"The position of the moon can be known not only now but in the future as well. Science has grown so rapidly that there should no longer be any disputes among them, although they eventually need to reach a consensus," Kalla stated.Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla has expressed hope that no further disputes would surface to determine the new moon (hilal), given the rapid scientific developments enabling scientists to precisely forecast a total solar eclipse.
"The position of the moon can be known not only now but in the future as well. Science has grown so rapidly that there should no longer be any disputes among them, although they eventually need to reach a consensus," he stated while addressing the inauguration of the executive board of the Central Sulawesi provincial chapter of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) here on Wednesday.
Kalla, who is also the DMI chairman, expressed hope that Muslims would stay abreast of the scientific developments.
"Other people have landed on the moon. Why are we still embroiled in disputes to determine the position of the moon," he pointed out.
The vice president remarked that according to estimates, Indonesia has 800 thousand mosques.
"But only Allah knows their exact number as people do not need a permit from the government to build mosques," he noted.
Across the world, only the governments of Indonesia and Pakistan regulate mosques, but the imams or preachers of the mosques in Indonesia enjoy full freedom, he emphasized.
This is not the case in countries such as Malaysia, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco where the imams or preachers of the mosques are chosen by their governments.
"So, they cannot speak as freely as their counterparts here," he added.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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