Maldives national museum attacked by islamists

[Zostrianos]

A group of islamists weren't too happy with the display of hindu and buddhist artifacts at the Maldives' national museum, so they paid a visit and destroyed all of them. Apparently the islands are an islamic theocracy (I didn't know that until today...)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/sns-ap-as-travel-brief-maldives-museum-attack,0,6194252.story

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Maldives' national museum reopened Tuesday without some of its most valuable exhibits a week after a mob of suspected religious extremists smashed images from the pre-Islamic era of this Indian Ocean archipelago.
About 35 exhibits — mostly images of Buddha and Hindu gods — were destroyed in the attack. Some of the artifacts dated back to the sixth century, museum director Ali Waheed said.
Waheed says 99 percent of the Maldives' pre-Islamic artifacts from before the 12th century, when most inhabitants were Buddhists or Hindus, were destroyed.
"Some of the pieces can be put together but mostly they are made of sandstone, coral and limestone, and they are reduced to powder," he said.
The mob of suspected Muslim extremists attacked the museum during the Maldives' unfolding political crisis. The country has seen weeks of protests and last week President Mohamed Nasheed stepped down. He later said he was forced to resign at gunpoint.
The attack was the latest blow to the island nation that is best known as a high-end tourist destination.
"We are very sad. This is the physical and archaeological evidence of the country, we have nothing to show (of the pre-Islamic history)," Waheed said.
The items had been preserved since the museum opened in 1952. Waheed said the the attackers did not understand that the museum exhibits were not promoting other religions in this Muslim country.

Practicing or preaching any religion other than Islam is prohibited by the Maldives constitution, and there have been increasing demands for conservative Muslim policies to be implemented.
Last year, a mob destroyed a monument given by Pakistan marking a South Asian summit with an engraved image of the Buddha in it. Pakistan is an Islamic republic that also has a Buddhist history.
There have been strong objections to former president Nasheed's ties with Israel and selling alcohol outside tourist resorts.
But Maldives' new President Mohammed Waheed Hassan rejected claims of rising Muslim extremism in the country.
"I don't tolerate it and it is not acceptable at all," he told reporters last week after the museum attack. "I can assure you there is no extremist violent action in this country."
Police spokesman Ahmed Shyam said investigations are ongoing into the museum attack, but no one has been arrested.

[Guy Incognito]

Wow, what a bunch of fundie douchebags. Hope they get caught.

[bcbm]

this sort of thing has been part of islamists political strategy for awhile. actions like this and the destruction of buddhist statues by the taliban and so on are designed to force a wedge between the moderates and hardliners as well as isolate nations from the rest of the world, particularly the west, so they can pursue their own strategy, ie an islamic caliphate. i think its important to recognize events like these aren't necessarily just isolated incidents from fundamentalists, but potentially calculated political acts.

[Guy Incognito]

this sort of thing has been part of islamists political strategy for awhile. actions like this and the destruction of buddhist statues by the taliban and so on are designed to force a wedge between the moderates and hardliners as well as isolate nations from the rest of the world, particularly the west, so they can pursue their own strategy, ie an islamic caliphate. i think its important to recognize events like these aren't necessarily just isolated incidents from fundamentalists, but potentially calculated political acts.

Calculated political acts yes, fundies have a lot of money, taken from the faithful proletariats, and used for destruction unbeknownst to said proles. A majority action representing the faith itself? No fucking way.

[bcbm]

didnt say it was.

[Guy Incognito]

didnt say it was.

Oh...right on then, my apologies. :blushing:

Apparently certain posters have me on a bit of a hair trigger when it comes to statements about the islamic faith.

[Ostrinski]

assholes

[LOLseph Stalin]

Yes, Maldives is actually very hardline in a way that is almost comparable to places like Saudi Arabia. That likely stems from a large wahabi influence, which is worldwide btw(and the source of inspiration for all these islamist terror groups). With that said, I hope these assholes don't get away with destroying historical artifacts.

[bcbm]

and the source of inspiration for all these islamist terror groups

to an extent, though i think islamist revolutionary ideologues like syed qutb and others are a bigger influence. al qaeda and their allies oppose most of the wahabi regimes as heretical for siding with western interests.

[l'Enfermé]

They should be replaced with statues of Mohammad, that would piss them off even more.

[dodger]

6m Africans leaving annually the Muslim faith . Has any picture emerged as to why this is happening? Were they in fact 'muslims' in the first place? I do wonder!.

[LOLseph Stalin]

6m Africans leaving annually the Muslim faith . Has any picture emerged as to why this is happening? Were they in fact 'muslims' in the first place? I do wonder!.

One thing I think could be related to it is the fact Christian missionaries are going there.

[dodger]

Oh...right on then, my apologies. :blushing:

Apparently certain posters have me on a bit of a hair trigger when it comes to statements about the islamic faith.

Go easy on us! Guy We have to live amongst these headcases. They in turn live amongst us. They pronounce quite clearly they like us. In surveys always over 80%. They know we have nothing but contempt for their faith. We insult it, sneer, lambast and laugh at every opportunity. Then something like this comes along and we say "see". "Maldives"..."Typical". Then we return to mocking them once again. It is unrelenting. Do you know what they say about you? Do you care? However as religion is the least important thing in our lives, none of this seems to matter. Mosque or Gameboy? Choir or Footie? Tithe or gas bill? They or their kids soon get the big picture. Listening to old fools with grey beards is not what youth want to do. We must ensure there is an inclusive culture, the exclusive or multi- culture doesn't seem to be fit for purpose.

[dodger]

One thing I think could be related to it is the fact Christian missionaries are going there.

Thanks INH...scratching my head, may well be true. My late father in law a Pastor for an American Protestant outfit spent a lifetime amongst Muslims they gave him land, food, fellowship but not one of them could be persuaded away from their faith!! Mindanao. Back to the OP, sorry my geography hopeless. A very sad day, events in the Maldives.

[LOLseph Stalin]

Thanks INH...scratching my head, may well be true. My late father in law a Pastor for an American Protestant outfit spent a lifetime amongst Muslims they gave him land, food, fellowship but not one of them could be persuaded away from their faith!! Mindanao. Back to the OP, sorry my geography hopeless. A very sad day, events in the Maldives.

Yea, one thing I find about muslims is that almost all of them are very devout regardless of which sect they're part of. Christians, on the other hand, not so much. I only know of about a handful of devout Christians. The rest are just once a year church attenders and such.

[Guy Incognito]

Go easy on us! Guy We have to live amongst these headcases. They in turn live amongst us. They pronounce quite clearly they like us. In surveys always over 80%. They know we have nothing but contempt for their faith. We insult it, sneer, lambast and laugh at every opportunity. Then something like this comes along and we say "see". "Maldives"..."Typical". Then we return to mocking them once again. It is unrelenting. Do you know what they say about you? Do you care? However as religion is the least important thing in our lives, none of this seems to matter. Mosque or Gameboy? Choir or Footie? Tithe or gas bill? They or their kids soon get the big picture. Listening to old fools with grey beards is not what youth want to do. We must ensure there is an inclusive culture, the exclusive or multi- culture doesn't seem to be fit for purpose.

I was actually referring to the jackass in another thread who was declaring all muslims as supporting terrorists. But hey, your rant was fun I'm sure.

[Elysian]

Go easy on us! Guy We have to live amongst these headcases. They in turn live amongst us. They pronounce quite clearly they like us. In surveys always over 80%. They know we have nothing but contempt for their faith. We insult it, sneer, lambast and laugh at every opportunity. Then something like this comes along and we say "see". "Maldives"..."Typical". Then we return to mocking them once again. It is unrelenting. Do you know what they say about you? Do you care? However as religion is the least important thing in our lives, none of this seems to matter. Mosque or Gameboy? Choir or Footie? Tithe or gas bill? They or their kids soon get the big picture. Listening to old fools with grey beards is not what youth want to do. We must ensure there is an inclusive culture, the exclusive or multi- culture doesn't seem to be fit for purpose.

:confused::confused::confused:

No one can understand what dodger is saying. I bet even dodger cannot understand what dodger is saying.

[dodger]

:confused::confused::confused:

No one can understand what dodger is saying. I bet even dodger cannot understand what dodger is saying.

Well lets spell it out, Elysian, sad day for the world when artefacts that in a very real sense, belong to the whole world, yes , you and me, are smashed by religious bigots.

Not trying to impute anything, Elysian, but you are sounding suspiciously like my beloved Wifey. What is more , she is utterly Incorrigible. Take note.