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Muslims will commence this year�s Ramadan fasting on July 20 or 21 depending on the appearance of the crescent. The hint was dropped last weekend during the 18th annual meeting of the Hilal Committee, a body which meets annually to decide on the subject. It was a high-profile gathering of important personalities from the Islamic community including the 10 regional chief imams, scholars, among others. The President, who was billed to be the special guest of honour, was represented by Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, the Foreign Affairs Minister. According to the committee, all Muslims should look out for the crescent on July 19 and when the moon is spotted on that date the fasting begins the next day, which is July 20. Should the crescent not be spotted on that date the procedure should be repeated on the next day in which case the fasting begins automatically on July 21. Protocol was breached when former Vice President Aliu Mahama�s role as chairman for the function attracted the attention of some personalities including the Transport Minister, Collins Dauda, Rear Admiral Muniru Tahiru and Lt. Col. Sanda, an Imam in the Armed Forces, who called for a review of the programme. According to Alhaji Collins Dauda, it would have been out of place to ask the former Vice President to chair such a function at which the President was being represented by a minister. �I met the former Vice President and informed him about the breach and we offered him a platform to address the gathering,� he said. When DAILY GUIDE contacted Lt. Col. Sanda, his explanation was a corroboration of what the minister said. The former Vice President is reported to have admonished Muslims about the importance of time management, an interesting advice given the late start of the programme. He charged the youth to be disciplined in whatever they do and particularly avoid hooliganism. A previous report had pointed at a politicized Hilal conference in which National Democratic Congress (NDC) elements held sway.