UAE’s Moon-Sighting Committee To Meet On Sunday To Announce Eid Date

The UAE has set up a moon-sighting committee to confirm the first day of Eid Al Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi, the UAE’s minister of Justice has issued a decision setting up the committee, official news agency WAM reported.

The committee, chaired by the Minister of Justice, also includes Mohammed bin Hamad Al Badi, under- secretary of the Ministry of Justice, along with other officials.

It will hold a meeting after Maghreb prayer on Sunday, the 29th of Ramadan, corresponding to July 27, 2014 at the Judiciary Department in Abu Dhabi.

The decision called on all the Sharia courts across the country to look out for the crescent moon and inform the committee, the report said.

Last week, UAE officials announced that private sector workers in the country will get two days off for Eid Al Fitr, while public sector workers in the country will receive nine-days for the holiday, starting from Sunday July 27. Federal ministries and departments will resume work on August 3.

The Sharjah Planetarium at the Department of Culture and Information has said that it expects the first day of Eid to fall on Monday, July 28.

The month of Ramadan, which began on June 29, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.