Preservation of Cultural Heritage

PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE becomes clear that every community has the right to preserve whatever it considers to be part of its culture, whether it lives under a Muslim government or outside it. No government has the right to interfere in the cultural affairs of any group. The preservation of culture is a matter that should remain free from governmental intervention. An important point in this regard is that in matters of international significance, Islam’s norm will be the same as the norm agreed upon by other nations. This principle in Islam, concerning international norms, is derived from certain established precedents found in the practice of the Prophet of Islam . For example, in the later period of the Prophet of Islam , a man from Yemen named Musaylimah claimed prophethood. He sent a delegation of two men to the Prophet of Islam  in Madinah, conveying the message that the Prophet should acknowledge his claim. During their stay in Madinah, they committed a punishable offense. The Prophet  stated that had it not been the established practice that envoys are not punished, he would have punished both of them (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 2761). This statement of the Prophet of Islam  clearly shows that if something is internationally accepted, it will also be accepted in Islam. In light of this principle,