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UNESCO’S WORLD Heritage Committee today condemned the destruction of mausoleums in Mali’s Timbuktu, urging the head of the UN cultural body to set up an emergency fund for Mali.
In a statement released today during its annual meeting in Saint Petersburg, the world heritage committee called for an end to the “repugnant acts” of destruction, citing a decision passed by its members a day earlier.
It said that the decision also called on UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova to “create a special fund to help Mali in the conservation of its cultural heritage” and to send a mission to assess the damage.
It appealed for contributions from its member states as well as from the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
UNESCO reacted with horror after Islamist extremists destroyed ancient tombs in the legendary city of Timbuktu just days after the body had recognised the sites on its World Heritage list.
The body was due to hold an unusual public protest today next to a landmark statue in the centre of historic Saint Petersburg, attended by the Mali culture minister and committee members. It said the event would “appeal for the preservation of heritage in Mali.”
Speaking Monday after the committee passed its decision on Mali, which was not immediately made public, Mali’s Culture and Tourism Minister Diallo Fadima Toure thanked UNESCO for what she called its speedy reaction to the events.
“Mali is delighted with the declaration that has come out of this committee to come up with urgent funds,” the minister said during a meeting broadcast online. ”We can only express our thanks to the international committee for their speedy reaction.”
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Said it before and I’ll say it again; islam is some religion. Death, destruction, intolerance.
Generalisation much? I’m sure you wouldn’t find the encouragement of such extreme behaviour in the Qur’an. There are extremists in every religion and each individual is responsible for his or her own actions.
Er Abby – Have you actually read the Qur’an? It openly encourages violence on non-believers, blasphemers, apostates and followers of other religions.
@ Sean
I bet a million Euro you haven’t read the Qur’an. I’d say you’ve read the Daily Mail though!
Well, Nokia, many years ago I read some of the Qur’an and what Sean said is right. Even just looking at history, Muhammad led the Arabs to attempt to conquer the middle east in order to spread his religion. Unlike Rome or Britain or many other Empires, which fought and conquered to expand territory and increase their wealth, Islamic empires fought to spread their religion.
I agree with the OP.
@ Barry
@Kings your right but same can be said of all religions, especially the other ones.. ;)
I know there are moderate Muslims. My best friend through my late teens and early 20′s was a Kuwaiti med student who was studying in UCC. Sure, he drank, did other stuff that Muslims aren’t supposed to do, but he wasn’t very committed to his religion. Just like many Irish people would label themselves Catholic but not go to mass, etc. But there’s a large number of fundamental Islamists who are still living like it’s 1000AD. I believe that centuries of Western Imperialism has ingrained a siege mentality in these people who fall back on religion because they don’t understand how the world actually works. There was a “golden age” of science in the Islamic world when they were ahead of Europe, but they just didn’t keep the momentum up.
Old Nokia Charger – I have read the Qur’an as it so happens. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t engage in ad hominem attacks on my character, without knowing one iota about me. The Daily Mail is the last place I get my information from. I’d be happy to quote you some passages from the Qur’an which actively encourage hatred and violence on non-muslims.
2:216: “Fighting is prescribed for you and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But God knoweth and ye know not.”
3:151: “Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority”
5:33: “The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement”
8:12: “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them”
Need me to continue?
“Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture – [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.”
Yeah, a real book of tolerance and peace that.
Singled minded Religion, remember when the Taliban destroyed the Buddha in Afghanistan? But you do have some moderate Muslims that would be appalled by this disgraceful act.
Unfortunately they’re a minority
That’s an unfounded statement there mate. They’re not the minority; it’s the violent minority whose acts draw more publicity. The Muslim faith is possibly the largest religion in the world, to say that the majority of its practitioners condone violence is ridiculous. We’d all be long dead by now if it were the case. nnIt’s the interpretation of any religious text that leads extremists to use it as justification. The book itself is just that: a book.
Well said Aaron. Some sense on this thread at last.
Violence is often encouraged in the Bible too, but that doesn’t mean violence is acceptable in the Christian religion. My point is you only hear about Muslim extremists while the vast majority of Muslims share the same basic moral outlook as their Christian, Jewish or humanist counterparts and lead normal lives.
After the First Crusade the Christian crusaders indiscriminately slaughtered nearly every man, woman, and child in Jerusalem regardless of whether they were Muslim, Jewish or Christian (although most Christians had been expelled before the siege). Also, what about the Inquisition? It’s not just Islam that has it’s share of atrocities. As Nokia points out above, Israel is committing some horrible racist atrocities in the name of their religion. Tthat aside, I treat all religions with contempt.
A number of comments have been deleted from this thread. I wonder why, they were on topic and not abusive.
Potentially libellous comments on other threads are allowed to stand.
Confusing.
Surely the destruction of Tara was on a par with this, yet we seem to understand the importance of sovereign integrity when it comes to do-called developed countries. That Muslims in Mali, those in power I might add, decided that these human constructs were an impediment is entirely their own business. The feigned indignation of the west, I suspect they are actually happy at the opportunity to lambast Islam, as well as the imperialistic UNESCO condemnation – as if they have a right to say what a country can or can’t do us appalling. Those currently in power in Mali made no agreements with outside forces as to how they would run their country and quite frankly they should tell the pontificating west to mind their own business.
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