UAE Clerics' Fatwa Forbids Muslims From Traveling To Mars 363
PolygamousRanchKid writes "The Khaleej Times of Dubai reports that a fatwa committee has forbidden Muslims from taking a one-way trip to the Red Planet. At the moment, there is no technology available that would allow for a return trip from Mars, so it is truly a one-way ticket for the colonists, who may also become reality TV stars in the process. The committee of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment in the United Arab Emirates that issued the fatwa against such a journey doesn't have anything against space exploration, Elon Musk's Mars visions, or anything like that. Rather, the religious leaders argue that making the trip would be tantamount to committing suicide, which all religions tend to frown upon."
Well for once I agree with religious crazies (Score:5, Insightful)
You don't want to go to Mars? Please by all means, keep your bullshit on Earth and let us evolved human beings make a fresh new life on a fresh new planet without you!
Let it begin! (Score:5, Insightful)
Cue witty jokes about blowing oneself up not counting as suicide.
But they should also forbid being born, as everyone that does will die eventually.
Using their own logic... (Score:3, Insightful)
@Al Kai Da - RTFF - Read the fucking .. (Score:5, Insightful)
.. Fatwa
Stop blasting yourself into pieces, it's forbidden,
and no your chance to survive is below the mars mission.
Re:Well for once I agree with religious crazies (Score:1, Insightful)
If we had the ability to safely travel to and from Mars, just as you can travel to another country and back, they wouldn't be forbidding the journey.
Re:Well, they could (Score:1, Insightful)
from the religion that brought you Istishhad suicide bombers, "you can't go to mars and advance science exploration and the boundaries of human knowledge that would be suicide(without a exploding vest in a crowd of innocent civilians)"
Re: Well for once I agree with religious crazies (Score:3, Insightful)
If you move to another country and never return, did you kill yourself? Why can't we live on Mars?
Re: Well for once I agree with religious crazies (Score:5, Insightful)
Lack of food, oxygen, and liquid water. Maybe it will be possible someday, but not now. This fatwa was discussing doing it now, possibly as part of the one way mission to mars that was discussed, which was a complete suicide mission.
Re:"suicide, which all religions frown upon" (Score:3, Insightful)
You realize Muslim people aren't a hivemind, right? The people blowing themselves up aren't the ones issuing this fatwa. I presume you're an atheist... are you a "fucking hypocrite" for opposing mass murder, given the actions of Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot?
Re: Well for once I agree with religious crazies (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:How is this a suicide? (Score:4, Insightful)
There's plenty of hazardous expeditions that Muslims have gone on without having a Fatwa issued against it - scaling Mount Everest, visiting the South/North pole, etc.
And the ISS, if I remember correctly. There were some issues in determining the direction in which to pray, but those were resolved. Wonder how that would work for Martian Muslims, though.
Re: Well for once I agree with religious crazies (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Well, they could (Score:0, Insightful)
But... but... (Score:4, Insightful)
This from a religion (Score:2, Insightful)
This from a religion famous for suicide bombers.
What a shame the radicals and terrorists don't actually READ the Koran.
Re:Well for once I agree with religious crazies (Score:4, Insightful)
Please stop this fatwa unsanity !
The muslim word is full of stupid jerks who use religion and the beliefs of other people to serve their own agenda, while pretending speaking in the name of Islam. This is not different from a stupid christian priest who give his opinion about a a society matter, they only represent themeslves.
Re:"suicide, which all religions frown upon" (Score:5, Insightful)
But the fact that 99.9% of Muslims oppose terrorism doesn't seem to be swaying the terrorists.
Quotation needed. I think that you are considerably underestimating amount of 'angry Muslims' in the world.
If you would say 99.9% of Muslims aren't _actively_ involved in terrorism - sure. But oppose?
Because, again, religions aren't hive minds. Members don't really have much influence over each other, and they have even less influence over people who have already proven themselves willing to kill.
Now, this is pure BS. Religions are closest thing people have to hive minds (I count cults of dictators, like in NK, as a religion, even if it is not using world 'god'). Religons influence minds of people in extreme ways. Think about Scientists or other strange cults/sects - this is example of religion completely brainwashing the person. Bigger religions are trying to be slightly more subtle, but still, religion is probably best mind manipulation tool ever invented by mankind.
Re:This from a religion (Score:4, Insightful)
The problem is they did read the Koran. It says non believers should be killed. Quite explicitly. Since it is supposed to be god's literal word many scholars have concluded that jihad is pleasing to him. Therefore death as a result of fighting in his name is fine, to be encouraged even.
Suicide bombing is more contentious, but only in the senses that some people argue against the legitimacy of the war and some argue that it isn't the best way to fight.
Re:Hold the lines (Score:4, Insightful)
you're confused, most Muslims and most Christians have no problem with evolution.
did the same clerics have an opinion on bombings? (Score:0, Insightful)
did these same clerics forbid suicide bombings?
Really.... (Score:0, Insightful)
Since when do Muslims care about suicide? They do it all the time when they're blowing themselves up.
Re:Well for once I agree with religious crazies (Score:4, Insightful)
The muslim word is full of stupid jerks who use religion and the beliefs of other people to serve their own agenda
All theist communities are like that. Actually, that's what theism is about in the first place! The sooner we get rid of this crap, the better for everyone.