Coptic Solidarity
While the world watches as the Islamic State wantonly destroys the ancient heritage of Mesopotamia—including by destroying “pagan” statues and other antiquities—lesser known is that lesser Islamic groups are destroying lesser statues around the Muslim world.
Most recently, the people of Alexandria, Egypt were surprised to wake up and find that the Keeper of Secrets statue had disappeared from downtown. The official explanation is that the statue, which had long stood in the Latin neighborhood of the historical city, collapsed due to erosion and weathering.
However, on the following day, Egyptian cleric Muhammad Abdullah Nasr lashed out at the nation’s Islamic Salafi party—specifically naming its vice president, Dr. Yassir al-Burhami—accusing them of demolishing the Keeper of Secrets.
Nasr made his accusations on Sah Al Nawm, a live satellite program, on April 4.
“Why did they demolish it?” he rhetorically asked: “Because to these Wahhabis, it is an idol!”—the same reason that ISIS, the Taliban, etc., all cite.
The Keeper of Secrets was an iconic statue made by early 20th century sculptor Mahmoud Mokhtar.
I wonder why they don’t destroy the kabaa and that stone? talk about idol worshippers.
Yes, pagan stone worship was known in several places in ancient Arabia. Ironically, Makka (Mecca) was not one of the places, the Greek geographers (over a millennium after Abraham) knew nothing of a city Makka or its Kaaba, but other cities all over were carefully documented.
Ptolemeus speaks of “Macoraba”.
And “possibly the later ka’aba served as a church (…) The Axumites had trade colonies south of Makka, as the existence of ethiopian-style rock-churches in ‘Asir shows” [K-H Ohlig (Hrsg), “Der frühe Islam”, Verlag Hans Schiler, Berlin 2007, p. 215]
Yes, for Ptolemeus, though that fits a different city Maqarib a long distance away.
Excellent point.
Typical Islamists!
They are trying to erase any evidence of history period, and its sad to see these beautiful works of art being destroyed! As well as insulting anything that is valuable to people, its a icon a staue boys, you hold a book in great revernce, and one you will kill over…