Mosques left standing: Allah's miracle

1/12/2005 2:30:00 PM GMT

Source:AP

Indonesia's coastline is bare of construction with the exception of the Ulee Lheu mosque which stands defiantly amongst the rubble and debris left behind by the tsunami.

Though whole villages and communities were left devastated by the giant ocean waves, the damage caused to the mosque appears to be minimal in comparison. Only one wall was ruined while a second storey verandah ended up with a sandy floor and a boat trailer tossed up by the waves.

The 'survival' of the mosque has made Muslims call it extraordinary and divinely inspired.

"It's because it's the house of Allah. It's protected. Most of the buildings that were saved are mosques," says Fitria, 26, of the mosques left standing after the Dec. 26 disaster. "People noticed and they're talking about it," he added.

Of all the buildings left standing in what used to be a vibrant region are the mosques.

Along the road to Banda Aceh's beach, debris is piled high against a mosque's outside gate, but the building is otherwise untouched. Nearby, a multistory mansion stands unstable, but a similarly proportioned house of worship next door is unmoved.

Survivors believe divine protection, and not sturdy construction, prevented their destruction.

"When the earthquake hit, the houses were fine. But when the waves came, they were all gone," says Munjarab Raif, a 45-year-old builder. "But the imams built the mosques hundreds of years ago, so they made them carefully. Of course, they're protected by Allah. Houses belong to humans, but mosques belong to Allah."

The Ulee Lheu mosque is the most seaward facing building still left standing. The waves that crashed into Aceh rushed inland for miles reaching and devastating the town center where the only safe haven left for hundreds to run to was the Baiturrahman Mosque.

Video footage aired on Indonesian television showed the wave of water charging through streets outside the mosque's gates, carrying away cars and people. Survivors clambered onto the second story of the city's grandiose, multi-minareted complex, clinging to ramparts to escape the raging waters below.

Only a few inches of sea water invaded the mosque's main prayer space, leaving no serious damage after the waters receded, said one of the city's top religious leaders. "Whenever there's disaster, people run to the mosque. Everybody who escaped to this mosque, about 1,000 people, was saved," said Johan the mosque's deputy imam. "This is a house of Allah."

Devout Muslims in Banda Aceh say the catastrophe that spared mosques while killing people may have been a test of the faithful.

Johan said he was amazed that so many mosques survived, but added that he believed countless other mosques were surely destroyed. "All the mosques built by imams are saved. The ones ruined were built by regular people," said Johan. "Those built by the imams are graced with strong foundations."