Any Muslim longing for the Martian landscape should dispel those dreams, according to clerics in the United Arab Emirates.
A group in the UAE called the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment have issued a fatwa barring Muslims from living on Mars.
A one-way journey like that “poses a real risk to life, and that can never be justified in Islam,” the committee said, according to the UAE-based Khaleej Times.
“Protecting life against all possible dangers and keeping it safe is an issue agreed upon by all religions and is clearly stipulated in verse 4/29 of the Holy Quran: Do not kill yourselves or one another. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful,” the committee said.
The ruling was a response to the Dutch company Mars One, which is accepting applications for its mission to colonize the red planet. The company plans to land the first humans on Mars in 2025 and then send additional crews every two years.
More than 200,000 people have already applied for the mission. According to the Khaleej Times, the group of applicants includes about 500 Saudis and other Arabs.
(Photo via Shutterstock / Esteban De Armas)
