Overview
- Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court confirmed the hilal on Feb. 17, making Wednesday, Feb. 18, the first day of fasting, with the UAE and Qatar issuing matching announcements.
- Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Turkey, Japan, the Philippines and Oman said the crescent was not seen and set Thursday, Feb. 19, as their first fasting day.
- Moon‑sighting bodies in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Iran are meeting on Wednesday to decide their local start dates.
- In the UK, many communities follow Saudi Arabia or the nearest Muslim‑majority country such as Morocco, and the Royal Observatory Greenwich will livestream a moonsighting with expert commentary on Feb. 18.
- UK astronomers at the HM Nautical Almanac Office had expected poor visibility in Mecca on Feb. 17 and easier viewing on Feb. 18, and the observed start dates point to Eid al‑Fitr likely falling around March 19–20, pending final sightings.