Sun rising from the west
Once again the credulous masses of this country are proving how very gullible they really are. Nothing has changed in over the 30 years of the so-called development we've had. We've sunk ourselves up to our noses in credulous beliefs. If anything, helped by modern technology such as email, our credulity has stood the test of time and is as such strong and concretely rooted in superstition and lore as it has always been.
Apparently there is this email making the rounds claiming that the the planet Mars has changed direction of orbit and that on mars the sun is now rising from the west. The doomsday claim here is that the Prophet's hadith had predicted this would happen to earth. The fear factor for Internet zombies in Maldives is that they are now scared out of their pants because they've been caught off-faith (so to speak). Apparently one of the signs of the impending doom of the world is the sun rising from the west.
Apart from the simple and narrow view of the workings of the universe this entails these emails try to prey in on the gullible hordes of Internet zombies. The consequences of the sun simply rising from the west, only possible if earth changed orbit direction of axial rotation, would be far more devastating and shocking than anyone can imagine. Suffice to say that you'd be lucky to survive to tell the tale, let alone wait for the next sign of doomsday. Fear can do wonders, and it appears a little stupidity and lack of knowledge thrown in to doomsday claims is enough to trigger a rush to wear the scarf.
(On a more logical note: if the sun did rise from the west for us in Male', surely it would have stopped moving and reversed direction to those in Europe and parts of Africa. For them, the first sign of doom would be something completely different to the prediction from n Hadith!)
Anyway, I found out about this email from two sources. One was a friend of my sister who rang, quite alarmed and terrified, to report the doomsday prediction. The second one was more shocking:
I went to purchase a ticket from Singapore Airlines (Sunland) and serving me was a female friend of mine, who out of nowhere mentioned that all staff were now contemplating on wearing the Muslim headscarf. Why, I wanted know. "Mars has stopped moving and now the sun is rising from the west on that planet. It will soon happen to earth too! It is a sign of Qiyaamah!", she said. And this is the part that struck me as outrageous: "We even called up the high Majlis on Islamic affairs to clarify this", she said. When asked what was their answer she replied they also agreed this was really happening. Apparently an awesome level of credulity is an essential part of the job requirement for those working at the Islamic Majlis.
First of all, this same email made the rounds 2 years back and 2 more years before that. What's more, this visible optical phenomenon has been happening for as long as these planets have been in existence. But no doomsday and no sun rising from west has been witnessed. One thing did rise recently though: buruga sales.
These emails are designed to coerce the just-enough-educated-to-read, massively credulous young Muslims the world over into a state of fear - NOT necessarily a state of true faith. Basically, it is nothing but a scam, well supported by turban clad Mullahs and clerics everywhere.
NASA's Mars Program website has a good explanation for the doomsday sign from God here. Please read it before you dive into a buruga out of fear. And besides, don't you think God would know if you pulled a fast one on him? Tsk, tsk!
Update: Thanks Assey for the correction
Hassan | January 24, 2008 12:41 AM | Reply
A person who doesn't believe in Islam or the day of Judgment, and clearly has no clue of the working of the universe criticizing people for wearing a burugaa?. Give me a break..Who the heck do you think you are?.
Korotkoff | January 24, 2008 12:41 AM | Reply
So what else is new?..
Besides that you really like the word 'credulous'! :D
Sarcasm..i like
Ismail Rasheed | January 24, 2008 1:47 AM | Reply
Are they spiking the drinking water with LSD?
Hassan | January 24, 2008 4:23 AM | Reply
Ismail Rasheed & Simon..Amazing, the amount of time you both waste in your propaganda against Islam.tsk tsk.
frolicsomes | January 24, 2008 5:11 AM | Reply
These kind of mails are so common on the internet, not necessarily about islam. It gives promises like good luck if it is send to more emails and vice versa if the person does not send it.
People need to be aware of these emails and not come to a moral dilemma when deciding to act on such a case.
Religion is something more beautiful and mass hysteria is not the answer. If a person makes a decision in islam it should be after trying to find knowledge related to that subject matter and not before.
People have studied indepth the deeper meanings which islamic actions convey, but these things are never brought to the fore in the various institutions that can. Anyone interested can check utube for some of the islamic documentaries which show well known researchers like Karen Armstrong for one.
Islam is a religion where people are supposed to question everything and come with answers, but we have got used to the idea of just learning straight from the text book to pass the exam.
Our Maldivian system(whatever its called) has failed in making people aware of such things among other things.
Religion when taught should be all encompassing.
Divehi Resistance | January 24, 2008 5:27 AM | Reply
frolicsome,
They even called up the high Majlis on Islamic affairs to clarify and they also agreed this was really happening..
Not everybody can check with Karen Armstrong on youtube. But we can all ask the Emme Mathee Majlis.
Karen Armstrong could be lying. She could be a Christian missionary for all we know. I trust Emme Mathee Majlis more than this Karen Armstrong.
uh | January 24, 2008 5:57 AM | Reply
Mars retrogade is an ILLUSION people. We see it that way, because we are in motion around the sun at a different speed. Mars does not stop and revolve the other way!!!! morons!
keke | January 24, 2008 6:02 AM | Reply
hassan, is a teenager still learning to cope with the Internet. to his surprise he's found some people that doesn't believe in the same things he believe in. omg! the sky is falling .. the country is over run with pope clones.
fizan | January 24, 2008 8:29 AM | Reply
Well, apparently we don't have a lack of doom sayers and fear mongers working the Maldivian inter-web. The idiots misunderstood the whole thing... another grand example of faith intercepting common logic.
What the hey does Mars' erratic movement across Earth skies have to do with this ridiculous sign of apocalypse anyway? The passage of day and night has to do with a planet's axial rotation, not its revolution around the freakin' sun.
As for the doomsday scenario... guess what? Its happening but I don't think we can expect the Antichrist anytime soon... the Earth's rotation is slowing down by 4 cm every year which results in an increase of 11 microseconds every decade or so, which means it'll come to a (theoretical) complete halt in about 100 billion years (My science may be flawed here, but you get the drift). Yay, rejoice you ignoramuses. Oh, one more thing... we'll be dead long before that. In 5 billion years, the sun's energy will be exhausted and erm... imagine a literal hell on earth. On a more imminent doom, thanks to glacial melting, we may have to hop onto a floating plank of wood instead of the trusty motorcycle to get to work in just a couple of years. Great job preserving your future, running around with your hands over your heads, shouting "oh the sky is going to fall on our heads".
Anyway, Simon, tell 'em that the sun actually does rise from the west... in Venus, which has been doing it for so long, I am actually surprised why we all aren't dead yet. ;)
jaa | January 24, 2008 10:26 AM | Reply
Yet another Mars hoax that seem to have bitten a large number of Maldivians. Further to what you've said, did you know the hoax was published in Haveeru Daily yesterday by an anonymous person/group under the name "Abu Osama" after getting the stamp of approval from the Islaamee Kanthakaa Behey Mathee Majlis? Were it a concerned citizen doing his "Islamic" bit to make people aware of this "Mars" miracle or is there something a lot more sinister going on here?
Shameless self-plug: http://jawish.org/blog/archives/280-The-Sun-rose-from-the-West-today.html
Pink Floyd | January 24, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply
If you are so prioud of your atheism and evolution, why not show us a human being forming from stardust randomly. Go on. Show us.
ibu | January 24, 2008 11:14 AM | Reply
haha i heard this bullshit story too..LOL !! man this ppl are crazy wht the heck ..hahaha stupid morons
musthafa | January 24, 2008 11:22 AM | Reply
Pink Floyd as far as i knw it was not random,somebody created the world but they is no solid evidence or what so ever that earth was created by allah,jesus or budhaaa.god why dont you write you name and rules in the sky so that we all knw
Hassan | January 24, 2008 4:10 PM | Reply
The egoistic atheist douche bags running amok. You can see a common trait among these idiots. They are materialistic, egoistic, unsocial the reason probably is most of them had been sodomized as kids. These emo kids and grandpas are attention craving and take pride in insulting sensitive matters such as a persons religion, beliefs and clothing. They hate each and everything around them and are hypocrites. Dumbasses.
maldiveshealth | January 24, 2008 5:07 PM | Reply
I remember getting that email sometime back. I thought...gosh... Osama laden is mailing me.. fuck.. i have to get rid of that email .. so i hit the delete button. fucking assholes.
Saleem | January 24, 2008 5:23 PM | Reply
now now maldiveshealth, no need to use filthy language.chill. It was just an email. No need to get worked up over trivial things.take some cool-aid.
maldiveshealth | January 24, 2008 6:33 PM | Reply
i was smiling when i typed "fucking" and "asshole". So i don't consider them filthy. Beside everyone of us fuck and we all do have holes in us . The shape resembling the sun ? don't we?
The other day i woke up to the sheer pain of the sun shooting out of my arse. Man.. it is the first time the sun has risen from below me , i thought. The sun went straight , made a hole thro the ,mattress and like a bazooka went right through the floor, may be to the other side of the world.. Never knew where it went. After a few minutes, All the neighbors gathered to see the Big hole left behind for every one to gaw at.
Today, i realised that it wasn't the sun , but this alien creature which is making the headlines now, that shot right thro .
Saleem | January 24, 2008 7:44 PM | Reply
Maldiveshealth, have you been high today?. Drugs are not good for your health.
LoL | January 24, 2008 8:57 PM | Reply
maldiveshealth is showing her true colors..me thinks
Dhivehi Resistance | January 25, 2008 8:48 AM | Reply
Hassan,
"Ismail Rasheed & Simon..Amazing, the amount of time you both waste in your propaganda against Islam.tsk tsk."
I thought this posting was about idiocy, lunacy and madness. If this is Islam, I want no part of it...
and
Jaa..
thanks for the scientific data on this madness afflicting quite a few Maldivians...
assey | January 25, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply
"...sun simply rising from the west, only possible if earth changed direction of orbit..."
Earth changing the direction of its orbit would not change the direction of sun rise.
Hassan | January 25, 2008 10:58 AM | Reply
Dhivehi Resistance..
Read the comment closely. It points not just at this particular post, but generally most of the posts by these two gentle women. Are you telling me Arabiguitar is an unbiased politically correct source?. Infact it's nothing mere than a hate site. Propaganda at it's best.
passerby | January 25, 2008 3:39 PM | Reply
in my opinion the majority of maldivians who say they are muslims are actually hypocrites (one way or the other)
and mr.hassan, i sugguest you stop tryin to judge others...cos only "god" can judge man right? are you tryin to play "god"?
and if you dont like propaganda websites against islam, then simply stop browsing through such websites. (you freakin retard...unless you're on a cyber jihad)
Hassan | January 25, 2008 7:28 PM | Reply
heh, so if my commentary means 'cyber-jihad', these bloody jobs must be waging a cyber-crusade against Muslims. 'Ismail Rasheed the Lion Heart' sounds a pretty appropriate name for fellow.
nass | January 25, 2008 11:37 PM | Reply
I've to say... the comments are more interesting than the article :)
Kaiza shozey | January 26, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply
have to agree with nass here. but i dont disagree with simon on this one. i got a phonecall from a friend saying that she was worried about all of this and that its got her petrified. that she wanted to repent before the repenting time period runs out :S .and there i was telling her why in the world would she have a need to get worked up just because judgement day is around the corner or not. are you planning on 'sinning' on and on UNTIL the judgement day is around the corner so that u can repent and making it all right? why get scared shitless about judgement day when u might die of an accident or even a heartattack TODAY? doesnt make sense why ppl are getting worked up on judgement day now does it?
Fookolhu | January 26, 2008 4:42 PM | Reply
Tis particular 'hadith' which is being revered as the doomsday defcon alerter, is a bullshit hadith!!!!...When the Quran says over and over again that The-Day would befall us while we least expect it And without any warning then How the fok can a 'hadith' give a Spolier???!!!
Sheesh!..simon, you may be right! We are all a bunch of idiots; we really shoudn't give ourselves too much credit!
shaari | January 26, 2008 7:56 PM | Reply
amazing that people actually fall for that. reminds me of the buruga boost following the tsunami. so it's not really their deep belief that burugaa is a necessity but a certain foreboding incident or such a rumour that triggers the "Islamic" conduct i.e. burugaa. If they genuinely think they should wear it, they don't need a disaster or a cosmic phenomenon to help them realise it.
Simon | January 26, 2008 9:51 PM | Reply
Jaa,
Thank you for the detailed explanation about retrograde motion on your blog. Why wasn't I surprised to see Adaalath Party publishing the same bloody hoax? Shows how ready they are to pounce on any idiocy as long as it contains the words "hadith" and "Quran". Also shows the level of their understanding of science. Just as it is for the Emme Mathee Majlis, stupidity is also a requirement to be a member of that party - to which I think...
Hassan,
Please stay out of my blog if you have nothing of substance to add to the posts (and comments).
Usthaz | January 26, 2008 10:57 PM | Reply
Now Now simon...Lets have the ballz to accommodate pro-religious views also!
Your subtle equation of hadith with Qur'an, has been duly noted.
Usthaz,
You call that "pro-religious views"? If "pro-religious views" is meaningless gibberish devoid of any objective or constructive substance then it goes without saying that pro-religious views must also stay away from this blog. Geez!
Kaiza shozey | January 27, 2008 12:02 PM | Reply
whoa! simon actually telling someone to stay out of his blog. thats something.
Usthaz | January 27, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply
it's a territorial thing prob : )
did i say pro-religious?...lets pretend i said 'all views'..after all that is one of your motto's right- freedom of expressions, the whole shebang.
some think that many of what you write are also "meaningless gibberish devoid of any objective or constructive substance"- but then again thats also their point of view..
Dr.Freex | January 27, 2008 6:07 PM | Reply
The concept of other heavenly bodies is an unfathomable concept to many still...let alone a MARS or a VENUS or even the revolution of earth around the sun ! hehe
And i agree, this sort of (shall we call it) pseudo-juxtaposition of fact with folklore, doesn't help either Cause.
thadu | January 27, 2008 8:25 PM | Reply
the saddest thing!!! when it is attached to religion, we simply we believe it... no reasoning, no exploring, no fact finding. simply believe!! yet, learning and exploring; that is what we are supposed to do.. alas, alas!
Salah | January 28, 2008 4:10 AM | Reply
Freedom to agree but no freedom to disagree, I see..Simon uses very colorful derogatory language to describe Islam , Imams and religion. But he is so weak he can't stand the rebuttal he gets - and deserves to get.
sujau | January 28, 2008 6:33 PM | Reply
Head-scarves can reverse the earth's spin? I must go quickly get myself one of these Islamic spacesuits.
ahmed | January 28, 2008 8:35 PM | Reply
OMG! I'm so afraid of this Mars retrograde I'm going to get myself in a cardboard box, cower in fear and buy 3-quarter pants.
Dejoker | January 28, 2008 10:59 PM | Reply
Akhmed n soojaa..u both hillarious!..did ne1 ever tell u tat?
mo | January 29, 2008 12:49 AM | Reply
It's amazing how foolish people can get.
aharen | January 31, 2008 10:38 PM | Reply
Now now everyone .... lets not get into verbal violence...lets look at the bright side....for example..due to this incident ...i have learned the dhivehi word for mars [miureekh]....cool ....aint it
aesha | February 5, 2008 8:09 PM | Reply
oh Im too late! missed some..interesting post Simon
@ aharen - is it realy called miureekh? sheesh
human behaviour | February 22, 2008 3:47 AM | Reply
in the begging god made the universe
this made a lot of people very angry & is widely regarded as a bad move
guess the next move if to trick ur way into gods good grace
Ritte | February 28, 2008 4:46 AM | Reply
Ahsalaam Alaikum
at least some people are trying to learn something..
good to know that you guys are not just blindly following your parents, unlike most of the Maldivians... I CONGRATULATE ALL YOU ATHEISTS... By saying "there is no god : laailaaha" your just halfway through to become a Muslim.. Insha allaah, you will succeed in the other half "ilallaah: But Allaah"..
PLS Don't judge any religion by the followers.. Goto the scriptures, that doesn't mean you quote things out of context, and prove your atheism..
Another Zakir Naik puppet talks crap!