Senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah announced on Wednesday that Eid al-Fitr will fall on September 20. Fadlallah issued a statement saying that “on the basis of astronomical data, the birth of Shawwal’s crescent for this Islamic year [1430 hijri] will happen at 6:44 p.m. on Friday September 18, 2009.” In reference to the impossibility of seeing the crescent that night, the Sayyed concluded that “Saturday September 19 will be Ramadan’s last day and therefore, Sunday the first day of Shawwal and Eid al-Fitr.”
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