One more act of intolerance - Taliban to destroy Buddha statues

[echarcha]

Afghans, nations lament Taliban order to destroy all statues

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The ruling Taliban are endangering Afghanistan's history by ordering the destruction of all statues in the country, including two towering 5th century images of Buddha, opponents said Tuesday.

"It is a great loss, a tragedy for the Afghan people and for the world," said Angelo Gabriele de Ceglie, Italy's ambassador to Pakistan and a representative of the Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage. He made the comments in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital.

Afghanistan's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, on Monday ordered the destruction of all statues, including the two giant ancient Buddhas, saying they were offensive to Islam.

"Because God is one God and these statues are there to be worshipped, and that is wrong, they should be destroyed so that they are not worshipped now or in the future," Omar said in his edict.

The Taliban, who rule about 95 percent of Afghanistan, espouse a harsh brand of Islamic law. They have outlawed photography and television, believing that Islam forbids the making of images such as pictures or paintings of people.

The cultural preservation society, a largely Italian-funded organization, is worried the country's sense of heritage is suffering from 20 years of relentless war and called for the destruction order to be reversed.

Afghanistan's ancient Buddhas are located in Bamiyan, about 90 miles (144 kilometers) west of the Afghan capital of Kabul. One Buddha, measuring 175 feet (50 meters) high, is said to be the world's tallest statue in which Buddha is standing up rather than sitting.

The smaller is 120 feet (36 meters) tall. The two statues, which have been damaged in fighting in the area, were carved out of the Afghan mountainside in the 5th century.

"This is a historical treasure, a cultural heritage that belongs to the world," de Ceglie said.

Paris-based UNESCO issued a statement calling for the preservation of cultural heritage landmarks in Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan, situated at a crucial junction on the ancient Silk Roads, has a unique cultural heritage, which reflects a history marked by the complex influences of Persia, Greece, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam," it said.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the preservation of Afghanistan's heritage, both Islamic and non-Islamic, would provide "the strongest foundation for a better, more peaceful and more tolerant future for all its people."

"Destroying any relic, any monument, any statue will only prolong the climate of conflict," Annan said in urging the Taliban to abide by their previous commitments to protect the Buddahs.

The government of Sri Lanka, a majority Buddhist nation off the southern tip of India, expressed "grave concern" Tuesday about the order.

India also condemned the order calling it "an assault not only on Afghan tradition, but on the common heritage of humankind."

'We want to stop all things that are against Islam'

Other Afghans also expressed outrage at the Taliban order.

Hamid Karzai, a former deputy foreign minister in the ousted government of Burhanuddin Rabbani, said the statues are no longer a part of religion but are now a part of the country's heritageand history, like the tombs of Egypt's ancient Pharaohs.

The complete story is at: http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/....ap/index.html

[gandesh]

it is to be expected... they are nothing but prehistorical barbarians... just like pakis... (after all they learnt everything in paki madarsas)...

[philos]

Taliban is a creation of Pakistan and is controlled by ISI etc..etc, These guys have made a bigger mess of Aghanistan . These Talibs as we all know are illiterate Barbarians.

I really wonder what Pakis think about having the Taliban style rule in Pakistan? When it will eventually spill over after they have stopped killing each other in afganistan and at this rate will be pretty soon

Probably they will enjoy it i guess.

[aryaputra]

Good.

Now, you will be surprised why I said good .

The reason is simple.

Look at it this way:

Someone looks at Afghanistan. Observes all the barbarism over there. Then he also finds the huge statues of Buddha over there.

Impression: these barbarians worship Buddha.

Better not to have the Holy Statue of Buddha in such a rotting place.

I agree with you aryaputra. Check this out. Before this incident, I didn't know that there were so many Budhaa statues in Afganistan. Can anyone throw some light from history on how the influence got there. I recall that the Maurya dynasty spread Budhism but did they take it as far to Afganistan ?

http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/gallery/afghan/

[aryaputra]

You bet eNRI. It sure did.

the whole mid-western belt from afghanistan to Burma to Japan was under the infuence of Buddhism.

STOP PRESS

the talibans have started bombing the statues of Buddha - as per NPR news I heard on the way to work.