In his congratulatory messages, Rouhani said all heads, thinkers, and religious scholars of Muslim nations are responsible for explaining and propagating the high aspirations of Islam during the holy month of Ramadan.
Rouhani also called on Muslim states to counter the enemy plots to spread Islamophobia and contribute to the realization of a world without violence and extremism by offering the moderate image of Islam to the world.
“I hope, during this blessed month, we all receive God’s blessing and make further efforts to establish and stabilise peace, calm, and security [in the region] and make all Muslims hopeful about future through our cooperation and solidarity,” he added.
He further wished success, health, and prosperity for heads of Islamic countries and their nations, and expressed the hope that the pains and ongoing problems in the Muslim world would be alleviated during the holy month.
Based on confirmed sightings of Ramadan’s new moon crescent, the first day of Ramadan 1438 fasting will be Saturday, May 27, in more than 30 Muslim countries including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, and Muslim communities in Europe and the US.
However, such countries as Iraq, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India declared Sunday May 28 to be their first day of Ramadan.
Last year in May, member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), at the International Hijri Calendar Unity Congress held in Istanbul, voted in favour of adopting a single unified lunar calendar.
However, they local sighting continues to be the default policy in each country.
