UPDATE - Eid al-Fitr to start on Sunday in most Arab countries

UPDATES WITH MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS

By Ibrahim Khazen and Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – Muslims in most Arab countries will celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, on Sunday, while others will mark the festival on Monday.

Religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Bahrain said that the new crescent of Shawwal (the 10th month of the Islamic calendar) was sighted on Saturday and that Eid al-Fitr will be observed on Sunday.

Authorities in Palestine, Sudan, and Yemen made similar announcements. Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abd al-Latif Drian said that Sunni Muslims in the country will also celebrate the festival on Sunday.

Eid al-Fitr, however, will be celebrated on Monday in Oman, Egypt, and Syria as the new moon could not be sighted. Iraq’s Sunni and Shia Muslims will also mark the festival on Monday.

Eid al-Fitr, a festival of breaking the fast at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is the first of the two main festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha.