Indonesian Muslims told to change prayer direction 印尼穆斯林被告知改變祈禱方向

 ◎魏國金
Indonesia’s Muslims learned on Friday they have been praying in the wrong direction, after the country’s highest Islamic authority said its directive on the direction of Mecca actually had people facing Africa.
在該國的最高伊斯蘭機構週五表示，其對麥加方向的指示實際上是讓人民面對非洲後，印尼的穆斯林才知道他們一直往錯誤的方向祈禱。
Muslims are supposed to face the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia during prayer and the Indonesian Ulema Council （MUI） issued an edict in March stipulating westward was the correct direction from the world’s most populous Muslim country.
穆斯林在祈禱時理應面對沙烏地阿拉伯的聖城麥加，伊斯蘭學者理事會（MUI）3月間頒布一道敕令，規定朝西是從這個全球最多穆斯林人口之國（朝向麥加）的正確方向。
"But it has been decided that actually the mosques are facing Somalia or Kenya, so we are now suggesting people shift the direction slightly to the north-west," the head of the MUI, Cholil Ridwan, told Reuters. "There’s no need to knock down mosques, just shift your direction slightly during prayer."
「不過這被判定清真寺實際上面對的是索馬利亞或肯亞，所以現在我們建議民眾稍微轉移方向至西北方，」MUI主席喬利．里德旺告訴路透說。「沒有理由拆毀清真寺，只要祈禱時稍微轉移你的方向。」
Ridwan said Muslims need not fear that their prayers have been wasted because they were facing the wrong way. "Their prayers will still be heard by Allah," he said.
里德旺說，穆斯林無須擔憂他們的禱告白費了，因為他們面對錯誤方向。「他們的禱告仍被阿拉垂聽，」他說。
The MUI has, in the past, issued controversial edicts banning Muslims from chanting during yoga, and from smoking.
過去MUI發布爭議性的敕令，禁止穆斯林在練瑜伽時聊天與禁止穆斯林抽菸。
新聞辭典
stipulate︰規定、約定、確定。例句︰You must stipulate how many hours you can work in a day.（你必須確定你一天能工作多少小時。）
knock down︰拆毀、拆卸、擊倒。例句︰The house is being knocked down to make way for a new road.（這棟房子正被拆毀以便為新建道路騰出空間。）
waste︰浪費、耗損、蹂躪、糟蹋。例句︰Invading armies wasted the countryside.（入侵的軍隊蹂躪鄉村。）