set up a five-member committee at the beginning of Ramadan last year to determine the future of Ramadan and Eids across the country. However, Shawwal moon sighting by Masjid Qasim Ali Khan Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated at the official level in most parts of the province after the announcement.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Khabir Azad said, “Our previous committee also wanted us to take decisions in this regard amicably, and this time we will go and meet them and take them all along.” Efforts will be made to celebrate Eid on the same day all over the country.
Mufti Zameer Sajid said that propaganda was being spread as if “Mufti Muneeb has been removed under some conspiracy”.
He said that this is not the case at all, but the file regarding making rules and regulations for the Ruwit-e-Hilal Committee has been going on since the time of Nawaz Sharif.
Prince Adnan, a meteorologist and meteorologist, said that in order to end the controversy over the sighting of the moon in Pakistan, we need to bring together religious leaders and scholars and spread awareness in this regard.
“At the beginning of the year, solar and lunar eclipses are predicted, while the movement of the moon can be predicted for many years to come,” he said.
Why are women not included in the sighting committee?
Talking about the participation of women, Mufti Zameer Sajid said, “There is no abomination in it. Probably no one has paid attention to this before, although women are also present in our other centers.”
“It doesn’t matter if she is a religious scholar or a scientist,” he said.
It may be recalled that one person is also nominated by the Pakistan Meteorological Department in the Ruwit Hilal Committees.
In this regard, meteorologist Prince Adnan said that the names are given by the Karachi head office of the Meteorological Department and then it is up to the women to go to the zonal sighting committees, but it is not necessary for anyone.
Reaction on social media
Reacting to this on social media, a user Adeel Raja called it a success of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He said that PTI did what no government could do.
Many consumers were also seen criticizing the government’s decision. One user wrote, “There is no one better than Mufti Muneeb, a true voice, good character and highly educated person.” He also used the hashtag “Restore Mufti Sahib”.
One user wrote, “It’s definitely a sad day, but now at least the ambiguity about the moon will disappear and the tradition of the two Eids will end.”
