Querol leads Muslims of WV in "Moon Sighting" activity

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., director of the Police Regional Office-6, led the Muslim communities in Western Visayas during yesterday’s “Moon Sighting” or crescent sighting at Fort San Pedro in this city.

Querol, also the first Sultan of Panay, and his fellow Muslims joined Islam believers all over the globe in searching for the Ramadan crescent to determine the first day of fasting.

The month-long celebration of spiritual purification commences after the appearance of the astronomical new moon.

Muslims observe Ramadan by spiritual reflection and worship, while fasting is also strictly observed as their way of redirecting the heart from worldly activities.

As part of their preparation for Ramadan, Querol organized Moon Sighting teams to report the appearance of the new moon and ordained Ustadz Haron Magadapa of Roxas City, Capiz as the over-all chairman of these teams.

They were stationed in Aklan, Antique and Capiz provinces and in Iloilo City where members waited to see with their naked eyes the appearance of the new moon.

Earlier, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) formed the National Moon-Sighting Committee (NMSC) to search the horizons and look for any sight of moon that will signal the start of Ramadan.

It was gathered that if the crescent was seen by the naked eye yesterday, the Ramadan will start the next day. However, if it was not seen, then fasting will start the following day or on July 21.

Meanwhile, Querol encouraged non-Muslim members of the community to support this religious tradition of Islam. “Basically, we, the Muslims, will be on fasting on the duration of the Ramadan. Even just in this aspect, we need non-Muslims to understand us,” he said.

Querol noted that during Ramadan, non-Muslims who are not aware of the tradition usually offer Muslims with snacks or invite the latter for meals. “Hopefully, they will refrain from doing so,” he said.

Non-Muslims should join billions of Muslim communities throughout the world in spiritual reflection and worship during this religious tradition that will culminate with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, he added. - THE FREEMAN