This week in Bahrain we focus on bloggers’ responses to the start of Ramadan. A number of bloggers are frustrated that the start of the month varies according to the different sects. Silver sums up the problem: I think Bahrain, as small as it is, is the most confused country when it comes to Ramadan. Last years we had 3 different dates for the start of Ramadan!! When it comes to Sunnis they go with whatever the government (so do some Shiaa). The government hold a Ramadan committee which have never ever seen the moon, so they out source it to Saudi. The good thing about Sunnis, they are united on when Ramadan starts and ends. Now when it comes to Shiaa, the confusion begins. Every Shiaa Shaikh has his own committee…They keep people wondering until midnight about when Ramadan starts! […] I suggest we make a deal with NASA and send 2 Shaikhs (one Shiaa and one Sunni) on a space shuttle, when they reach out of space, open the window for the sheikhs and make sure they see the moon and then get back! Ammar also thinks technological advances should be taken into consideration: And so we're waiting for the sightings to see whether Ramadan is today, tomorrow, or the regular argument we go through every year; the Sunni people decide it is today, but the Shiia decide its tomorrow, and so on. Of course, all of this is based on “testimonies” of people who probably sit at the top of their house, mosque, or maybe even get clearance to go to the top of Al Moayyed tower (hopefully shifting to Bahrain Financial Harbour next year) to get a really close good look at the sky and see if the moon has, in fact, appeared. Pardon me for being a little rude but this is all a bunch of crap. For one, not everyone has the same eyesight; some have stronger than others. Secondly, a sky can be cloudy, or unclear with haze, hiding the moon even if it has actually appeared. I can go on and on about how this method is subjective depending on the person, where he is located, etc, and thus brings rise to the whole complication between Sunna and Shiaa about which day to fast because the Sunni guy saw it but the Shiaa guy didn't, which day Eid is,and so on. This way of finding whether or not the moon exists is pure rubbish, in this day and age. Why do I say this? Well, technology has given people the ability to literary stare into space with telescopes and satellites, using the latest technology to find the moon even through the murkiest sky. Not only that, but companies like NASA have the means to actually predict when the moon will appear way before it actually does (and this isn't restricted to huge organizations like NASA, but smaller astronomy centers now have the means to do this as well). […] Does it still make sense that we're sitting on top of a rooftop squinting trying to see if the moon ‘is’ actually there? Lets just wish that this year our Sunni and Shiia brothers celebrate the joys of Ramadhan and Eid together, and blessed may this month be on all thee. Naz, a Bahraini studying in Australia, feels she's missing out: So anyhow, as ammar -and half the bahraini blogging population, I bet – has reported, old men are lining up on Bahrain’s rooftops to decide whether tomorrow is the first day of Ramadhan or not.. and later on tonight, my family will be sitting in front of tv waiting for it to be announced.. I on the other hand, with a quick phone call to “ask a sheikh” service (done by a friend, then the info was passed to me) was informed that Thursday is in fact is the first day of Ramadhan. Last week families in Bahrain stocked up on food (and apparently over stocked on Vimto) I spent my week studying and doing assignments.. it wasnt until 2 days ago that I realised that Ramadhan is that close! For the next month Families, teenagers, and even kids will spend their nights in front of television watching episode after episode of the latest in the Khaleeji (Gulf) and egyptian soap operas, gossiping about every episode the next day. I will spend my nights downloading the above mentioned episodes (if I am lucky enough to finish assignments by then), only for them to be ruined by an over excited friend or relative who has seen them before they went online. ah, well.. you get the picture. Cradle of Humanity wants people to remember the true nature of the month, and not be caught up in squabbles: I like Ramadan because it is the only time of the year during which all my family members gather for a meal- everyday. They are all punctual, too. I like Ramadan because it is a change from the year-round routine. People’s schedules, meals and greetings all change for Ramadan; I like how special Ramadan is treated. I like the change of air, just how I like the change of seasons and how life and people change to adapt for it.