Ramadan 2020: UAE's moon sighting committee to meet on Thursday

Ramadan is expected to fall on April 24, dependent on the moon…

The UAE’s moon sighting committee will hold a virtual meeting on Thursday night, after Maghreb prayer, according to Emirates News Agency (WAM).

In the meeting, the committee, chaired by chairmanship of Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi Al Dhaheri, Minister of Justice, will asses whether they can see a new moon, indicating the start of Ramadan.

At present, the holy month of Ramadan is expected to fall on Friday, April 24, however this is entirely dependent on the sighting of the moon.

According to WAM.ae, “The Sharia courts across the country will follow up and inform the committee of any sightings, while the Lunar Calendar Committee at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department will continue collecting evidence and informing the Moon-Sighting Committee with the findings.”

On April 19, the Federal Authority For Government Human Resources (FAHR) announced shorter working hours throughout the month of Ramadan.

The public sector will work from 9am to 2pm, once the official start date of Ramadan has been confirmed. Reduced e-learning hours for UAE schools have also been announced throughout the holy month.

Class times will be reduced to 30 minutes. For younger children, there will be a total of 15 classes per week, and for older ones, there will be a total of 17 to 22 classes per week.

Image: Getty