Muslims & Moonshot Thinking

Is the Qatar World Cup an example of Moonshot thinking?

Muslims have a strong association with the moon. We adhere to the lunar calendar. Our symbol is the crescent moon. We’re known for regular moon sighting (and quite often, moon fighting).

However, there’s another moon association we should aspire to be more linked to. Moonshot thinking.

In the tech world, a moonshot is an ambitious, exploratory and ground-breaking project undertaken without the assurance of near-term profitability or benefit. It derives from the term ‘shooting for the moon’, referencing the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. They are typically done with the long-term benefit of humanity in mind.

Moonshots today are associated with people like Elon Musk, such as his mission to Mars. Google have an entire division called ‘X’ that work only on moonshot projects as this is what pushes the envelope of truly innovative thinking. Their first project was Waymo, self-driving cars. Other moonshots are the likes of Facebook now focusing on building an entire metaverse. Things like this are going to change the way life operates.