Mecca Mean Time

[Darth Wong]

I suspect that the kind of Muslim who would take this seriously would never have moved to a western country in the first place.

[Kanastrous]

I suspect that the kind of Muslim who would take this seriously would never have moved to a western country in the first place.

Unless he was a takfiri.

[Darth Onasi]

Hardly a big deal. No one cares what some religion-wankers in the third world want. I'm surprised they're wasting their time even arguing for it.

Allah promises a shiny penny to every loyal follower who makes a pointless public outcry that nobody cares about.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Does anyone realize how much its going to fuck things up if the entire islamic world (Indonesia to Morocco) is on the same timezone?

[Turin]

One geologist argued that unlike other longitudes, Mecca's was in perfect alignment to magnetic north.

Even if this sentence actually somehow made sense, and it was true, and Mecca was really designed so that every wall pointed directly at magnetic north... the Earth doesn't spin on magnetic north, it spins on the rotational pole (by definition). So this is even more meaningless.

[bilateralrope]

One geologist argued that unlike other longitudes, Mecca's was in perfect alignment to magnetic north.

Proof please?

I checked wikipedia on the assumption that Mecca's longitude ran through magnetic north. It doesn't go anywhere near either the north or south magnetic poles.

Locations of both magnetic poles (North is at 114W, South is at 138E). Mecca article, coordinates are top right (39E). This is only wikipedia, but I doubt there is much disagreement on the coordinates, so it should be reliable enough.

Using GMT means that timezones range from GMT-12 to GMT +14, with only a few places beyond GMT+12. So this puts GMT on roughly the opposite side of the world to the international date line, which seems the best location to base our timezones from.

[CaptainChewbacca]

One geologist argued that unlike other longitudes, Mecca's was in perfect alignment to magnetic north.

Proof please?

I checked wikipedia on the assumption that Mecca's longitude ran through magnetic north. It doesn't go anywhere near either the north or south magnetic poles.

Locations of both magnetic poles (North is at 114W, South is at 138E). Mecca article, coordinates are top right (39E). This is only wikipedia, but I doubt there is much disagreement on the coordinates, so it should be reliable enough.

Using GMT means that timezones range from GMT-12 to GMT +14, with only a few places beyond GMT+12. So this puts GMT on roughly the opposite side of the world to the international date line, which seems the best location to base our timezones from.

Pffft, that's because you're using the WEST's longitude lines. They are inferior to islam.

[Sidewinder]

Islam hasn't contradicted science? You mean there's a magical man up there in the sky?

You need a better example. The existence of "a magical man up there in the sky" is not empirical; to those who've studied philosophy, that means because it's impossible to prove God exists, it's impossible to prove he DOESN'T.

I can't wait for the rash of firings of Muslims from their Western jobs who use their "Muslim Watch" to tell time, instead of the time everyone else uses.

"But I'm not late!"

"Yes you are. You were supposed to be here yesterday morning."

That's an amusing idea. More "fun" may be had when Western and Muslim businessmen argue items that were supposed to be delivered and payed for by month X day X, 2008, with the Muslims interpreting it as month X day X, 2008 anno Hegirae, and think they have 679 more years to deliver their products or make payments, and vice versa.

[Straha]

I think this makes perfect sense! Remember, Mecca is "protected by angles"!

Seriously though... I'm tempted to read their paper to see just what the hell their argument is.

[Rye]

It's some kind of weird-ass MC Escher condition.

Allahu Akbar!

Mohammed talked of his dreams in a strangely poetic fashion; making me see with terrible vividness the dry Cyclopean city of sandy white stone - whose geometry, he oddly said, was all wrong - they all somehow aligned with magnetic north - and hear with frightened expectancy the ceaseless, half-mental calling from underground: "Allahu ackbar", "Allahu ackbar."

[Kanastrous]

Muhammad, or H.P Lovecraft...?

[The Vortex Empire]

Islam hasn't contradicted science? You mean there's a magical man up there in the sky?

You need a better example. The existence of "a magical man up there in the sky" is not empirical; to those who've studied philosophy, that means because it's impossible to prove God exists, it's impossible to prove he DOESN'T.

Good point. I'll go with the "Mecca immune to attack because it is guarded by angels" one. Easy to prove that's false.

[Alerik the Fortunate]

I seem to recall a previous thread coming to the consensus that any physical annihilation of Mecca would just lead to massive reinterpretation of the text to assert the preservation of a true, spiritual Mecca, or something to that effect. It would, anyway, still make them look that much more ridiculous (as if they needed the help).

[The Vortex Empire]

I seem to recall a previous thread coming to the consensus that any physical annihilation of Mecca would just lead to massive reinterpretation of the text to assert the preservation of a true, spiritual Mecca, or something to that effect. It would, anyway, still make them look that much more ridiculous (as if they needed the help).

It would also result in a huge Jihad against whoever destroyed it.

[Darth Wong]

Islam hasn't contradicted science? You mean there's a magical man up there in the sky?

You need a better example. The existence of "a magical man up there in the sky" is not empirical; to those who've studied philosophy, that means because it's impossible to prove God exists, it's impossible to prove he DOESN'T.

Good point. I'll go with the "Mecca immune to attack because it is guarded by angels" one. Easy to prove that's false.

No, Sidewinder is being stupid. The scientific method employs the logical principle of parsimony, which means that you don't NEED to prove that God doesn't exist, any more than you need to prove that Thor the Thunder God doesn't exist, or that the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn't exist. The fact that the idea of God is not USEFUL for explaining anything is all you need in order to conclude that he is totally superfluous, hence any ideology which claims his existence as a fact is violating scientific principles.

[The Vortex Empire]

You need a better example. The existence of "a magical man up there in the sky" is not empirical; to those who've studied philosophy, that means because it's impossible to prove God exists, it's impossible to prove he DOESN'T.

Good point. I'll go with the "Mecca immune to attack because it is guarded by angels" one. Easy to prove that's false.

No, Sidewinder is being stupid. The scientific method employs the logical principle of parsimony, which means that you don't NEED to prove that God doesn't exist, any more than you need to prove that Thor the Thunder God doesn't exist, or that the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn't exist. The fact that the idea of God is not USEFUL for explaining anything is all you need in order to conclude that he is totally superfluous, hence any ideology which claims his existence as a fact is violating scientific principles.

Dammit, I knew that. I haven't slept enough lately.

[Adrian Laguna]

I seem to recall a previous thread coming to the consensus that any physical annihilation of Mecca would just lead to massive reinterpretation of the text to assert the preservation of a true, spiritual Mecca, or something to that effect. It would, anyway, still make them look that much more ridiculous (as if they needed the help).

It would also result in a huge Jihad against whoever destroyed it.

I don't think so, when the Jews had their temple burned down, they didn't react by revolting, they reacted by having a crisis of faith and adopting a rather more peaceable attitude than before. I would be inclined to think that if Mecca and Medina were to have an "accident" involving an Ohio-class submarine, a Trident SLBM, and a dozen W88 warheads, the Muslim world would react in a similar fashion.

[Straha]

I seem to recall a previous thread coming to the consensus that any physical annihilation of Mecca would just lead to massive reinterpretation of the text to assert the preservation of a true, spiritual Mecca, or something to that effect. It would, anyway, still make them look that much more ridiculous (as if they needed the help).

It would also result in a huge Jihad against whoever destroyed it.

I don't think so, when the Jews had their temple burned down, they didn't react by revolting, they reacted by having a crisis of faith and adopting a rather more peaceable attitude than before. I would be inclined to think that if Mecca and Medina were to have an "accident" involving an Ohio-class submarine, a Trident SLBM, and a dozen W88 warheads, the Muslim world would react in a similar fashion.

Well, it's kinda hard to Jihad when you're being subjugated by an invading force. :p If Mecca were destroyed in a terrorist attack there'd be a Jihad of immense proportions. If all Muslims were being eradicated from the earth and Mecca was destroyed in the process... I imagine the destruction of Mecca would be a backburner issue and cause a minor crisis of faith.

[CJvR]

He honestly doesn't seem to understand that the zero-point is an entirely arbitrary choice, and it makes no material difference except that a change now would waste enormous amounts of money for no discernible gain other than Muslim pride.

Perhaps their science consultants were flat-earthers, they would probably get along fine.

Besides 0 - 0, the "center of the world", is somewhere outside the African coast not in the UK.

[Grog]

Why the hell do mainstream media call them muslim scientists? They should call them muslim nutjobs. I know scientists who are muslims and they sure as hell do not agree with this. Place the zero point on some sex toy factory instead.

[Rye]

Muhammad, or H.P Lovecraft...?

Whichever mad arabian character you prefer. The Call of Allah works just as well as Cthulhu, obviously.

[Straha]

A lecture on the scientific accuracy of the Koran by the man behind the above push.

Intriguing.

[Darth Onasi]

A lecture on the scientific accuracy of the Koran by the man behind the above push.

Intriguing.

I believe that guy's entire speech can be summed up with "The Koran is holy! It isssssssssss!!!"

[Kanastrous]

Part of what's funny, is his repeated insistence that it's a miracle for the Qu'ran to have stayed "in its original form" for fourteen hundred years, while conveniently ignoring the provenance of the Mosaic books, which go back over four thousand years.

Hey, if older means better, you're in third place, friend.

[Darth Wong]

Why the hell do mainstream media call them muslim scientists? They should call them muslim nutjobs. I know scientists who are muslims and they sure as hell do not agree with this. Place the zero point on some sex toy factory instead.

It's actually consistent, which is a nice change. If they're going to call creationist nutjobs "creation scientists", they might as well call these nutjobs "scientists".