All Forwarded Jokes are Ultimately True
In today’s edition of You Can’t Make This Stuff Up, Malaysia tries to figure out which way to kneel for namaz if you are in space.
BANGI, Malaysia (Reuters) - As Malaysia prepares to pick its first astronaut, the country’s space agency is hunting for solutions to the problems it expects devout Muslims to face while in orbit, such as in which direction to pray.
Clearly this calls for a two-day conference of scientists and mullahs.
One of the five pillars of Islam requires the faithful to pray five times a day, and to face Mecca, the birthplace of Islam, while doing so. Astronauts aboard spaceships could have difficulty meeting these requirements.
“Among the astronaut’s needs, if he is a Muslim, are guidelines on performing prayers in space, and other aspects of life according to Islamic principles,” Malaysian government official Mohd Ruddin Abdul Ghani told a two-day meeting of scientists and religious experts to thrash out solutions.
Malaysia weighs concerns of Muslim space travelers - Yahoo! News