Forget space exploration; colonizing Mars is un-Islamic
**Posted by Phineas
The fatwa is out, and so is colonizing Mars:
The fatwa β or ruling β was issued by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (GAIAE) in the UAE after the Mars One organisation announced that it would try and establish a permanent human settlement on Mars.
The committee argued that an attempt to dwell on the planet would be so hazardous as to be suicidal and killing oneself is not permitted by Islam.
According to Khaleejtimes.com it said: βSuch a one-way journey poses a real risk to life, and that can never be justified in Islam. There is a possibility that an individual who travels to planet Mars may not be able to remain alive there, and is more vulnerable to death.β
The astronauts, the committee said, would end up dying for no βrighteous reasonβ and would face the same punishment in the afterlife as someone whoβd committed suicide.
The committee, led by Professor Dr Farooq Hamada, said: βProtecting life against all possible dangers and keeping it safe is an issue agreed upon by all religions and is clearly stipulated in verse 4/29 of the Holy Quran: Do
not kill yourselves or one another. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.βThe GAIAE has issued around two million Fatwas through its Official Fawa Centre since its inception in 2008.
Funny. We were able to get men to the Moon, let them hang out there a few days, and then bring them back. Several times. We’ve also done pretty well with extended stays at the International Space Station. With technological advances, especially the advent of 3D printing, a permanent base on the Red Planet doesn’t seem to be much of a problem at all. In fact, the Mars One foundation already has plans well underway.
Maybe the GAIAE needs a refresher course in real science. Things have changed a bit since the seventh century.
via Gateway Pundit
(Crossposted at Public Secrets)