In March 2001, the Taliban in Afghanistan destroyed the 6th century AD monuments, known as the “Buddhas of Bamiyan”, which were probably the biggest tourist draw for Afghanistan, prior to this heinous act, among many heinous acts that have followed and continue, there to this very day, causing the utter devastation of this already poverty-stricken nation.
This act was seen as a horrific tragedy by archeologists, historians, Buddhists, all lovers of ancient civilizations and cultures, which is listed as a World Heritage Site by by UNESCO.
Here, we see the Egyptian Salafi Sheik, Murgan Salem in November 2012 calling for the destruction of the Pyramids of Giza (plus a special taxation of Christians, while adding that, “Bin Laden was greater than Saladin”). This, to the annoyance of his moderate Egyptian TV host.
Academics and historians use the term, “Salafi” to denote “a school of thought which surfaced in the second half of the 19th century as a reaction to the spread of European ideas,” however, contemporary Salafis claim to follow “literal, traditional… injunctions of the sacred texts”.
Salafism, like any similar practice of following dead-letter scripture, at the cost of all reason, in any religious branch constitute a danger to humanity at-large – in my humble opinion. Just look at this man’s eyes!
Devotion to God, by definition, would not necessitate the desecration of magnificent historical monuments, nor the massacre of peoples of other faiths. But you already knew that…
(Filmed in Egypt, November 10-13, 2012).
Add comment