With have previously discussed calls for Islamic extremists to destroy or cover up the Pyramids as an offense to Allah. Now, islamic leader Murgan Salem al-Gohary has called for the destruction of the iconic structures as well as the Sphinx — citing the Taliban as a model for such destruction when they destroyed the famous giant Buddhas of Bamiyan to the disgust and anger of the world community. Murgan Salem al-Gohary is clearly an extremist and not someone that most Egyptians or Muslims would follow. However a far more worrisome development is the huge demonstration in Egypt a few days ago calling for the country to impose Sharia law on its citizens.
The call of Murgan Salem al-Gohary indicates that the riddle of the Sphinx may have been misinterpreted in asking what has four legs in the morning, two legs at afternoon, and three legs at night. The answer appears to be al-Gohary as a baby, a man, and then as a religious frantic with a sledgehammer.
The extremist wants these structures destroyed as “idols.” He insisted “[a]ll Muslims are charged with applying the teachings of Islam to remove such idols, as we did in Afghanistan when we destroyed the Buddha statues . . . God ordered Prophet Mohammed to destroy idols. When I was with the Taliban we destroyed the statue of Buddha, something the government failed to do.”
We have been discussing how such extremists have destroyed ancient tombs and temples recently to “cleanse” their country of impure images or icons.
What is astonishing is that such men have a following in this country, even when he is calling for the destruction of the remarkable history and creativity of the Egyptian people. In some ways, the destruction might help these religous leaders in further reducing Western tourism and further isolate followers from the exposure to the modern world.
Source: Al Arabiya