Religious clerics in the UAE have issued a fatwa against one-way trips to Mars, arguing that inhabiting the Red Planet goes against Islamic teachings.

“Such a one-way journey poses a real risk to life, and that can never be justified in Islam,” ruled the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment, the Dubai-based Khaleej Times reported.

“There is a possibility that an individual who travels to planet Mars may not be able to remain alive there, and is more vulnerable to death,” the committee said.

Mars One, based in Netherlands, had invited volunteers to fly to Mars to establish a permanent human colony, beginning in 2023. There is no technology, however, to ensure a return trip to Earth.

The committee argued that trying to dwell on Mars would be so hazardous as to be suicidal and killing oneself is not permitted by Islam, the Khaleej Times said.

The committee, presided by professor Farooq Hamada, said: “Protecting life against all possible dangers and keeping it safe is an issue agreed upon by all religions and is clearly stipulated in verse 4/29 of the Holy Quran: Do not kill yourselves or one another. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.”

Sheikh Mohammed Yusuf, Imam of the Amena mosque, said: “Man’s life is not his or her own property; it is God’s creation, and therefore suicide is prohibited in all religions, and of course by law.”

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.