Keeping pace with space.

Byline: Syed Faisal Ali

He is the first Muslim to have offered prayers in space. He is a man with a strong determination and vision to take the Ummah to a new height of glory, to space.

Meet Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar - a doctor by qualification, an astronaut by training and a model by choice. Now the man is on a mission to establish an Islamic Space Agency (ISA).

"Around 500 people have gone into space but only nine of them have been Muslims," said Muszaphar, a Malaysian, speaking about his ambitious project.

Upset over a poor growth of scientific research and achievement in Muslim countries, Muszaphar said: "We must remember he who conquers space will conquer the world."

Lauding the US and the West for their scientific achievements, he said: "Look at them where they have gone. And now China, India and South Korea are racing to go into space."

Muszaphar wants Muslim states to also take a keen interest in space technology. He …