Kuwaiti Preacher, ISIS Call for Demolition of Egypt’s Sphinx, Pyramids
An “Islamist” preacher from Kuwait has called to destroy Egypt’s Sphinx and pyramids, stating that it is time for Muslims to erase the pharaohs’ heritage. The call comes as the terrorists of the so-called “Islamic State of Iraq and Levant” (ISIL or (ISIS) ramp up their attacks against historic sites, RT reported yesterday.
Although the ancient monuments are not religious – but rather cultural and historic sites – they should still be “destroyed” by Muslims, putting an end to the worship of images, preacher Ibrahim Al Kandari said, according to Al-Watan daily.
“The fact that early Muslims who were among Prophet Mohammed’s followers did not destroy the pharaohs’ monuments upon entering the Egyptian soil does not mean that we shouldn’t do it now,” Al Kandari said.
Another call for the destruction of Egypt’s main symbols comes from leader of the so-called “Islamic State” (ISIS) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who suggested the demolition of the historic monuments is a “religious duty,” Al Alam news reported on Sunday.
It comes amid growing concerns over the safety of many other historic and architectural monuments in the region including Iraq and Syria, where terrorists continue to destroy ancient cities and artifacts.
Only last week, the “Islamic State” destroyed and looted the ancient Assyrian city of Dur Sharrukin in northern Iraq, demolished the remains of the ancient city of Hatra, and bulldozed the city of Nimrud near Mosul. The assault on the latter has already been compared by archaeologists to the Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001.
In 2012, an Egyptian cleric also issued a fatwa calling to rid the country of its pyramids and the Sphinx. The member of the radical Salafi movement said he wanted the antiquities demolished, as Prophet Mohammed destroyed the idols in Mecca, and demanded Egypt’s tourism ministry be abolished, comparing the industry to “prostitution and debauchery.”
The religious ruling was denounced by Egypt’s officials and scholars, who claimed the site was part of the country’s cultural – not religious – heritage.
Attacks on the Sphinx date back centuries. Despite many legends surrounding the monument’s missing nose – with harm from Napoleon’s cannon being among the most popular myths – historians believe it was actually destroyed by Sufi Muslim Muhammad Sa’im al-Dahr in the 14th century, after he learned that some peasants worshipped the Sphinx.
H. Mustafa