Overview
- Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court confirmed a crescent sighting and declared Wednesday, February 18, as the first day of Ramadan, a decision also adopted by the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
- Authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Turkey, Oman, Japan and the Philippines reported no sighting on Tuesday and set the first fast for Thursday, February 19.
- National moon‑sighting bodies in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Iran scheduled meetings for Wednesday to issue local determinations on the start of Ramadan.
- Astronomers and moon‑sighting experts, including the New Crescent Society and officials in the UAE and Oman, said the crescent was not observable on February 17, challenging the Saudi reports.
- In the UK, many communities await guidance from Morocco or local sightings, and the Royal Observatory Greenwich plans a live moonsighting broadcast on Wednesday evening.