New in PJ Media:
Life in the Islamic Republic of Iran is hellish enough as it is, but if its hapless citizens want even more, they can line up at the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ hellish new theme park, which is designed to give visitors an up-close and personal experience of the torments of hell. Hey, what could be more fun on a leisurely late spring afternoon?
Fun, of course, has nothing to do with it. The Ayatollah Khomeini himself famously railed against fun, saying: “Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious.” And so this particular theme park isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Iran International reported Tuesday that the exhibit is meant to “offer a visceral experience of the afterlife—particularly the torments of hell.” If it’s remotely realistic, this place could be more than a little hair-raising, as the Qur’an dwells lavishly and repeatedly on the torments of hell, saying: “Indeed, we have prepared fire for unbelievers. Its tent encloses them. If they ask for showers, they will be showered with water like molten lead that burns their faces. Calamitous the drink and evil the resting-place.” (18:29)
Wait, there’s more: “But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling fluid will be poured down on their heads, by which what is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted, and for them are hooked rods of iron.” (22:19-20) And: “Indeed, those who disbelieve our signs, we will expose them to the fire. As often as their skins are burned up, we will exchange them for fresh skins, so that they may taste the torment.” (4:56) There is much more of this sort of thing, but you get the idea.
And so the oddly named Heaven Time theme park at the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps base in the northern Iranian city of Fouman allows visitors to walk across “a suspended bridge surrounded by real gas flames—meant to simulate the searing heat of hell. Actors in grotesque costumes moan and writhe amid the fire and smoke, while loudspeakers blast Quranic verses describing punishments for sin and disbelief.” As if that weren’t fun enough, the exhibit also “includes a dramatization of grave questioning by Nakir and Munkar—two angels in Islamic theology believed to interrogate the dead.”
There is more. Read the rest here.
sporticus says
A Christian cleric wrote about a dream he had in which he saw again one of his former students. This was from a thousand or so years ago but I’ve forgotten the reference. Anyway, he sees that his former student is lodged in Hell and calls out to him in despair. The student replies that yes it is difficult but there are some compensations and said he was bemused to find himself standing on the head of a bishop.
There are modern variations:
A new arrival in Hell finds himself up to his neck in warm faeces. The population of Hell is mostly men (about 97%) and so he turns to the guy next to him and remarks that it’s not as bad as he expected, apart from the stink quite pleasant in fact. The somewhat red faced man next to brings him up to date. “Well, you’ll soon see”, he says. “At 4 o’clock on the dot every afternoon an archbishop comes roaring right past us here about 3 feet away in his 300-horse-power motor boat”.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I checked a map. Fouman is not too far from Alamut, which is where the original Hashashin castle was based. Maybe Iran should resurrect the islamic paradise that the nizariya sect of shi’a islam invented in Alamut, then they can have a package of islamic heaven or hell for a visitor depending on how devout a shi’a s/he was
Bret says
I bet Disney is watching this theme park closely.
OLD GUY says
When violence, rape and murder are part of your religion HELL can’t be too far away. I heard they were going to open another theme park called Paradise. That will open as soon as the can round up enough goats.