Ramadan: Sect Rejects Western Means Of Moon Sighting

JOS, August 02, (THEWILL) - The Jama’atul Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Ikamatus Sunnah, JIBWIS, an Islamic sect with headquarters in Jos, Nigeria, has rejected the scientific method used in the sighting the mood to usher in the Ramadan fasting period for Muslims and has urged the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria to use only means recognized by the Shari’ah.

The sect gave the position at the end of their 17th national annual seminar which held in Jos, Plateau State.

The communiqué signed by the National Publicity Secretary of JIBWIS Ahmad Muhammad Ashiru said the scientific method is faulty because its Euro- American and computer dominated.

"The seminar appeals to the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs to use appropriate channels of moon sighting as regulated by the Shari’ah and disregard Euro- American scientific innovation that is computer dominated.

The JIBWIS insisted that the use of scientific method to sight the Ramadan moon will cause confusion and maintained that the Islamic method is more reliable and less cumbersome.

The Islamic method allows people to search for the moon by direct observation when the month is at hand and that anybody who sights the moon will call two or three witnesses before they would inform a cleric who will then confirm and announced same to the people to confirm the commencement of the compulsory 30 days of fasting, while the scientific method requires the use of modern technology and does not need confirmation by other witnesses.

The group condemned what it called the increasing rate of communal crises in the country and the attitude of some state governments in promoting "indigene syndrome", as well as the failure to bring to book the perpetrators of the crises.

The sect also called on the federal government to encourage dialogue for peaceful co-existence while pushing for punitive measures against the sponsors of recent crises in the country.