Islam has a whole lot of rules.  Counting either the official rules or unofficial rules for haircuts and the like, there are a lot of requirements for being a proper Muslim according to the Koran.  One rule that Muslims are generally supposed to follow is that, when they gather for prayer five times a day, they pray towards Mecca.  Mecca, of course, is the holiest city of Islam.  Unfortunately for Indonesian Muslims, the Indonesian Ulema Council (or MUI for some reason) can’t read a map and the world’s largest Muslim country has been praying in the wrong direction.

Rather than facing Mecca, their westward prayers were actually being sent to Somalia or Kenya, where presumably they fell on the deaf ears of the Rastafarian Muhammad, Haile Selassie.  To face Mecca, they had to turn northwest instead of straight west.  Whoops!  No worries, Indonesia; God still heard your prayers to cure that poor fat baby of his smoking addiction and whatnot.

Tags: Indonesia, Muslims, religion, Muslims praying in the wrong direction, Muslims not praying to Mecca, geography, Cholil Ridwan, Indonesian Ulema Council, MUI, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, religion, accidents

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