UNESCO chief: IS systematically destroying heritage sites

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / AP

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq are engaged in the "most brutal, systematic" destruction of ancient sites since World War II, the head of the U.N. cultural agency said Friday — a stark warning that came hours after militants demolished a monastery with ancient foundations in central Syria.

The world's only recourse is to try to prevent the sale of looted artifacts, thus cutting off a lucrative stream of income for the militants, UNESCO chief Irina Bokova told The Associated Press.

Recent attacks have stoked fears that IS is accelerating its campaign to demolish and loot heritage sites.

On Friday, witnesses said the militants bulldozed St. Elian Monastery which houses a 5th century tomb and served as a major pilgrimage site. Days earlier, IS beheaded an 81-year-old antiquities scholar who had dedicated his life to overseeing the ruins of Palmyra in Syria, one of the Middle East's most spectacular archaeological sites.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/destroys-ancient-monastery-central-syria-104900973.html

[jtuck004]

1. Sound just like the people re-writing Texas school books. n/t

[Psephos]

2. No it doesn't.

It sounds like violent fanatics destroying physical heritage sites, with irreversible loss to posterity.

[MBS]

4. " " " "n/t

[MBS]

3. This is just horrific.

These are as destructive, brutal, and violent a group as I've seen in my lifetime.
Wanton murder of history and civilization as well as of people: IS seems hell-bent on destroying everyone and everything that reflects all that is good about humanity.

This is not about religion. This is criminality, nihilism, and pure evil.

[Marrah_G]

5. This is truly disturbing.

Those sites can never be replaced. ISIS is truly a scourge.

[romanic]

6. I'm sure some of the sites can be reconstructed

and as it said in the article, I'm sure some of the non-idol artifacts were smuggled or sold off to someone for cash; so there's a chance to rebuild history...regardless it won't be the exact same.

[romanic]

7. ISIS = Culture-less losers.

You'd think these Radical Islamic idiots would realize they're doing more harm to their people, religion, and culture(s) than anything the U.S. or any other outside country has done.

But really these militants are just dregs of society using Allah and whatever else to destroy and rape and kill and whatnot. They definitely don't reflect Islam as a whole, but they're doing a hell of a job of making the rest of it's followers look like shit. Thank you Bush, Cheney, and others (side-eyeing Saudi Arabia) for fucking an entire region and it's history.

[6chars]

8. there are plenty of things that cause more outrage

and action.

[woundedkarma]

9. taliban

This is exactly what the taliban was doing when I first heard of them...

Wondering who's writing the script this time...