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May 1, 2006

Pakistan: Islamic Love Tunnel

In Pakistan, the mere rumour of Korans being burned can cause histrionics on a grand scale, as happened at Sangla Hill on November 12 last year, where three churches, 12 houses, a school, a youth hostel and a priest's home were burned by a mob of maddened Muslims. The rumour was later proved to be unsubstantiated, but the main protagonists were still freed. A similar incident occurred on 19th February this year in Sukkur in south Pakistan, where -because of the Danish cartoons - attack Christian interests - the St Saviours Church and St Xavier's Church and St Mary's school, which had been built in 1889.

The crime of burning or desecrating a Koran is, under the blasphemy laws introduced by the Islamist dictator General Zia ul-Haq in 1986, illegal under article 295-B of Pakistan's Penal Code:

Defiling, etc, of copy of Holy Quran. Whoever will fully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Quran or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable for imprisonment for life.

But what can one do with old copies of the Koran, without falling foul of Pakistan's insane Islamist laws? We reported in March that even imams can be arrested and charged for burning a copy, though usually Christians such as the elderly and illiterate Yousaf Masih are the victims of this rule.

So - unable to burn old copies of the Koran, and forbidden to use them as linings for rabbit hutches or as toilet paper, what does a pious Pakistani Muslim do when his old copy of the Koran is falling to bits, or he has become so excited the pages are stuck together?

The traditional methods of disposal involve either burying tatty copies in graveyards or alternatively placing them in rivers or in the sea. The latter method does not include flushing the pages down lavatories, even though they would usually end up in the sea by this method.

One Islamomaniac, who realised that disposal of the so-called sacred books would give many people a perplexing problem, hit upon a novel idea. Instead of just burying them and covering them in earth, tractor dealer Allah Noor Davi decided to create a catacomb for these clapped out Qurans.

14 years ago, the fanatic began to burrow into the hillsides of the Chiltan Mountains in southwestern Pakistan, states Pakistan's Daily Times. Now aged 40, his tunnelling efforts have already built a labyrinth of artificial caverns, stretching more than a mile into the hills.

The Jabal Noorul Quran or "Mountain of Quranic Light" - excuse me if I barf - is called a "sacred storehouse, with carpeted walkways, lined with sacks." It is situated near the city of Quetta, and has become a site of pilgrimage, or curiosity.

There are 56 tunnels which link to each other, seven feet high and eight feet wide (pictured above). The tourists arrive on most days, with about 200 per day on the busiest days, Friday and Saturday. In keeping with Muslim sexism, the sexes are segregated, probably to avoid hanky panky going on in the tunnels. But on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the segregation rules are relaxed for what are called "family days". Visitors' donations help to pay for the two workmen who hack at the stony earth with picks and shovels.

Davi has a charity, and has hired labourers carving out chunks of the mountain to achieve his aims. Originally, he wanted the catacombs to house the old Korans of the 1.5 million inhabitants of Quetta. But now, decrepit Korans arrive from Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi. Even Quranic verses saved from newspapers and magazines arrive to be stored in the "sacred" depository. About 10 truckloads of Koranic rubbish arrive every month, and the junk is stuffed into the labyrinth.

According to Davi, there has never been an accident. This may be in part due to his security guard telling people not to walk on the ground above the tunnels. They even survived an earthquake in the region nearby in 1997, as Davi claims "without a single stone falling...because of our Islamic cause and the help from almighty Allah."

I really am going to throw up now, if I continue even thinking about the insanity of this man's ambitions.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 1, 2006 5:18 PM

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