False Rumours and Wishful Thinking

False Rumours and Wishful Thinking The American astronaut Neil Armstrong on July 21, 1969, became the first man to set foot on the moon. Armstrong continued working for the North American Space Agency until recently, when he took up a job as a university professor. At the beginning of last year a story about Armstrong was printed in the Malaysian newspaper Star (January 10, 1983), and the Sri Lankan Daily News (January 29, 1983). The story spread like wildfire throughout the Muslim world. “The world-famous astronaut Neil Armstrong,” read the Star caption, “was the FIRST MAN to set foot on the moon. He has since become a Muslim and the reason given was that when he first stepped on the moon he heard a sound which was very clear to him and his companions. At that time, he thought his ears were playing tricks on him as he was rather excited and overawed by his first experience on the moon. When he was sent on a lecture tour to various countries, one of the first places he visited was Cairo, Egypt, and he heard the same sound again. So he asked the Egyptian companion nearest to him what the sound was. He was told that it was Azan, the call to prayer and the glorification of God. He was astounded for that was the same sound and the same words to the best of his memory that he heard on the moon. It was then that he decided to learn something about the religion and finally embraced Islam. As a result of that, he lost his coveted job. But, according to him, he had found God, and nothing else mattered.” On reading these reports, the President of the Islamic Centre, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, wrote a letter to Mr. Armstrong, seeking his verification. In his reply, dated May 5, 1983, Mr. Armstrong categorically denied the truth of the reports. “Dear Mr. Khan,” he wrote. “Thank you for the courtesy of your letter. The reports of my conversion to Islam, of hearing the voice of Azan on the moon, and later in Cairo (I have never been in Egypt) are all untrue. Several magazines and newspapers in Malaysia, Indonesia and elsewhere have published these reports without verification. I apologize for any inconvenience that this incompetent journalism may have caused you. Sincerely, Neil A. Armstrong.”