Destruction of Ancient Sites Runs Counter to Quranic Teachings
Speaking to IQNA, Allameh Seyyed Adil al-Alawi rejected claims by the Takfiri group ISIL that their move to destroy historical sites in Iraq are based on Sharia, saying that such a move is against Islamic tenets.
He said ISIL militants say in order to implement Islamic tenets anywhere, one should first destroy the idols there and that they consider valuable historical objects and sites as idols.
This is a distortion of Islamic teachings, al-Alawi said, because idols are worshipped whereas the ancient remnants and objects kept in Mosul Museum were not worshipped by anyone.
The Iraqi thinker referred to verse 42 of Surah Rum in the Holy Quran “Say, [O Muhammad], ‘Travel through the land and observe how was the end of those before. Most of them were Mushrikin,” and said that according to this verse, historical sites should be preserved in order to serve as lessons for human beings.
ISIL terrorists, who have already been persecuting minorities and people of various faiths, are also targeting artifacts and museums.
The terrorist group released a video on February 26 showing its militants using sledgehammers and drills to smash ancient statues at the Ninawa museum in Mosul, which put on display Assyrian artifacts dating back to the 9th century B.C.
The Takfiri terrorists have already razed to the ground a number of mosques in Syria and Iraq, many of them dating back to the early years of the Islamic civilization. The terrorists have also destroyed tombs belonging to revered Shia and Sunni figures.
Officials in Mosul said in early February that the ISIL had burnt a precious collection of historic books and manuscripts in the Ninawa museum.
Tens of thousands of priceless documents, some of them registered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), were destroyed in flames.
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