KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)
-- A Malaysian doctor who will spend the last days of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan in space has vowed to follow the rituals of his faith even as he
hurtles around Earth at 17,000 mph.
Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor lifted
off Wednesday in a Soyuz spacecraft from Kazakhstan, en route to the International
Space Station where he will spend about 10 days.
The spacecraft -- which
also carried an American and a Russian -- will take two days to reach the
station, a period coinciding with the last days of Ramadan, the month when
Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. Sheikh Muszaphar has said he will fast
and pray in space, even though clerics said he could delay
the fast.
"I am not sure how it
would be done but I will share my experiences (with) all the Muslims all over
the world when I get back," the 35-year-old Sheikh
Muszaphar wrote in his Web journal. "After all, Islam is a way
of life and I am quite sure I would not face much difficulties."
Sheikh Muszaphar is taking
vacuum-packed Malaysian food, including skewered chicken, banana rolls,
fermented soybean cakes and ginger jelly to mark the end of Ramadan.
A bachelor who has become a
national heartthrob, the orthopedic surgeon will not be the first Muslim in space
-- Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman joined the crew of the shuttle Discovery in
1985 and there have been several others since.
Still, the mission
initially presented a dilemma about fulfilling religious duties such as
fasting, kneeling for prayers in zero gravity or facing Mecca to pray.
After all, praying five
times daily on a craft that goes around Earth 16 times a day would have meant
praying 80 times in 24 hours. Also, it is virtually impossible to face Mecca
continuously in a craft traveling at such high speed.
Muslims are required to
wash their hands, feet, face and hair before prayers -- a luxury on the Soyuz
where water is so precious that even sweat and urine are recycled.
To get around these
problems, 150 Malaysian scholars, scientists, and astronauts brainstormed and
published an 18-page
booklet of guidelines for Muslim astronauts.
If he follows the
guidelines, Sheikh Muszaphar can forgo fasting in space and make up for it when
he returns to Earth. He can pray three times a day instead of five, facing any
direction, and he can do without the ritual washing.
On Tuesday, Sheikh
Muszaphar told reporters his trip will be an inspiration for his Southeast
Asian homeland as well as to other Muslims worldwide.
"It's a small step for
me, but a great leap for the Malaysian people," he said, rephrasing Neil
Armstrong's words after the 1969 moon landing.
advertisement
