Muslim astronauts may be punished for participating in a one-way trip to Mars. A fatwa, or holy directive, stated such a mission could be considered suicide in the afterlife.
The fatwa was issued by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (GAIAE), located in the United Arab Emirates. The panel, whose directive reached two million Muslims, was led by Farooq Hamada.
Mars One, a Dutch aerospace company, has proposed one-way trips to Mars, beginning in 2023. Launches would be scheduled every two years after the first launch, for building a human colony on the Red Planet. Applicants for the trip are required to be between 18 and 40 years old, in good physical condition, and pay $38. When applications were opened, 500 Arabs applied for the trip, as well as an unknown number of other followers of Islam.
The response seems to have made GAIAE unhappy. "Such a one-way journey poses a real risk to life, and that can never be justified in Islam. There is a possibility that an individual who travels to planet Mars may not be able to remain alive there, and is more vulnerable to death," the committee wrote, according to the Khaleej Times.
Some members of the panel suggested some Muslim applicant may be trying to escape the judgment of Allah.
The Koran reads "There is no one in the heavens and earth but that he comes to the Most Merciful as a servant. (Indeed) He has enumerated them and counted them a (full) counting," the committee noted.
GAIAE declared astronauts would likely die with a "righteous reason," an act forbidden in the Koran.
The managers of Mars One, meanwhile, have spoken out against the fatwa. They noted Islamic culture has a rich history of exploration. While Europe wallowed in the Dark Ages, important works of the ancient world were retained in the Middle east, and used as the basis of new discoveries. Mars One officials noted a verse in the Koran, calling for adherents to explore the "heavens and the Earth." They asked for the edict forbidding the trip, to be lifted.
"The GAIAE should not analyze the risk as they perceive it today. The GAIAE should assess the potential risk for humans as if an unmanned habitable outpost is ready and waiting on Mars. Only when that outpost is established will human lives be risked in Mars One's plan. With eight successful consecutive landing and a habitable settlement waiting on Mars, will the human mission be risk-free? Of course not. Any progress requires taking risks, but in this case the reward is 'the next giant leap for mankind'. That reward is certainly worth the risks involved in this mission," Mars One said in a statement.
"Mars One respectfully requests GAIAE to cancel the Fatwa and make the greatest Rihla, or journey, of all times open for Muslims too. They can be the first Muslims to witness the signs of God's creation in heaven, drawing upon the rich culture of travel and exploration of early Islam," it added.
"[T]he challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously. We even had a couple of applicants submit their videos in the nude!" Bas Lansdorp, Mars One co-founder, said.
Mars One shortened its list to 1,058 in December. These finalists will begin physical and medical testing. After a trip that will last around seven months, colonists will live out the rest of their lives on a planet with a harsh environment. On Mars, the average temperature is -85 Fahrenheit, and the atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide, is just one percent as thick as that on Earth.
