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Author
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Topic: Fatwa warns Muslims should not go live on Mars
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SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-20-2014 08:43 AM
   
The Telegraph: Muslims 'warned in Fatwa not to live on Mars' Muslims have been warned in a Fatwa not to go and live on Mars because it would pose "a real risk to life", according to a Dubai news organisation.The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (GAIAE) in the United Arab Emirates said that anyone making such a "hazardous trip" is likely to die for "no righteous reason". They would therefore be liable to a "punishment similar to that of suicide in the Hereafter", the Khaleej Times reported. The Fatwa was apparently issued in response to the proposal from the Dutch company Mars One last year to send four people on a one-way journey to the red planet in 2022. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 02-20-2014 09:48 AM
I often find myself wondering if I should feel sorry for Muslims or simply have a good laugh.I don't know any "righteous reason" to die. Maybe the GAIAE can explain to us the massacres taking place in Syria and Iraq and tell us how a Mars trip would pose a greater real risk to life... But hopefully the GAIAE doesn't speak for all Muslims. |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 02-20-2014 10:01 AM
I strongly agree with the post above. Sounds so silly. Exploring a planet is considered bad, but strapping on a suicide vest and walking into a crowded market is just fine? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-20-2014 10:20 AM
I would caution against equating extremist doctrine (i.e. suicide bombings) with the interpretative teachings of the larger religion. While I personally don't agree with the stance that the GAIAE has taken, it is not a view solely held by them (that spaceflight is too risky for humans to take part in, or that the investment of human life is not worth the exploration of cosmos). Given the size and scope of our readership, we almost certainly have Muslim members of our community. Their beliefs are as deserving of respect as are any others. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 02-20-2014 10:41 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Their beliefs are as deserving of respect as are any others.
Absolutely. I'm just not too much of a fan of the UAE, their business practices and their behind-the-scenes maneuvers, and of anybody who has the nerve to tell me what to do, what's right or wrong and so forth. No matter where they come from. One day, I hope, Muslims will see it that way. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1042
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 02-20-2014 02:15 PM
To be semantic, the fatwa was issued in response to the proposed Mars One mission profile. There was no mention whatsoever of living on Mars being sinful.As far as I am aware many Muslims are fascinated by astronomy and space exploration. |
dabolton
Member Posts: 419
From: Seneca, IL, US
Registered: Jan 2009
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posted 02-20-2014 08:23 PM
There was a discussion about religion on the Mars One facebook group. The consensus seemed to be that religion shouldn't go to Mars. That since it was a one-way journey, they could clean-sheet their own religion and culture. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-22-2014 10:49 AM
Mars One has issued a response to the Fatwa. In part: Mars One respectfully requests GAIAE to cancel the Fatwa and make the greatest Rihla, or journey, of all times open for Muslims too. They can be the first Muslims to witness the signs of God’s creation in heaven, drawing upon the rich culture of travel and exploration of early Islam. The lives and journey of the first Mars settlers will tell us more about our place in the universe than any other humans before us. The Fatwa prohibits Muslims from going to Mars, but not from applying to Mars One's mission or training for the mission. In the next ten years, Mars One is open to working with the GAIAE to assess the risk of the mission as the unmanned settlement is under construction. Hopefully before departure of the first crew, the GAIAE will cancel the Fatwa and support the Mars One mission. |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 968
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 02-22-2014 11:36 AM
LOL. Trying to reason with the issuers of that fatwa is an exercise in futility. |
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