Maldives: Islamists Storm National Museum, Destroy Entire Collection of 12th Century Buddhist

Weasel Zippers ^ | 2/12/12 | zip

[Nachum]

(AFP) — At the Maldives’ National Museum, smashed Buddhist statues are testament to the rise of Islamic extremism and Taliban-style intolerance in a country famous as a laid-back holiday destination.

On Tuesday, as protesters backed by mutinous police toppled president Mohamed Nasheed, a handful of men stormed the Chinese-built museum and destroyed its display of priceless artifacts from the nation’s pre-Islamic era.

“They have effectively erased all evidence of our Buddhist past,” a senior museum official told AFP at the now shuttered building in the capital Male, asking not to be named out of fear for his own safety.

“We lost all our 12th century statues. They were made of coral stone and limestone. They are very brittle and there is no way we can restore them,” he explained.

[PIF]

The one ray of sunshine it that is food will be even pricier and scarcer than it is now in Egypt, since the only income Egypt earns is from tourists - when the tourists stop coming, perhaps they will all starve before too much damage is done to the large stone structures. The small stuff and gold items are toast, however.

[onedoug]

The religion of destruction.

[SunkenCiv]

• Trouble in paradise: Maldives and Islamic extremism
• Maldives: Muslim hardliners smashes Buddhist statues in national museum