Muslims throughout the world will be looking for a crescent moon sighting at sunset today to decide if Ramadhan (the month of fasting) starts on Monday or Tuesday.

According to scientific data a new crescent moon is only visible after 20 hours. And the moon’s angle (altitude) from the sun at sunset needs to be at least 7 degrees.

The new moon will be born at 2:59 (UT) on Sunday 5th June 2016.

The moon will NOT be visible to the naked eye at sunset on Sunday 5th June 2016 in the UK, Morocco, South Africa, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia – so no declarations are possible at that time in those countries.

The pre-calculated Umm al-Qura calendar system of Saudi Arabia will accept moon sightings up to 97.7 degrees latitude (the location at which sunset occurs when dawn is breaking the following morning in Mecca).

Saudia Arabia does not state that other countries should follow their conclusions. The London Central mosque, which is funded by Saudi Arabia, does not ask/instruct any other mosque in the UK to follow their conclusions/instructions.

But some people blindly insist on following Saudi Arabia even when their conclusions defy scientific data. Their reported sightings are not made by Saudi appointed official bodies either.

This amounts to "I am a Muslim believe me not this scientific data - but for the rest of the year follow the scientific data".

Conclusion:

The moon will not be visible in the UK or East of UK/Morocco by the naked eye on Sunday 5th June 2016 but will be visible in the Americas, Hawaii and the Polynesia Islands.

Saudi are expected to announced 1st Ramadhan as Monday 6th June 2016 as the conditions of the Umm al-Qura calendar will have been met.

The moon will be easily visible the following evening (6th June) across much of the world. On this basis Ramadhan is expected to begin on Tuesday 7th June 2016.

So we are likely to be starting Ramadhan on different days (Monday and Tuesday).
But likely to be celebrating Eid on the same day.

Latest:

The London Central Mosque has announced released the following statement:

"We are pleased to announce to the whole Muslim Community in the U.K that Monday 6th June 2016 is the 1st of Ramadan 1437 Hijri. We congratulate all Muslims in the world and want to take this opportunity to wish everyone in the whole world a peaceful and blessed Ramadan."

All mosques in Southall except the Jamia Masjid on Townsend Road normally follow these statements.

The Jamia Masjid on Townsend Road will wait until sunset and decide based on reliable and authenticated moon sightings from anywhere in the world.

The Saudi decision was based on the testimony of an 80 year old man. No one else in the town saw it. The Riyadh Observatory says no sighting of the moon is possible and none of the official Saudi Hilal Committee Members were able to sight it.

This evidence would not be accepted in any (reliable) court of law.