The response was 85% Yes and 15% No. Of those who said Yes, there was a 50:50 split between changing immediately and doing a trial (UK-only). The responses were based on a sample of 46 people, 30 (out of over 300) were ICOUK members and 16 were non-members.
As a result of this small sample and a 50:50 split on the responses, we shall make monthly announcements for both Regional (UK-MA) and Local (UK-only) Moon Sighting Criteria until further notice, InshaAllah. The responses charts are given below for your information.
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Survey Introduction
The UK Muslims have been following different foreign countries for Moon Sighting declarations for many years for historic reasons (eg. Morocco, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, etc), which has the natural consequence of divided Ramadan and Eid due to different foreign countries having different 29th lunar dates.However, it has been proven with the 5-year observation data on the ICOUK website (bit.ly/Comparison-UK-MA) that the crescent Moon (Hilal) can be seen on the UK horizon on the local 29th date more often than on foreign 29th dates according to the rules of Shariah.
We also have a defined UK Moon Sighting Boundary (bit.ly/LocalBoundary) and Testimony Procedure (bit.ly/TestimonyPolicy) in place to unite on a UK-only Moon Sighting criteria, which is also supported by many recent Fatawa from leading Darul Iftas from the Indian Subcontinent (bit.ly/SummaryFatawa).
However, for greater Muslim unity, we (ICOUK) are seeking wider community support (and answer any questions or concerns) for a transition to UK-only Moon Sighting criteria. We wish to hear from a wide cross-section of UK Muslims, including the Imams/Scholars and Mosque Committee Members, InshaAllah.
All personal contact details (eg. email, mobile etc) will be kept strictly confidential (for admin use), as per the ICOUK Privacy Policy (see moonsighting.org.uk/privacy-policy.html). [Dated: 25 June 2022/Closing deadline: 29 July 2022]