# Mecca Time to Replace GMT???? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510 "2008-04-23T05:24:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/21 "2008-04-24T12:53:05Z")
[QUOTE=Aquila Be] With Mecca at 40° 13’ East converted to 0° it will mean that travellers from the main part of the US will cross the new International Date Line into tomorrow every time they go to Alaska or Hawaii. It shouldn’t inconvenience more than a few million people. [/QUOTE] Eh, the current International date “line” swerves back and forth 20 degrees or so, I’m sure in an alternate universe where this change was actually being seriously implimented, it could be swung west until it gets S of Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Shot\_Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_Clock)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/22 "2008-04-24T13:36:51Z")
[QUOTE=Sophistry and Illusion] I think the probability for success = the probability of the Western world adopting the Jewish calendar. [/QUOTE] That’s a hell of a thing to say on the 19th day of Nissan. In the middle of Pesach, even! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/23 "2008-04-24T13:48:05Z")
[QUOTE=Shot Clock] That’s a hell of a thing to say on the 19th day of Nissan. In the middle of Pesach, even! 😛 [/QUOTE] What can I say; I’m just a meshugena goy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/24 "2008-04-24T15:40:00Z")
The only way this could happen is if we made those parts of the world with large Islamic populations more influential. Like by giving them lot’s of money for something they own. Can’t see it happening. Why would the west dump lots of money into the economies of countries that want to kill us? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/25 "2008-04-24T18:46:44Z")
I thought that for religous purposes the time in Mecca considered (sunrise, high noon, sunset) had to be actual solar time, which varies over the year by up to fifteen minutes. So wouldn’t it be useless as a “mean time”? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/26 "2008-04-24T19:19:48Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] The center of the Earth is in the center of the Earth. [/QUOTE] Oh yeah? Well, the center of the Earth is in the center of _your mom!_ ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/27 "2008-04-24T20:59:31Z")
Legacy of colonialism or not, the present Prime Meridian does put the International Date Line out in the middle of the Pacific, & I don’t know that you can find many people really inclined to change that. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/28 "2008-04-24T22:36:27Z")
[QUOTE=foolsguinea] Legacy of colonialism or not, the present Prime Meridian does put the International Date Line out in the middle of the Pacific, & I don’t know that you can find many people really inclined to change that. [/QUOTE] There’s no necessary connection between the Prime Meridian and the Date Line. They just _happen_ to be 180 degrees apart (except where the Date Line bends), which is a nice coincidence, but there is no reason why they need to be. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/29 "2008-04-25T12:35:04Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] I thought that for religous purposes the time in Mecca considered (sunrise, high noon, sunset) had to be actual solar time, which varies over the year by up to fifteen minutes. So wouldn’t it be useless as a “mean time”? [/QUOTE] Also, Islamic prayertimes are [according to _local_ solar time](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salat_times), so what use would Mecca time be to Muslims elsewhere, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/30 "2008-04-25T13:51:13Z")
Phil at Bad Astronomy has some video of a Muslim “scientist” explaning this. What a Riot, puts our ID people to shame. [http://www.badastronomy.com/](http://www.badastronomy.com/) About half way down the page. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/31 "2008-04-25T15:30:27Z")
Our ID people have no shame to be put to. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/32 "2008-05-09T21:27:01Z")
[QUOTE=Freddy the Pig] There’s no necessary connection between the Prime Meridian and the Date Line. They just _happen_ to be 180 degrees apart (except where the Date Line bends), which is a nice coincidence, but there is no reason why they need to be. [/QUOTE] I hope you’ll admit it’s much neater that way. Actually, it’s pretty bizarre to claim that the Date Line has nothing to do with GMT. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/33 "2008-05-10T04:27:31Z")
[QUOTE=Magiver] Just make sure they’re facing east when you do. [/QUOTE] Because doing it facing east is gay? Or is this one of those, “I don’t care where they’re facing, as long as I’m on top because ‘on top’ is less gay,” cases? And what happened to Phil? Kid becomes famous and it’s, “Good bye, SDMB. I was on ‘Nightline?’” ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/34 "2008-05-10T10:18:00Z")
[QUOTE=Icerigger] Phil at Bad Astronomy has some video of a Muslim “scientist” explaning this. What a Riot, puts our ID people to shame. [http://www.badastronomy.com/](http://www.badastronomy.com/) About half way down the page. [/QUOTE] I’m not seeing it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulf573](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@beowulf573](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulf573)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/35 "2008-05-10T12:24:12Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] I’m not seeing it. [/QUOTE] It’s probably this [link](http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/02/18/fundamentalists-say-the-silliest-things/). ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/36 "2008-05-10T21:20:31Z")
[QUOTE=foolsguinea] I hope you’ll admit it’s much neater that way. Actually, it’s pretty bizarre to claim that the Date Line has nothing to do with GMT. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] I have no idea what you’re rolling your eyes at. There’s no reason why the Date Line has to be at 180 degrees longitude. If the least inhabited part of the world had fallen at 150 degrees East or 150 degrees West, the Date Line could have been drawn there with no inconvenience to anybody. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/37 "2008-05-11T11:39:26Z")
So where can I get an anticlockwise watch? (It’s mentioned in one of the news stories toward the top of the thread.) 😃😃😃 Here: > **[BBC NEWS | Middle East | Muslim call to adopt Mecca time](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7359258.stm)** > > A group of Muslim scientists and clerics call for the adoption of Mecca time to replace "colonial" GMT. I Googled, but to no avail. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/38 "2008-05-11T11:54:22Z")
[QUOTE=beowulf573] It’s probably this [link](http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2008/02/18/fundamentalists-say-the-silliest-things/). [/QUOTE] I don’t think that’s it, but I watched the video and I have to say I loved the part where the scientist holds up a book that says “SCIENCE”. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/39 "2008-05-11T16:59:17Z")
[QUOTE=WF Tomba] I don’t think that’s it, but I watched the video and I have to say I loved the part where the scientist holds up a book that says “SCIENCE”. 😛 [/QUOTE] I like that guy and I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding “moon has one-sixth the mass of Earth”. It could easily be the result of an science-illiterate translator. We need a doper who speaks Arabic to check for us. ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510/40 "2008-05-11T19:32:03Z")
[QUOTE=Sophistry and Illusion] I think the probability for success = the probability of the Western world adopting the Jewish calendar. [/QUOTE] Re: “Western world” Interesting choice of words, if we did move the 0 degree longitude line, it would put the western world back in the western hemisphere. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecca-time-to-replace-gmt/446510.md?page=3)