Imam's Shurah Council of New England
United Ramadan Effort / Moon Sighting Committee
Imams of greater Boston and New England have formed a moon sighting council in an effort to insure that the Muslim Community in New England will be able to enjoy the blessings of Ramadan this year, and for every period of worship that we as a community must look for the sighting of the Hilal (the crescent moon).
We have decided not to accept the sighting of a single country or person due to the conflicting and sometimes dubious reports that we have had to deal with in past years.
We will accept reports of sightings from a majority of selected Muslim countries that either claim to have seen or not seen the Hilal. This will enable us to be better prepared by hours to declare the commencement of Ramadan, the Hajj season or to be secure as regards each of our months throughout the year.
We will not be bound by scientific calculations but will consider scientific information as regards the possibility of a claim that the crescent has been sighted.
We are also planning to establish a local moon sighting committee in an effort to sight the moon in our own region (New England). At present we are unprepared and will rely on the method of accepting a qualified report from another region of the world.
Your cooperation as a community is essential to our collective success.
Imams who have accepted this method are listed below:
- Imam Abdur Rasaq Hashi - Masjid Taqwa, Boston, MA
- Imam Hafiz Masood - Islamic Center of New England, Sharon, MA
- Imam Hamid Mahmood - Islamic Society of Greater Worcester, Worcester, MA
- Imam Hafiz Abdul Hannan - Islamic Society of Greater Lowell, Chelmsford, MA
- Imam Taalib Mahdee - Masjid Al Quran, Boston, MA
- Sheikh Abdel Rahman Mohamed - Allston Brighton Islamic Center, Allston, MA
- Imam Abdul Hamid Bourote - Allston Brighton Islamic Center, Boston, MA
- Imam Abdullah Faaruuq - Masjidu li Hamdillah, Boston, MA
- Imam Basyouny Nehala - Islamic Society of Boston, Cambridge, MA
- Imam Talal Eid - Islamic Institute of Boston, Quincy, MA
- Imam Wissam - Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts, Springfield, MA
- Imam Salih Yucel - Revere, MA
- Imam Ibraheem Safar - Revere, MA
- Imam Abdul Hamid - Providence, RI
- Imam Dr. Asif Razvi - Islamic Center of Boston, Wayland, MA
