Talk: Astronomy and the Islamic calendar

Join us for a discussion on the role of astronomy and the lunar calendar in Islam with Imad Ahmed and Dr Rahma Alfarsy. Imad Ahmed is the Director of New Crescent Society, the UK’s largest Muslim astronomy and moonsighting network, and he is also a PhD candidate in Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge University. His presentation is entitled ‘An Introduction to the Islamic Calendar’, and will explore the historical roots of the Islamic lunar calendar, and why Muslims in the UK can’t seem to agree on when to celebrate Ramadan or Eid. Rahma Alfarsy is an astrophysicist who earned her PhD from the University of Portsmouth, researching supermassive black holes. Her talk, ‘The Milky Way in Islamic Tradition’, explores her current research into how the Milky Way has been understood and represented in Islamic astronomy, Qur’anic exegesis, traditions, poetry, and wider cultural narratives. About The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts runs from 19 to 29 November 2026, bringing performances, exhibitions, lectures, and workshops to Cambridge's historic colleges, museums, and cultural spaces. Open to everyone, the festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of Islamic arts, and, fifty years on from the landmark 1976 World of Islam Festival, carries that spirit into our own time. Find out more at cfia.co.uk.