|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Speak Out
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
|
1-10 of 19 messages
|
Page 1 of 2
Next
|
|
Muslim call to adopt Mecca time
|
Reply
|
|
by KE4SKY on April 21, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7359258.stm
By Magdi Abdelhadi
BBC Arab affairs analyst
One cleric said science had proved Mecca to be the centre of the Earth
Muslim scientists and clerics have called for the adoption of Mecca time to replace GMT, arguing that the Saudi city is the true centre of the Earth.
Mecca is the direction all Muslims face when they perform their daily prayers.
The call was issued at a conference held in the Gulf state of Qatar under the title: Mecca, the Centre of the Earth, Theory and Practice.
One geologist argued that unlike other longitudes, Mecca's was in perfect alignment to magnetic north.
He said the English had imposed GMT on the rest of the world by force when Britain was a big colonial power, and it was about time that changed.
Mecca watch
A prominent cleric, Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawy, said modern science had at last provided evidence that Mecca was the true centre of the Earth; proof, he said, of the greatness of the Muslim "qibla" - the Arabic word for the direction Muslims turn to when they pray.
The meeting also reviewed what has been described as a Mecca watch, the brainchild of a French Muslim.
The watch is said to rotate anti-clockwise and is supposed to help Muslims determine the direction of Mecca from any point on Earth.
The meeting in Qatar is part of a popular trend in some Muslim societies of seeking to find Koranic precedents for modern science.
It is called "Ijaz al-Koran", which roughly translates as the "miraculous nature of the holy text".
The underlying belief is that scientific truths were also revealed in the Muslim holy book, and it is the work of scholars to unearth and publicise the textual evidence.
But the movement is not without its critics, who say that the notion that modern science was revealed in the Koran confuses spiritual truth, which is constant, and empirical truth, which depends on the state of science at any given point in time.
|
| |
|
RE: Muslim call to adopt Mecca time
|
Reply
|
|
by N3OX on April 21, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
KE4SKY, keep this bullcrap out of the DXing forum. Yeah, so some cleric called for redefinition of Mecca as the natural center of the earth based on "science"?
How is that DXing news any more than it would be DXing news to post about our very own homegrown "intelligent design" proponents and their "theories"?
The claims of religious fanatics from any particular tradition are not DXing news. There are billions of good-hearted and intelligent people in this world coming from several major religious traditions, and for each major religious tradition there are a few people who twist religion to gain great (and undeserved) power over huge numbers of believers.
I think the BBC should be embarrassed to post this story in the first place, and I think you should be embarrassed to post it in the DXing forum and get a cheering section of racist morons like W5JUZ here.
How does posting this story here promote international goodwill?
Dan
|
| |
|
RE: Muslim call to adopt Mecca time
|
Reply
|
|
by W5GA on April 21, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I agree with OX, this has no place on E-Ham. If you want to start debate, go to QRZ with this.
|
| |
|
RE: Muslim call to adopt Mecca time
|
Reply
|
|
by W3LK on April 21, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Why are you folks dumping on Charles? It's as valid a post as the political "discussions" that are currently taking place on the Amp forum and other forums on eHam.
Charles made NO commentary on the subject. He simply posted a news article about a group that wants to change where the prime meridian is located. You may think it's stupid (I do) but it IS a valid news story on something that has the potential to affect amateur radio. I agree the potential is slim to none, but so what?
While WE might think the world revolves around Western Civilization, not everyone in the world feels that way. A smart person seeks to learn what the "rest of the world" is thinking.
73,
Lon - W3LK
Naugatuck, Connecticut
|
| |
|
RE: Muslim call to adopt Mecca time
|
Reply
|
|
by N3OX on April 21, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
"While WE might think the world revolves around Western Civilization, not everyone in the world feels that way. A smart person seeks to learn what the "rest of the world" is thinking.
"
But Lon, this is exactly my point. This article presents the "Muslim viewpoint" when there are somewhere around a billion people who practice Islam and probably at most a couple hundred at this conference?
We need to stop giving the limelight to the nonsense spewed forth by a few "religious leaders" and a handful of "scientists" who see something to gain from that nonsense.
I think the average person, Muslim, Christian, Jewish or whatever, is probably just fine with the way the time zones are set up right now. Their voices are not represented in these nonsense "news" stories.
We live in a world where constant media attention to some vocal minority is fostering a steady breakdown in cross-cultural goodwill and I'm sick of it. It is *not* relevant to ham radio *because* it will never happen. Why? Because it's probably only a strongly held opinion of a few dozen people who may be able to infect a few hundred thousand more people to be their zealous backers by showing them footage of Paris Hilton (who, as we all know, engages in behavior that is typical and average of the young American woman).
It's not ham radio news. It's not even news. It's propaganda.
73,
Dan
|
| |
|
RE: Muslim call to adopt Mecca time
|
Reply
|
|
by KE4SKY on April 22, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
To W3LK.
Thank you Lon. At least you understood my point.
And it is apparent that the DX forum is populated by the same people who entertain and rile us up in the others...
KE4SKY, Out.
|
| |
|
RE: Muslim call to adopt Mecca time
|
Reply
|
|
by W3LK on April 22, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Charles, I saw your point and I agree with the post. Burying one's head in the sand and ignoring what the vocal minority in the Islamic world says is one of the reasons we are in the mess we are in.
The folks advocating this may well be kooks and carzies by OUR standards, but the radical Islamic world DOES listen and (often) follow them, rational or not.
End of my discussion on the subject.
73,
Lon - W3LK
Naugatuck, Connecticut
|
| |
|
RE: Muslim call to adopt Mecca time
|
Reply
|
|
by N3OX on April 22, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
"
The folks advocating this may well be kooks and carzies by OUR standards, but the radical Islamic world DOES listen and (often) follow them, rational or not.
"
So the radical Islamic terrorists will start setting their watches to Mecca time? That doesn't really change the fact that some people are willing to strap dynamite to their chests, now does it?
KE4SKY, I apologize if I came down harshly on you. What I'm really mad at is the BBC for posting this crap as if it were actually the Muslim majority opinion "with a few detractors" when, in fact, it is probably absolutely null as far as most people are concerned. And that's the point.
Lon, we shouldn't ignore the vocal minority in radical Islam. That's not what I'm saying. The vocal minority is quite dangerous. What I am saying is that many media outlets are projecting the voice of the vocal minority of a few radicals onto the entire nation of Islam and we're buying it and passing it around as if it were fact...
I'm not saying we're the only ones doing it! Media outlets in world of radical Islam take the worst examples of *our* crazy behavior (largely examples of our materialism and "immorality") and present them as if they are the average behavior of the Western person, but I doubt that you would consider the latest pop starlet to get out of her limo without underwear on "average"
Part of our mandate as amateur radio operators is to promote international goodwill, and part of that is to try and cast aside our prejudices and assumptions about other cultures, not to pass around information that attempts to amplify them. This article does not present information of any value to anyone, much less a DXing forum.
73,
Dan
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
Forum, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Forum Manager.
|
|
|
