Kenya's 'Koranic fish' recovered
By Odhiambo Joseph
BBC, Mombasa



A fish with markings that resembled a Koranic text has been found by Kenyan 
officials after vanishing from the fisheries office where it was stored. The 
tuna fish, which had provoked intense interest from Muslims, had apparently 
been stolen by people posing as National Museum officials.

The fish was found at the shop where it had first come to public attention. 
The fish was being studied to find out if the Arabic inscription "You are 
the best provider" was natural or a hoax. Sceptics say the writing was the 
work of someone who caught the fish and then threw it back into the sea. But 
others say this would be impossible, and local imams are said to have been 
talking in the mosques about the fish.

Heritage

The owner of the Takaungu Fish Shop in Mombasa's old town is being 
questioned by police, who are also seeking another man in connection with 
the alleged theft. The shop-keeper said a man had brought the fish to him 
for preservation. Over the weekend, people thronged to the shop after the 
owner noticed the tuna fish's remarkable markings. It had been caught by 
fisherman Said Ali at the end of last week at Vanga, a small fishing port on 
the Kenyan coast, 50km south of Mombasa. For safekeeping, the 2.5 kg (five 
pound) fish was moved to the fisheries department.

After being asked by Muslim leaders in Kenya, Kenya's National Museum had 
offered to take custody of the fish and preserve it for the country's 
heritage. The reported theft followed numerous attempts by locals and Muslim 
scholars to buy the mysterious fish. An official at the fisheries department 
in Mombasa said someone had even offered to pay as much as $150. Under 
normal circumstances the fish would fetch not more than $6.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4995100.stm

Published: 2006/05/19 09:10:27 GMT

© BBC MMVI

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