De-Islamizing Islam: Taliban Style

would, as a result, feel justified, in starting to destroy places which are historically important to Muslims in their own respective countries. Such a move on the part of Muslims cannot but result in irretrievable losses to the Muslims themselves. As soon as the Afghan government set about the task of demolishing the ancient statues, the seriousness of the matter was highlighted by the media on a world-wide basis. This prompt publicising of the event brought immediate condemnation for the Taliban’s actions from all right-thinking people, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Had the Afghan Taliban engaged in this destruction in the name of their nation or tribe, it might conceivably have seemed acceptable within a very limited ethnic sphere. But they did not. They did it in the name of Islam and its Shariah, with the result that their actions began, prima facie, to be attributed to Islam. People began to express their disgust and indignation with Islam. They said that if this is Islam, it is nothing less than sheer barbarism, resulting from a medieval mindset which is totally unacceptable to the civilized society of today. Of course, the Taliban are ostensibly demolishing objects of idolatry, but when seen in the light of the result, they must stand charged with demolishing Islam itself. It is unfortunate that, in spite of local and international protests, Afghanistan’s Taliban government has decided to go ahead with the demolition of statues of historical and religious importance in the country. Historical monuments are the heritage of all mankind and do not belong to any government, area, or people. Demolition of places of worship and statues of religious personalities is totally un-Islamic and unwarranted. Indeed, Islam orders us to respect the places of worship of other religions and certainly does not permit their destruction. □