Muslim world urged to develop space programs

Muslim states should develop space programs to boost their international standing, a conference of Muslim scholars and scientists heard Tuesday as Malaysia prepares to send a group of astronauts to space, The Nation reported.

More than150 muftis and scientists at the two-day conference, titled “Islam and Life in Space”, also considered how Muslim astronauts would pray in space, in the face of difficulties determining the direction of the “Qibla”, the direction Muslim face while praying, and praying five prayers as required by Islam.

"When you're in a zero-gravity environment, you're floating around and as soon as you go into rukuk (a prayer position), that motion will project itself forward, and maybe you'll do a somersault or go into some other direction. So you're going to have to be held down or something," said Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad of the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

The Malaysian Space Agency's director-general Mazlan Othman said she hoped other Muslim states would be inspired by Malaysia which held a nationwide competition to choose astronaut candidates, three of those selected are Muslims.

Addressing delegates at the seminar, a Malaysian science ministry official Ruddin Abdul Ghani said: "If Malaysia's first astronaut is a Muslim, then we have to prepare a guideline on how they will perform prayers and other routines in space, which will be a challenge.”

Malaysia's space program indicates "the return of Islamic civilization to being an active contributor to the advancement of science and technology," said Saiyad Ahmad.

"We are hopeful that the efforts by the Malaysian government will inspire other Muslim countries to inaugurate space initiatives,"

"We need to have some kind of inspiring example that comes from our own Muslim world, not looking all the time to the U.S., England and European countries," Saiyad added.