Scholars to end Muslim confusion over start of Ramadan

I was encouraged to read this, as it shows the capacity of fiqh to respond to evidence and new developments. Now we just hav to hope that there are ways for this process to be rolled out over things like the status of women, the status of converts from Islam ...

the Fiqh Council contends that the prophet used direct sightings only because no other method was reliable in his lifetime. "Now, we know scientifically whether the moon is there, even if it is not sightable because of the weather conditions," said Muzammil Siddiqi, the council chairman.

I find lots of evidence that normal educated Muslims tend to do this, but I'm less sure that the ulema tend to inhabit the same world.
Islam :: Scholars to end Muslim confusion over start of Ramadan:
Filed in: Islam, fiqh, Eid, dating, interpretation, hadith