http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/06/isis-destroys-ancient-assyrian-site-of-nimrud
Apparently because it's un-Islamic. Reminiscent of the Taliban destroying the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Obviously fascistic, extremist behavior, not to mention hypocritical since they've apparently sold the most valuable artifacts on the black market. But it begs the question, how does that ultra strict interpretation of Sharia sit with broadcasting videos on the internet?
A few points about the theories behind this. http://www.islamicislamic.com/photography.htm
d$cks!
I wonder if those silly girls who went off to join their Islamic Rock Band Fantasy Jihad have yet been put to work providing new believers and scrubbing the toilets clean...
It would be fair to say that this sort of thing brings my piss to a rolling boil 👿
Anyone up for forming a historical preservation militant wing?
The sight of hundreds of heavily armed academics with years of pent up aggression might be more effective than airstrikes..
Which brings me to my soap box item. There are more of us moderates who just want to get on with life than there are extremists. So let's 'ave 'em outside, now.
Utter despicable scum.
Just to be clear I completely disapprove of ISIS and this action, but the Americans did exactly this to ancient sites in Iraq to build basis even using the crushed statues and monuments as hard-core for helicopter pads and roads.
It saddens me that this has happened but it saddens me more than this desecration has caused so much press uproar whilst the murdering, raping an pillaging goes on unabated and Western society has just kind of accepted it as the norm.
Maybe it'll mobilise the Daily Fail reading middle classes into action? That's another venue struck off their gold-plated pension funded cruise itinerary.
Funny how we as a society sometimes hold historic entities and relics in higher regard than human life. That's no comment on the OP by the way. Just an observation of the press really.
Funny how we as a society sometimes hold historic entities and relics in higher regard than human life.
Well, there's always more where they came from, but only one set of Greek marbles.
slowpuncheur - MemberIt saddens me that this has happened but it saddens me more than this desecration has caused so much press uproar whilst the murdering, raping an pillaging goes on unabated and Western society has just kind of accepted it as the norm.
Last time I checked there was no shortage of uproar at any of their execution videos.
Funny how we as a society sometimes hold historic entities and relics in higher regard than human life. That's no comment on the OP by the way. Just an observation of the press really.
We're allowed to be offended by both though. I think if you were outraged by statues being destroyed, but blase about humans being slaughtered then you need to take a long look at yourself. Just because ISIS do the most despicable things to people, it doesn't mean we shouldn't get annoyed when they attempt to destroy history or culture.
slowpuncheur hits the nail on the head for me..
Jeff
Its "un-Islamic" in relation to ISIL's own take on Islam. The people who I work with who are Muslim (one from Malaysia and one from Indonesia) were really horrified by this news.
Google Wahhabism/Salafism, which is the extremist Islamic ideology that started in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states that is behind the vast majority of Islamic terrorism. There was a great BBC documentary on many years ago which filmed the Saudis bulldozing many archaeological sites in Saudi Arabia because of this ideology. There is a huge debate raging on at the moment regarding attempts to destroy the tomb of Mohammed and relocate the body to an unmarked grave.
Wahabists will gun you down for drawing a cartoon of him, but apparently exhuming his corpse is ok. ❓
[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_early_Islamic_heritage_sites_in_Saudi_Arabia ]Clicky[/url]
[quote=devash said]
Wahabists will gun you down for drawing a cartoon of him, but apparently exhuming his corpse is ok.
What do they do if you draw a cartoon of the corpse being exhumed ?
Destroying these historic monuments is just a sideshow really. I don't get too worked up about it, the slaughter of thousands and thousands of people is more far more serious.
ffej - Member
slowpuncheur hits the nail on the head for me..Jeff
Not swayed by the better argument from jimjam that followed, then.
Just to be clear I completely disapprove of ISIS and this action, but the Americans did exactly this to ancient sites in Iraq to build basis even using the crushed statues and monuments as hard-core for helicopter pads and roads.
Yeah they did. It was because Saddam had [i]coincidentally[/i] positioned many of his bases right next to them! No excuse really but it wasn't done out of spite or a desire to wipe out monuments.
Mr Woppit - Member"Funny how we as a society sometimes hold historic entities and relics in higher regard than human life."
Well, there's always more where they came from, but only one set of Greek marbles.
While the loss of human life and the evil being perpetrated against uncountable people in Iraq and Syria exceeds the adjectives I have to describe it, there is some truth to what Woppit has said here. There is something additionally sickening about destroying deposits of art and culture that belong to the whole of civilisation, and can never, ever, ever be replaced.
jimjam - Memberslowpuncheur - Member
"It saddens me that this has happened but it saddens me more than this desecration has caused so much press uproar whilst the murdering, raping an pillaging goes on unabated and Western society has just kind of accepted it as the norm."
Last time I checked there was no shortage of uproar at any of their execution videos.
"Funny how we as a society sometimes hold historic entities and relics in higher regard than human life. That's no comment on the OP by the way. Just an observation of the press really."
We're allowed to be offended by both though. I think if you were outraged by statues being destroyed, but blase about humans being slaughtered then you need to take a long look at yourself. Just because ISIS do the most despicable things to people, it doesn't mean we shouldn't get annoyed when they attempt to destroy history or culture.
Well put jimjam. You are absolutely right.
Good old STW. Read my post will you? It was an observation of how the press cover stuff like this and how from the outside, it seems to give so much weight to these ancient artefacts which will probably push far more serious reporting off the front page tomorrow.
By the way, in that video was I the only one who thought ISIS resembled a bunch of school kids running amok in the headmasters office?
I think if we want to escalate the culture war, we should parachute in Tracy Emin to put a velvet rope around each of those fallen statues and claim it as her own installation.
Wrecker the point I make was the Americans had no need to bulldoze ancient monuments to build their basis convenience is no better excuse than spite or religious bollocks .
slowpuncheur - MemberGood old STW. Read my post will you? It was an observation of how the press cover stuff like this and how from the outside, it seems to give so much weight to these ancient artefacts which will probably push far more serious reporting off the front page tomorrow.
I know where you are coming from. No one died. So it's not "serious reporting". However, along with reporting what they've actually done, it illustrates what fascists they really are and how far out their thinking is, even by the standards of terrorist groups.
What I find interesting is the irony that they seem fine about videoing themselves doing this, and far more extreme acts and broadcasting them which seems completely at odds for their rationale behind destroying the statues in the first place.
slowpuncheur - Member
Good old STW. Read my post will you?
Shan't yah boo sucks.
I don't see the irony.
*stamps foot. destroys a garden gnome*
Idiots like all religious believers who believe their point of view is correct and they are therefore better than you. I include all religions in this. Take responsibility for your own deeds instead of justifying it because some book you interpret to justify your actions says it's correct.
Wrecker the point I make was the Americans had no need to bulldoze ancient monuments to build their basis convenience is no better excuse than spite or religious bollocks .
Agreed.
It's a ***ing mess.
Jivehoneyjive is frantically trying to tie this into the monarchy and Jimmy Saville
Human life is cheap, ancient art is priceless.. If isis had said give us x amount and we won't kill all the people in this town, we would tell them to do one..but if they have some ancient artifacts to sell..While the loss of human life and the evil being perpetrated against uncountable people in Iraq and Syria exceeds the adjectives I have to describe it, there is some truth to what Woppit has said here. There is something additionally sickening about destroying deposits of art and culture that belong to the whole of civilisation, and can never, ever, ever be replaced.
Jivehoneyjive is frantically trying to tie this into the monarchy and Jimmy Saville
Oh come on it's obvious isn't it?
Lots of islamic scholars would strongly disagree with calling these actions un-islamic. The west just choose which islamic scholars are "correct", which is in itself a load of old bollocks.
enfht - MemberLots of islamic scholars would strongly disagree with calling these actions un-islamic.
I know christians have done their fair share of destruction when it comes to false idols, and I don't doubt that this must have happened in the name of islam before, but the fact that artifacts can survive in Iraq for 2000 odd years or the Buddhas at Bamiyan for 1500 years in Afghanistan, as well as many ancient ruins and treasures surviving throughout the middle east implies that the attitude isn't exactly commonplace.
I don't know though, merely speculating. I'd be keen to hear more about it.
You mean [i]wasn't[/i] commonplace.
So is it now quite common?
You guys think too much ... 🙄
Just nuke the region to free earth.
Imagine the ground zero of the nuke ... dying should be painless. Why worry?
Nations with nuclear weapon should also start using them now to eliminate other weaker ones or each other to see who is the last one standing.
They should use their nuclear weapons to the hilt to see how far they can push each other to extinction. If you can survive the nuclear war so be it.
🙄
Depends where you are on planet earth but your gnomes should be OK.
enfht - MemberDepends where you are on planet earth but your gnomes should be OK.
Nahhh ... you nuke the bloody place several times over then let earth rejuvenate. After several thousand years later we start the cycle again ... why worry?
😈
but the Americans did exactly this to ancient sites in Iraq to build basis even using the crushed statues and monuments as hard-core for helicopter pads and roads.
Crankboy - Is this true? I have never heard of this before. Any links to (reliable) sources?
It was on radio 4 BBC report from a reporter on site with an archeologist. Seemed credible and at the time entirely without any motive to fabricate it was daytime documentary rather than news.
Googling Americans crush bases got this from the guardian.
"Troops from the US-led force in Iraq have caused widespread damage and severe contamination to the remains of the ancient city of Babylon, according to a damning report released today by the British Museum.
John Curtis, keeper of the museum's Ancient Near East department and an authority on Iraq's many archaeological sites, found "substantial damage" on an investigative visit to Babylon last month.
The ancient city has been used by US and Polish forces as a military depot for the past two years, despite objections from archaeologists."
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jan/15/iraq.arts1
A lot of the statues destroyed in the museum were actually plaster casts, you can see the metal reinforcing rods, after they've been shattered.
If ISIS had any brains, they'd sell the stuff on the black market to fund their cause!
So can we start bombing Greenpeace for what they did to the Nazca lines?
(I accept the French may have a headstart on this)
Damn ISI AND U.S.
This ISIS lot are going to be very unpopular if they keep this up!
Was I the only one hoping one of those statues was going to fall on one of them?

