An extremist Islamist preacher from Kuwait has called to destroy Egypt's Sphinx and pyramids, stating it is time for Muslims to erase the pharaohs' heritage. The alleged call comes as the fake Islamic State jihadists ramp up their attacks against historic sites.
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 the so-called Islamic State leader 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, where militants continue to destroy ancient cities and artifacts.
Only last week, the so-called Islamic State reportedly 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.
Al-Azhar releases fatwa forbidding the destruction of artefacts
Egyptian Islamic institute Al-Azhar has released a fatwa on Friday forbidding the destruction of ancient artefacts after the so-called Islamic State raids on a Mosul museum and the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud.
Al-Azhar, which is considered the foremost authority on Sunni Islam, called the Islamic State’s actions a crime against humanity, given the global cultural value attached to these items. The institute dismissed Islamic State’s classification of the items as “idols”.
“These artefacts have important cultural and historical significance,” Al-Azhar said in an official statement. “They are an important part of our collective legacy that must not be harmed.”
Al-Azhar’s comments came shortly after Islamic State militants bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, destroying many of its artefacts.
The institute also condemned the Islamic State for its hypocrisy, given that the group refers to the artefacts as false idols while also profiting heavily from their sale on the black market.
Al-Azhar added that the violent and destructive actions perpetrated by this group do not represent Islam or any faith.
Al-Azhar also said that the destructive and aggressive nature of the group places an urgency on the Egyptian government and the international community to place a concise plan to end this threat.
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