THIS Ramadan saw a number of multiracial buka puasa events to strengthen communal ties. But tonight, on the last day of the fasting month, the Penang Mufti Department did something extra.

Together with a civil society group, the department invited non-Muslims to the Sheikh Tahir observatory centre in Pantai Acheh, Balik Pulau, to sight the new crescent moon that marks the end of Ramadan.

It was the first time an invitation was extended to non-Muslims for the crescent moon sighting, said Islamic affairs officer Muhammad Haniff Baderun.

“This is the biggest crowd so far. In previous years, we didn’t get so many people. It was normally a quiet affair,” said the secretary of the department’s Rukyah committee.

Some 50 people gathered at the observatory and almost 20 of them were non-Muslims.

Universiti Sains Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Abdul Halim Abdul Aziz, who is also a member of the Rukyah committee, gave a briefing on the Islamic lunar calendar and the technicalities of the crescent moon sighting.

Later on the roof, where the observation dome and tracker telescopes are located, Associate Professor Dr Chong Hon Yew from USM’s Astronomy Club picked out the planets Venus and Jupiter, and passing binoculars around to the visitors, including children.

Earlier, Penang mufti Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said the department was happy to see non-Muslims at the event.

He told the visitors that Muslims used a lunar calendar like the Chinese.

“There are some similarities between our two calendars, so it won’t be too difficult to understand. The study of astronomy is very important in Islam. It is related to our rituals.

“We had many Islamic scholars who studied astronomy during the Golden Age of Islam. We had famed ones like al-Khawarizmi, al-Farabi and Ibn Sina who contributed to the field. Their works were translated into many languages and studied by Western scholars.”

Gary Tan from the Sungai Air Putih JKKK (village security and development committee) said he thought the event was a good way to foster ties. 

He was a guest of Teluk Bahang assemblyman Zolkifly Md Lazim.

Tan said he saw the similarities between the Chinese calendar and the Muslim lunar calendar.

“They are not very different. Ours have a leap month but theirs don’t. It explains why some in some years, we have kongsi raya,” he said.

Kongsi raya is when Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Chinese New Year – Malaysia’s two most major festivals –coincide like in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

The hilal sighting event was also a first for Kuala Sg Pinang resident Gwee Han Yang.

“I live nearby, so I came after the assemblyman forwarded the invitation,” he said. – June 14, 2018.