Indonesian Muslims facing Africa instead of Mecca when praying
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So with all those Muslim clerics you would think they would know what the hell was going on, but no. Hell bells and buckets of steaming hot poop, Indonesia’s Muslims learned on Friday they have been praying in the wrong direction, after the country’s highest Islamic authority said its directive on the direction of Mecca actually had people facing Africa.
Lots of people in white clothes walking in circles
According to tradition, Muslims are supposed to face the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia during prayer and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an edict in March stipulating westward was the correct direction from the world’s most populous Muslim country.
“But it has been decided that actually the mosques are facing Somalia or Kenya, so we are now suggesting people shift the direction slightly to the north-west,” the head of the MUI, Cholil Ridwan, told Reuters. “There’s no need to knock down mosques, just shift your direction slightly during prayer.”
Ridwan said Muslims need not fear that their prayers have been wasted because they were facing the wrong way.
“Their prayers will still be heard by Allah,” he said.
Said Agil Siradj, head of Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama, told English language newspaper the Jakarta Globe that the confusion showed the MUI issued edicts too fast and that this was a lesson for them.
Islam is Indonesia’s dominant religion and approximately 86%, or about 200 million, of its population identify as Muslims, making it the world’s largest Muslim population.
The Indonesian Central Statistic Bureau (BPS) conducts a census every 10 years. The latest data available, from 2000, indicated that of 240,271,522 people, 86.1% of the population label themselves Muslim, 5.7% Protestant, 3% Catholic, 1.8% Hindu, and 3.4% “other or unspecified”.
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Given the near-spherical nature of the planet, once they get their directions correct and bow facing Mecca, that also means that they are raising their butts to Mecca at the same time.
The planet happens to be round though, so they’re still not hitting Mecca.
They look bloody silly sticking the asses in the air if you ask me. Doesn’t matter which way they’re facing.
But Allah is Akbar.
Not to worry, just do an about face and speak into the good ear, all your prayers will be answered by whatever god has the receptionist duty this day. Damn, there are just some things no comment is required right? Yet oddly enough, I find myself commenting, no smart alecky comments now, yeah you, I am watching you over there 🙂
>^..^<
Mecca, Lourdes, Fatima our Lady of the French Toast how does the cloud guy keep up with all the pilgrim requests. This, and many other questions will remain unanswered.
Exactly why he needs a receptionist and an executive assistant a la the trinity thing. Do I gotta esplain everyting? Eddie Izzard and Ricky Gervais do excellent bits on the whole keeping up thing.