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girlwhowaspluggedout writes:
Hoping to be a pioneer on the Red Planet? First seek permission from your local cleric. Dubai's Khaleej Times reports that the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment in the UAE has ruled that promoting or being involved in a one-way trip to Mars is prohibited by Islam. The fatwa appears to be a response to Mars One's call for volunteers to make the pioneering trip to the red planet.
According to the General Authority, 'Such 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.' Because of the inherent dangers of the trip, those who choose to go there are likely to die for no 'righteous reason,' thus incurring 'punishment similar to that of suicide in the Hereafter.'
The Khaleej Times further states that the General Authority fears that some of the volunteers, among whom are 500 Saudis and other Arabs, may be interested in traveling to Mars to escape punishment or to avoid standing before Allah for judgment. The General Authority decreed that 'this is an absolutely baseless and unacceptable belief because not even an atom falls outside the purview of Allah, the Creator of everything.'"
[ED Note: Likening the one-way-ticket to suicide does make some theological sense, but I am saddened that the Authority does not consider space exploration a "righteous reason" to risk one's life. In times past, many great explorers hailed from Muslim societies, and were part of what made them great.]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by SleazyRidr on Thursday February 20 2014, @11:57AM
Yeah, going to Mars could be an awesome thing, but it's not something that I could encourage my daughter (or anyone for that matter) to do in good conscience. I wouldn't want to stand in someone's way, or tell them that they'll go to hell but they'll probably be a lot happier in a nice safe life on Earth.
(Score: 1) by melikamp on Thursday February 20 2014, @12:03PM
Yeah, going to Mars could be an awesome thing, but it's not something that I could encourage my daughter (or anyone for that matter) to do in good conscience.
I would volunteer James Clapper for a one-way Mars mission in a heartbeat.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Sir Garlon on Thursday February 20 2014, @12:22PM
I think that is more or less how Australia got colonized...
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight who is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
(Score: 1) by jcd on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:05PM
What, so he can get a head start on setting up pan-colonial surveillance? I think not.
"What good's an honest soldier if he can be ordered to behave like a terrorist?"
(Score: 1) by FatPhil on Thursday February 20 2014, @01:52PM
Even before the spaceship's ready. I'll chip in $10 for fuel.
Making a public pledge to no longer contribute to slashdot
(Score: 2, Insightful) by SecurityGuy on Thursday February 20 2014, @06:12PM
I don't know, being among the first humans on Mars would be spectacularly awesome. I'd probably enjoy it quite a bit until I got near the actual dying part. It's much like regular life, actually. I'm having a blast now, but one day I'll be in a hospital bed facing my last days, or maybe in a crunched up car facing my last minutes, and expect that I might be unhappy about that.
Dying is inevitable, but let's not let that stand in the way of actually living in the meantime. I think there's a tiny slice of the population who actually would be happier on a nice, dangerous Mars, even if that means they don't get to live as long as if they stayed here.