MUI: If you’re praying toward the west, you’re doing it wrong.
The country’s highest Islamic authority is refusing to take the blame for issuing an incorrect edict in March, which stipulated that worshipers had to face westward in order to be praying toward Mecca.
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) announced on Wednesday that Mecca was actually to the northwest of Indonesia, and not to the west as it said earlier.
“Just because we revised our edict doesn’t make the previous ruling completely wrong,” MUI councilor Umar Shihab told the Jakarta Globe.
“We’re just fine-tuning it to make it more precise.”
“It’s not a big problem, as not all Indonesian mosques are incorrectly oriented,” he added.
“Many have pointed toward the wrong direction for years.”
Mecca is located on the 21st parallel north, while the northernmost point of Indonesia is on the 5th parallel, Umar said.
He called on local worshipers not to be too concerned about the change, saying their previous prayers would “still be valid”. He also made assurances that mosques would not have to be renovated to reflect the change.
Intentionally praying in the wrong direction is considered a sin in Islam, while unintentional mistakes are not.
“There’s no need to change the building structure,” he said, adding the MUI would officially inform mosque managers through an edict.
“Just make a minor adjustment by rotating the prayer mats slightly,” he said.
KH Said Aqil Siradj, the chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s biggest Islamic organization, said the MUI’s edict in March was a regrettably poor decision by the body.
“They shouldn’t have rushed to such an important decision,” he said. “Anything concerning public law should be made after a long contemplation.
“It’s good that the MUI realized their mistake and took steps to rectify it, but let this be a lesson to them not to churn out edicts in such haste.”
Said added that top NU scholars would meet in the near future to discuss the issue.
In January, Islamic scholar Mutoha Arkanuddin claimed that anything between 50 and 80 percent of the country’s mosques and graves were not properly oriented toward Mecca, drawing the ire of conservative clerics. (dar)
“Their prayers will still be heard by Allah” said to REUTERS the head of the MUI, Cholil Ridwan
http://www.nu.or.id/page.php?lang=en&menu=news_view&news_id=2383
Direction of Mecca wrong at 20 percent of Indonesia’s mosques: ministry
http://www.nu.or.id/page.php?lang=en&menu=news_view&news_id=2102
Le Maroc ne compte pas que des alliés sur la colline du Capitole. Une petite guerre couve entre Rabat et Washington depuis que le royaume a expulsé en mars, puis en mai, une cinquantaine d’Américains accusés de prosélytisme. Il est vrai que l’occupant du Palais royal, commandeur des croyants, est devenu très sensible sur le sujet depuis que (…)
La comunità giapponese di Little Pebble mostra al Signore come si fa !
The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers’ own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. Anyway…Vatican………….
Do you know someone who’s still amazed by the fact that when you put bread in a toaster, out comes toast? Well, they’ll crap their pants when they see Holy Toast! Use this stamp on your bread, put it into the toaster, and out comes heavenly toast! A great gag gift for those who believe in miracles!
Pour la première fois, la Catholic Church of Kenya (CCK) a accepté de s’allier à l’Association of Evangelical Churches of Kenya (AECK) et à des éléments de la National Churches of Kenya (NCK) pour s’opposer à un article du projet de nouvelle Constitution autorisant les femmes à avorter sur avis médical si leur vie est mise en danger. (…)
Dans la région de Naples, des missionnaires délivrent, “au nom de Dieu”, des titres de séjour aux étrangers menacés d’expulsion. Une manière de protester contre le durcissement de la législation…[courrierinternational.com]
In Marseille, unease over mosque project
Plans stoke debate about identity and assimilation in French city with growing number of Muslim immigrants…[washingtonpost.com]
Marseille, son Vieux-Port et sa grande mosquée
Inch’Allah, la cité phocéenne disposera, en 2011, d’un vaste lieu de culte pour les musulmans. La polémique que le projet a suscitée est révélatrice du malaise de certains Français quant à leur “identité”, relève The Washington Post…[courrierinternational.com]
Loin d’une majorité de hasard, le oui à l’initiative antiminarets claque de façon retentissante. Les Suisses ont voté avec leurs tripes contre une disposition que leurs autorités et les élites politiques, économiques et religieuses leur demandaient à l’unisson de rejeter au nom de solides arguments rationnels…
What Nato failed to understand
Afghanistan: the neo-Taliban campaign
The attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on 20 September, killing some 60 people, was compared to 9/11 in Pakistan and could be a turning point in the conflict in this region. President Bush has authorised ground operations against Taliban bases in Pakistan, which has now become the main theatre in the ‘war on terror’. Meanwhile, the neo-Taliban, operating an al-Qaida franchise there and in Afghanistan, have controlled the escalation of guerrilla resistance in a sophisticated military strategy based on the conduct of the Vietnam war. [mondediplo.com]
Pakistan: Hello al-Qaeda, goodbye America
MIRANSHAH, North Waziristan – With a truce between the Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad now in place, the Pakistani government is in effect reverting to its pre-September 11, 2001, position in which it closed its eyes to militant groups allied with al-Qaeda and clearly sided with the Taliban in Afghanistan. [atimes.com]
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
Document mis en ligne le 25.09.08
Courrier d’Hubert Védrine, ministre français des Affaires Etrangères, adressé en décembre 1999 à la Secrétaire d’État américaine Madeleine Albright, révélant des stratégies d’influence du département d’Etat en faveur de l’Église de Scientologie. [geopolitique.com]
France
Country Reports on Human Rights Practice
copy/paste link to acces page: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/329.htm
Le dernier monde diplomatique est vraiment intéressant, depuis peu l’édition anglaise reproduit online les contenus de la print édition française, à lire…
The end of the American age of denial
Tom Engelhardt was born in the US in 1944. He didn’t expect to make it to 2008. He expected even less the way that history has worked out for his nation
Israel deliberately forgets its history
An Israeli historian suggests the diaspora was the consequence, not of the expulsion of the Hebrews from Palestine, but of proselytising across north Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East
Russia gets its act together By Serge Halimi
Do men or women make better leaders? From Economist.com
Russian pullout from Georgia ‘followed criticism on Facebook’
Political analysts were still reeling last night following the disclosure by sources within the Kremlin that Russia had only “buckled under pressure” when reviewing group membership statistics on the social networking website Facebook.
Doctors may soon have a new diagnostic tool in their kit bags
Everyone knows industry needs oil. Now people are worrying about water, too
Les « bidouilleurs » de la société de l’information
Défendre les citoyens contre les technologies menaçant leur vie privée, ou protéger la sécurité de systèmes informatiques pour le compte des militaires ? Dans un monde chaque jour plus technique, les compétences des hackers restent rarement inemployées…
Links: http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2008/09/MANACH/16226
If you feel like wasting some time: Shrinking the Nissan GT-R
No comment
The Pope continues a “slow and progressive convalescence…” and brings hope to Terri (unfortunately daughter of a really stupid white man, another one talking in the name of God)
- Federal Judge Condemns Intervention in Schiavo Case
- Pope’s Feeding Tube Brings End-of-Life Questions Closer
Update in Italian:
- Per Papa Wojtyla una sofferenza in più ma necessaria
- L’ultima verità di Ali Agca “Avevo dei complici in Vaticano”
The Christian evangelism – by evangelicals fundamentalists themselves, which supported the election of George W Bush (beamed on planet earth by God Himself to save the entire world) in November 2004 – is not limited to the United States. In Brazil, in Africa and especially in China, the new converted – brain washed – people are millions. American fanatic preachers, who are ultra conservator and preach a radical Christianity, influence those new Christians communities. Thanks to US vision about globalization and the precious help of mass media, in particularly televangelism, the phenomenon of mass people “Christianized” is growing quickly. The rejection of homosexuality and the abortion as well as a “creationist” approach of the world are a common state of mind for these communities anchored on the right political chessboard in the concerned countries.
Still people affraid more about Islamist than Christians ?
National Association of Evangelicals :
The mission of the National Association of Evangelicals is to extend the kingdom of God through a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals, demonstrating the unity of the body of Christ by standing for biblical truth, speaking with a representative voice, and serving the evangelical community through united action, cooperative ministry, and strategic planning.
In 2005 Islam is (maybe no more) one of the world’s largest – and fastest-growing – religions but they are in the USA people that “Proclaims a Message of hope and deliverance for White Christian America” handling nuclear weapons. We should stop radical Christians before a 3rd – in the name of god- world war …
See more on Courrier International 12/02/2004 – n° 735
“Fous de Jésus : Les évangéliques à la conquète du monde”
Weeks ago…
- American televangelist Josh McDowell, were invited in Morocco by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, with more than 7000 converted in Morocco the audience would be enough for the American super star.
- The US Department of Agriculture comes with a 20 million $ guarantees for loan to purchase products “made in the USA”.
Now…
- There is in Morocco more than 150 evangelist missionaries – an ideological supports of George W. Bush – which they would aim to “Christianize” 10 % of the population before the year 2020.
Hope they target well where to “Christianize” because it seems like Islamic extremism is growing all over the country. Just meet them and maybe they will try to “Islamize” !
Read this article about Djihad in Morocco (in French)
