Saudi Arabia adopts Gregorian calendar
Government drops Islamic Hijri calendar
The Saudi government has adopted the Gregorian calendar. The
Arab News and Saudi Gazette reported the cabinet approved the change last week
(1 October 2016 ) as a cost cutting measure, and also cut the salaries of
government ministers by 20 per cent and froze the salaries of civil servants.
The change is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 programme
to diversify the economy, cut government spending and boost the private sector.
The change will impact the salaries of government workers as the
lunar Hijri calendar consists of 12 months of 29 or 30 days, with fewer days
per year than the Gregorian calendar. The Hijri calendar begins is dating from
the Hijri, Muhammad’s emigration from Mecca to Medina. Each numbered year is
designated either “H” for Hijra or “AH” for the Latin Anno Hegirae (“in
the year of the Hijra“).
The current Islamic year is 1438 AH. In the Gregorian calendar, 1438 AH runs
from approximately 3 October 2016 to 21 September 2017. The change goes into
effect on 1 Oct 2016. The calendar change brings the Saudi government into
conformance with the private sector. However the adoption of a Western
Christian calendar is also seen as symbolic by some within the kingdom of the
Crown Prince’s determination to move the country away from its strict Islamist
roots, bringing its customs and practices in line with the modern world.
Source:
https://anglican.ink/2016/10/08/saudi-arabia-adopts-gregorian-calendar/
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