Destruction of World’s Eastern Heritage in Iraq

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Here is how history repeats itself while Baghdad Burns....

if fact -- it is not the fault of the American -- there is something in the city itself that invites and attaracts -- the Mongols and the Mongoloids...

“Mongol Hulagu Khan Chinggis`s Khan’s grandson in 1258 seized Baghdad and killed the last Abbasid caliph. Hulagu made a pyramid of the skulls of Baghdad`s scholars, religious leaders, and poets, and he deliberately destroyed what remained of Iraq`s canal headworks. The material and artistic production of centuries was swept away.

Before the fighting even began, the Abbasids were at a disadvantage.

The problem for the Abbasids was the centuries-old rift between the Sunni and Shi`ite Muslims. The caliphate was Sunni, as were most of its subjects, but there was a Shi`ite minority under Abbasid control who welcomed the Mongol invaders as a potential means of bringing down the Sunni caliph.

Many Shi`ites in Iraq joined the Mongol forces for that reason.

Additionally, the caliph`s vizier, or second-in-command, was himself Shi`ite, and it has been suggested that he might have also co-operated with the Mongols in attacking the caliphate.

The Mongols also had the support of non-Muslims under Abbasid control. Many Christians in the region saw the Mongols as saviours, hoping that by decimating Islam`s adherents, the faith itself would also be destroyed. Indeed, in return for Christian support, the Mongols - some of whom were Nestorian Christian themselves - spared Christian churches and communities from their pillaging.

Another Mongoloid from Texas invaded Baghdad in 2003 sacked the Museum of Antiquity after dropping 3000 bombs in 48 hours.... kicked the Sunnis into a Triangle -- released the Shiite from their Rectangle -- hopes the Shia will help him rule Iraq for 7 - 10 years.....little does the stupido know.....

so what else is new -- my friend Gajendre Singh ji -- great piece -- wish you had not blamed the Muslims for not saving the antiquity....

hope you have visited 5000 thousand years old -- continuously existing city -- Luxor -- on the Nile in Egypt -- I have -- and let me tell you the Muslim Egyptians being the Muslims they -- are `fanatic` -- about protecting and preserving their 5 - 7 thousand year old heritage -- that they are still digging...

I admit though -- the ones who stole the pieces were indeed the Muslims....but then again the Babri masjiod`s were not.....:-)

just kidding...

At least some of the looters of Iraqi heritage were nice enough to return it. Read below how some of the looters never return the loots. 20 years gone...we have it but won`t return it to you.

George Fernandes admits Army removed items from Golden Temple during Operation B
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

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AMRITSAR, MAY 24: The Central Government has for the first time acknowledged the claim of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) that the Army had taken away valuable historical books, paintings and other material during Operation Bluestar in 1984.

Defence Minister George Fernandes yesterday wrote to SGPC Secretary Gurbachan Singh Bachan saying the books and documents that had been picked up from the Golden Temple library had been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Army authorities. He has asked the SGPC to take up the matter with the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension since the CBI comes under the jurisdiction of that ministry.

The SGPC has been writing to the Central Government for more than 12 years now, urging it to acknowledge that the Army had taken away important documents from the Sikh Reference Library inside the Golden Temple.

It had claimed that the library had a rich treasure of rare documents, books and manuscripts pertaining to the Sikh religion and the history and culture of Punjab besides material on the people of South-East Asia.

The SGPC had alleged that the Army had depleted the library with the ``evil design`` of depriving the Sikhs access to their glorious heritage. It had also alleged that to cover up this act, the library had been later burnt down.

In a recent letter to Fernandes, Bachan had said the Army had taken the material to the Youth Hostel in Amritsar, where `share cataloguing` was done. He stated that on September 2, 1984, on the eve of a Sikh convention, the Army stopped its cataloguing work, packed the entire material into 20 trunks and some jute gunny bags and had it carted away by the CBI.

Bachan said the SGPC had started correspondence with the Prime Minister in 1988 and some material was returned to the temple. However, he added, 90 per cent of the material continued to be with the Government and is reportedly lying at the Meerut Army Cantonment.

The SGPC had written to the Centre last in April.


Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.