An 18-page Guidelines for Performing Islamic Rites at the International Space Station, was compiled to teach Muslim astronauts how to:
1. find Mecca from space...
2. fast in space...
3. kneel in space....
3. participate in jihad from space?
Next week, the first Muslim astronaut will go to the space station.
A minister for foreign affairs in Malaysia said, "The reason we formulated guidelines for Muslims
in space is because we wanted to ensure our astronaut could fully concentrate on his mission, without having to worry about how he should perform his religious obligations in space.'
Perhaps performing is obligations in space is the best religious thing he could do.
"Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, an orthopaedic surgeon and university lecturer from Kuala Lumpur, will leave Earth from Kazakhstan's Baikonur launchpad for Russia's International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday.'
He will be in space during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Is this another incident of where religion gets in the way of practicality?
The first Muslim in space said he had problems finding Mecca.
Um...how hard could it be? Find the earth and face that a way.
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