Indonesian clerics: Our mistake _ you're facing the wrong direction during Islamic prayers

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/07/19/indonesian-clerics-mistake-youre-facing-wrong-direction-islamic-prayers/?test=latestnews ^

[Red in Blue PA]

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — People in the world's most populous Muslim nation have been facing Africa — not Mecca — while praying.

Indonesia's highest Islamic body acknowledged Monday it made a mistake when issuing an edict in March saying the holy city in Saudi Arabia was to the country's west. It has since asked followers to shift direction slightly northward during their daily prayers.

"After a thorough study with some cosmography and astronomy experts, we learned they've been facing southern Somalia and Kenya," said Ma'ruf Amin, a prominent cleric of the Indonesian Ulema Council, or MUI. "We've revised it now to the northwest."

[Oratam]

Friends of mine were visiting a Muslim country (Malaysia?) where the Quibla was marked by an arrow on the ceiling. They amused themselves by affixing the little arrow to a blade of the ceiling fan.

[layman]

Unless you are in the first row you still end up facing the rear end of a towel head named Mohammad.

[Tolsti2]

Freakist primitive moon worshippers. But hey, they win most of their battles, lately in New York.

[John O]

What a shame, hundreds of years of prayers missed their mark. I guess that’s why the moslems still live in the dark ages

[OSHA]

So their asses were facing Mecca the whole time - sounds appropriate to me.

See the tag line.

[lacrew]

At West Point, we had a guy who was royalty in Bangledash. He had a bad attitude, so people screwed with him...to include telling him the wrong direction to pray to for several months (yes, although we were at the military academy, where alot of map reading and orienteering was going on...and we were distinctly on the west side of the river, he was too dumb to figure it out).

[bayouranger]

So, their a$$es were facing the great toilet in mecca?

I see no need for correction.

In fact!!

I issue a fartwa that over rides this fatwa.

Continue with the proper praying direction.

[BykrBayb]

Why don’t we just blast Mecca into Somalia and Kenya? Problem solved.

[DustyMoment]

Ruh-roh!! I smell a fatwa coming!!!

[Sloth]

"After a thorough study with some cosmography and astronomy experts, we learned they've been facing southern Somalia and Kenya,"

I think looking at a freaking globe would have been quicker.

[libertarian27]

These guys gotta get a Garmin...

[Sloth]

[Gritty]

Does this mean they are going to Hell? Oh, wait a minute... these are Muslims. They are already on the superhighway to Hell. Never mind.

[sean_og]

Do they use short-path or long-path?