Standing Mosques
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
When mosques are left standing in natural disasters Muslims often claim it's a miracle and attribute it to an intervention by Allah. It is then used by them for propaganda purposes in order to gain new converts. This article examines and refutes the various claims made by Muslims.
[edit] Mosques Left Unharmed
[edit] 1999 Earthquake in Turkey
The 1999 İzmit earthquake in Turkey left between 17,000 - 45,000 people dead and another 43,953 injured.[1][2]
In the picture to the left, the Golcuk mosque along with a few more buildings look unaffected by the quake while most of the buildings around it are destroyed.
Islamic websites had this to say about the image:
Miracles of Islam
First of all we should realize that those buildings in the above picture that are completely erased were knocked down deliberately by excavators and bulldozers because obviously they suffered some severe damages in the earthquake, representing a peril to the people. The reason the buildings surrounding these mosques were so severely damaged is because of the shady construction and has nothing to do with God.
Important public buildings such as mosques, temples and churches are usually contracted to the best Architects and Engineers. They are built better and therefore last longer than ordinary buildings which are built by unscrupulous profit seeking contractors who cut corners and are there for the money. This is especially the case in third world countries where there is no authority to inspect the building codes in the moments of construction or overlook the deficiencies if paid a little bribe.
In other natural disasters mosques are also damaged. Earthquakes demolish buildings that are not built properly and make no distinction between buildings which are considered holy places or brothels. Therefore, well-built buildings survive natural disasters over time. Mosques are built with, in effect, public financing, which enables the use of better construction methods and materials. (For example, the Indonesian tsunami of 2004 did not destroy mosques built by the Dutch using public funds and high-quality construction.) So, in natural disaster-prone regions, it is only logical to expect mosques to survive, as the poorly-built mosques were destroyed long ago.
An important point to consider is the religion of 99% of the population of Turkey is Islam,[3] so the houses that surrounded these mosques belonged to Muslims. Why did Allah destroy them? If this was intentionally done by Allah, do you really want to worship a god that destroys the houses of so many innocent people and kills his followers so ruthlessly while saving a mosque? Is Allah a psychopath? Is he also a terrorist?
[edit] 2005 Tsunami in Indonesia
In the January 2005 picture to the left, we see the Baiturrahim mosque in Meulaboh, Indonesia, after a massive earthquake and tsunami destroyed the town.
If you look closely at the image you will notice there is another building that survived just above the mosque and another just below it. If this was not by chance but by a miracle from God, why were the other buildings also left standing, and what special significance do they have for Allah to spare them from being destroyed?
For this to be a true miracle, all of the other mosques which were struck by the tsunami would have also had to survive unharmed. The picture to the right, showing a damaged Mosque near the coast in Banda Aceh,[4] clearly proves this was not the case.
As with the Golcuk mosque in Turkey, these religiously important structures are generally better constructed than regular buildings, so there is nothing miraculous when a few out of hundreds/thousands survive.
Three military officers who were part of a large contingent of Australian military surveying the ruins around the Baiturrahim mosque also explained why there was nothing extraordinary about this mosque being left standing after such an incident.[5]
Sergeant Kasey Northausen explained, "In every disaster you have buildings like this one, You have whole areas destroyed and in the middle, one building is still standing." Adding it "must have been part of the specific patterns of the water's force."
Corporal Thomas Allison suggested that the mosque's architecture, specifically its open first floor, allowed the huge waves to flow through, leaving the building intact. This logical explanation can also be applied to other mosques struck by hurricanes and floods.
[edit] 2011 Tsunami in Japan
Muslims using mass-emails and postings on the internet claimed another "standing mosque" miracle, this time in Japan following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011 which left 15,561 dead and another 5,690 injured.[6][7]
Satalways, Flixya
The reason why it would never be published in Western media is because it is nothing more than false Islamic propaganda. The "incredible picture" that was circulated with the lie was in fact the aforementioned Baiturrahim mosque after the 2005 Tsunami in Indonesia, and not any mosque in Japan.
[edit] Mosques Damaged
[edit] Images of Various Mosques
Fathur Rahman mosque destroyed by a powerful earthquake in Solok, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Friday, March 9, 2007
February 2010, 40 dead and 71 injured after a minaret/roof collapse in Meknes, Moroccan, during Friday prayers
Pakistani earthquake survivors pray in front of the ruins of a mosque ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha (2006)
Mosque in Bantul, southcentral Java, Indonesia destroyed by earthquake (May 26, 2006)
Damaged mosque in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, 2006
Unidentified mosque damaged in Earthquake
Mosque damaged in Pakistan's earthquake of 2006
Damaged Mosque near coast in Banda Aceh (2005 Tsunami)
The fifteenth century Anau mosque was destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1948
Friday prayer at the Jama Haman Wali mosque in Muzaffarabad, which was destroyed by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake
[edit] Further Incidents
[edit] A "Collapsing Mosque" Miracle?
Following the 2010 floods in Morocco, the minaret and part of the roof of a historic 18th century mosque in Meknes collapsed onto the congregation during Friday prayers. At least 40 people died and 71 were injured.[8]
This incident is the complete opposite of the "standing mosque" miracle. Whilst the people and ordinary buildings outside the mosque were left unharmed, the worship place was destroyed and many worshipers were killed or injured.
Does this make the unfortunate tragedy an anti-Allah "collapsing mosque" miracle?
[edit] 1509 Earthquake in Turkey
The 1509 Istanbul earthquake occurred in the Sea of Marmara on September 10, 1509. Forty-five days of aftershocks followed the earthquake, as well as a tsunami. Over a thousand houses and 109 mosques were destroyed, and an estimated 10,000 people died.[9]
If Allah saved the Golcuk mosque in Turkey, why would he not save the other 109 Turkish mosques destroyed in 1509? It does not make any sense to believe that he would allow so many Turkish mosques in the past to be destroyed yet care enough to intervene on behalf of one.
[edit] 2004 Earthquake in Jerusalem
The Dome of the Rock (not to be confused with the Al-Aqsa Mosque) located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem is one of the most important mosques in Islam. It was built over the spot from which Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel.[10]
In February 2004, the roof of the Dome of the Rock Mosque was cracked by an earthquake that hit Israel. A radio report had also stated that the renovations were to be funded by the United Arab Emirates.[11] Why would Allah protect a few obscure mosques while allowing this important mosque to be damaged?
[edit] 1509, 1557, 1754, 1766 Earthquakes in Turkey
The original Fatih Mosque (or Conqueror's Mosque in English) located in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey, was repeatedly damaged by earthquakes and was eventually replaced by the current mosque in 1771.
It was first damaged in the 1509 earthquake, after that it was repaired, but was then damaged again by earthquakes in 1557 and 1754 and repaired yet again. It was then completely destroyed by an earthquake on May 22, 1766, when the main dome collapsed and the walls were irreparably damaged.[12]
[edit] 1941 Flood in Mecca
The Ka'aba is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is Islam's most holiest shrine.[13] Muslims believe it was constructed by Abraham and his son Ishmael, they face it during daily prayers, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam requires them to perform the Hajj pilgrimage (which entails walking seven times around the Ka'aba) at least once in their lifetime.
If one believes Allah saved the mosques above, then who flooded Allah's house in 1941? The pictures below are of the Ka'aba when an unusual deluge flooded the area around the Ka'aba and immersed it in 5 feet of water:
Ka'aba in a flood in 1941
Man swims around the Ka'aba
Pilgrims in Safa Marwa
Mecca in the flood
[edit] Non-Muslim Structures Left Unharmed
[edit] 2008 Hurricane In United States
Hurricane Ike hit Texas on September 13, 2008.[14] It was the third-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States and resulted in 33 U.S. fatalities.[15]
Unlike the standing mosques in Turkey and Indonesia which were both pictured with nearby buildings still intact, the house pictured below was literally the last house standing in the Texas island of Gilchrist.[16]
If we are to believe these structures remain standing due to Allah's intervention, then why would he bestow his most impressive miracle on non-Muslims living in America?
House left standing during Hurricane Ike
The same house from a different angle
[edit] Similiar Incidents
[edit] 1951 Earthquake in El Salvador
Following the earthquake in May 1951 at Jucuapa, El Salvador, "The only structure left standing, although badly damaged, was a partially unfinished market building"[17]
[edit] 1945 Atomic Bombing in Japan
The first atomic bomb to be used in war detonated almost directly above the Genbaku Dome in Hiroshima, Japan. It was initially scheduled to be demolished with the rest of the ruins, but the fact that the now termed "A-bomb Dome" remained mostly intact led to it being preserved. The Dome is now registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.[18]
[edit] Conclusion
There is nothing miraculous about strongly built structures with open architecture allowing water and wind to flow through, surviving waves and high winds better than weaker buildings.
Nature is indiscriminate about what it damages during natural disasters, and mosques are no exception to this rule. This is proven by the hundreds of mosques which have been destroyed in natural disasters, and by the fact that non-Muslim buildings have also "miraculously" been left unharmed or standing during similar incidents.
The "standing mosques" are no more miraculous than Morocco's 2010 "collapsing mosque" which only killed worshipers and left others unharmed. If the former can be used to claim Islam is the true faith, the latter can be used to prove it is a false faith.
It also makes no sense that Allah would protect a few obscure mosques while allowing his house, the Ka'aba, to be flooded and the Dome of the Rock mosque to be damaged in an earthquake.
Furthermore, in these desperate attempt to find miracles and attribute them to Allah, Muslims have only incriminated him rather than proving his greatness. If we were to accept these incidents as true miracles, then why should we be proud of worshiping a deity who would save his places of worship from destruction, but at the same time allow his worshipers to die and their property to be destroyed?
[edit] See Also
- Natural Disasters - A hub page that leads to other articles related to Natural Disasters
- Mosques - A hub page that leads to other articles related to Mosques
[edit] References
- ↑ Magnitude 7.6 TURKEY 1999 August 17 00:01:39 UTC - U.S. Geological Survey
- ↑ Marza, Vasile I. (2004). On the death toll of the 1999 Izmit (Turkey) major earthquake. ESC General Assembly Papers, Potsdam: European Seismological Commission
- ↑ Religion in Turkey - Kwintessential, accessed August 22, 2010
- ↑ Laura Zink Torresan - Photo Gallery of Northwestern Sumatra: 21 January 2005 Banda Aceh (Damaged Mosque near coast in Banda Aceh) - U.S. Geological Survey, last modified May 31, 2005
- ↑ John Donnelly - Mosque that survived tsunami draws tourists - Boston Globe, January 28, 2005
- ↑ Mosque survives in Japan - RationalSkepticism.org, March 29, 2011
- ↑ Damage Situation and Police Countermeasures associated with 2011 Tohoku district – off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake - Japanese National Police Agency, April 20, 2011
- ↑ Morocco minaret collapse kills dozens - The Telegraph, February 20, 2010
- ↑ 1509 Istanbul earthquake - Wikipedia, accessed May 21, 2011
- ↑ Braswell, G. Islam – Its Prophets, People, Politics and Power. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers. 1996. p.14
- ↑ Dome of the Rock Mosque Damaged in Quake - Israel Faxx, February 25, 2004
- ↑ Fatih Mosque, Istanbul - Wikipedia, accessed July 18, 2011
- ↑ Wensinck, A. J; Ka`ba. Encyclopaedia of Islam IV p. 317
- ↑ Hurricane Ike - U.S. Geological Survey, accessed July 18, 2011
- ↑ U.S. death toll from Hurricane Ike rises to 33 - CBC News, September 15, 2008
- ↑ Mike Von Fremd - In Ike's Wake: Last House Standing - ABC News, September 21, 2008
- ↑ N.N. Ambraseys, J.J. Bommer, E. Buforn and A. Udías - The earthquake sequence of May 1951 at Jucuapa, El Salvador - Journal of Seismology Volume 5, Number 1, 23-39, DOI: 10.1023/A:1009883313414
- ↑ Hiroshima Peace Memorial - Wikipedia, accessed July 17, 2011
