Friday November 16 12:52 AM ET

Ramadan Begins in Saudi Arabia, Parts of Asia

By Simon Cameron-Moore

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Muslims in the Arab world and Asia officially began the fasting month of Ramadan on Friday but religious authorities in some nations where poor visibility obscured the new moon opted for a Saturday start.

Top clerics in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, spotted the new moon, which traditionally marks the start of the holy month, on Thursday night.

Most countries in the Arabian peninsula followed suit and began Ramadan on Friday.

But in Southeast Asia, monsoon season cloud cover obscured the sliver of the crescent moon as it has done for several years.

Islamic scholars in most of the region decreed a Saturday start based on their own calculations.

Visibility in the Philippines, Asia's only Roman Catholic nation, was no better but the Muslim minority there began Ramadan on Friday.

The precise timing of the holy month depends on the sighting of the new moon and varies slightly across the Islamic world.

Once the moon has been spotted, Muslims refrain from dawn to dusk from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex.

This year, the U.S.-led war against Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and their guest Osama bin Laden has raised sensitivities among the world's 1.2 billion Muslims in the run-up to Ramadan.

Ramadan began in Afghanistan on Friday.

The Taliban and Saudi-born bin Laden, the man Washington accuses of masterminding the deadly September 11 suicide hijack attacks on the United States, have both portrayed the war as a crusade against Islam.

CALLS FOR AFGHAN PAUSE

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and Afghanistan's neighbor Pakistan have called for a pause to the U.S. military campaign during Ramadan.

Washington has said it cannot comply, arguing that this would allow bin Laden and the Taliban to regroup and highlighting Islamic precedents for conflict during Ramadan.

Religious scholars and political analysts say battles during Ramadan have been common throughout the ages. They point to the first major victory of Islam at Badr in 624 AD and the conquest of the holy city Mecca, both conducted during the holy month.

Egypt and Syria launched the 1973 war against Israel during Ramadan, while Iran and Iraq did not stop fighting during Ramadan in their 1980-88 war.

But some Muslim commentators say Ramadan bombing raids could reinforce a perception of the war as a Christian attack on Islam.

In the Middle East, Israel prepared a massive security operation for the first Friday Muslim prayers of Ramadan in Jerusalem.

The holiday brings little cheer to Palestinians this year, with no end in sight to Israeli-Palestinian violence in which nearly 900 people have died.

Israeli blockades were in place even before a Palestinian uprising against occupation erupted more than a year ago.

``The presence of police outside the gates causes provocation,'' Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, the mufti of Jerusalem, said. ``To reduce the tension, the (police) should stay away.''

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Around one-fifth of the world's Muslims live in Southeast Asia. Muslims are traditionally moderate in the region, although Southeast Asian governments have expressed concern about the rise of radical Islam.

There is an agreement between Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei to begin Ramadan on the same day.

In Indonesia, the Religious Ministry declared Ramadan begins on Saturday, but it gave permission to Muslims to begin fasting if they believe Friday marked the start.

In predominantly Muslim Malaysia, the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal, Ibrahim Engku Ngah, announced late on Thursday over radio and television that the fasting month would begin on Saturday.

Muslims in the Philippines started Ramadan on Friday.

``The majority of Muslims in the Philippines start observing Ramadan today, November 16,'' Ronie Pusaca, the secretary of the

Golden Mosque in the capital Manila, told Reuters.

He said the date was decreed although the new moon was not sighted, possibly because of cloud cover.

Muslims make up some five percent of the 76 million people in the Philippines, Asia's only Roman Catholic nation.

There are also sizable Muslim minorities in Thailand and Myanmar.

Pakistan has seen some violent protest against the U.S. bombing raids on Afghanistan.

There have been few major protests in Southeast Asia, since a spate of demonstrations in early October after the U.S.-led bombing campaign began.

President Bush, keen to rally support of the world's Muslims for his war on terrorism, sent Ramadan greetings to the Islamic world on Thursday.

But he avoided mention of the bombing campaign in Afghanistan and emphasized humanitarian efforts there.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001