Egypt riots threaten cultural sites as Cairo library goes up in flame[s]

Ha'aretz ^ | Monday, December 19, 2011 | Haaretz, AP

[LoveUSA]

Hundreds of rare manuscripts and maps, including the maps used in 1989 Israeli withdrawal from Taba, were destroyed this week, as rioters set fire to a library in the Cairo

Alexandria's libraries in 48 BC...Cairo's libraries in 2011...it's time to stop putting Egyptians in charge of precious documents. : ]

[Pollster1]

These rioters care nothing for their people’s heritage. And tourism was the only thing they had. Nice going, morons.

As with communist terrorists, Islamist terrorists consider economic destruction's effects on their own people a positive. The more miserable they can make the general population, the easier it is to recruit desperate youth with no reason to live. Popular suffering is a source of power for terrorist leaders, and they go out of their way to build their power.

[spokeshave]

Obamas records....?

[TheOldLady]

The religion of pieces: burning libraries since the seventh century.

[wildbill]

If they want to destroy cultural itms with religious significance other than Islam, give them some copper tools and set them on the pyramids to reverse engineer them.

That should keep them busy for a while until they run out of gas.

[Dr. Ursus]

No historical sites,no beer,no bikinis come visit our lovely
country!

[Fiji Hill]

The story of Caliph Omar's destruction of the Alexandrian library is suspect, as are those of its burning by Christians and Julius Caesar. A good article on this subject can be found here

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I deliberately used the term “reportedly”. Still, the mindset that tries to eradicate the past, or burn books, or outlaw dance and non-religous music is to be feared. Allah extracts an enormous cultural price from his votaries.

One of the reasons that Islamists react so violently against Western culture is the seductiveness of its music.

[CynicalBear]

Isaiah 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Egypt imports half its calories. Her chief source of foreign exchange is tourism. If you don’t make nice to Americans and Germans visiting the Pyramids, you cannot eat, stupid.

[ladyvet]

He's gone. He was forced to resign. Out with the old. He says he quit due to looting across the country and sites not being protected but he was forced out. This is according to some Egyptologist's that have been talking on FB that I have been following since the protest's started.

[LibLieSlayer]

Thanks for letting me know... there is something about that guy that just irritates me. I am sad for the loss of antiquity. It is a shame that Egypt no longer is inhabited by Egyptians... islam is evil and destroys everything that it touches. If you get any further news on the situation with regard to Archeology in Egypt, please ping me to it.

LLS

[bigdirty]

The islamic groups like the muslim brotherhood have always hated and disavowed the ancient Egyptian works and culture because they are considered pagan. This has been known for a long time. They don’t care about tourist dollars made off of the ancient culture. They only care about their insane religion which demands all non-islamic cultures be made subservient or wiped out.

It is a pity because we WILL lose the ancient Egyptian works in the coming decades.

[pabianice]

Savages. They are incapable of democracy.

[Nowhere Man]

These people are just as bad as the book burning Nazis.

[Nowhere Man]

It is a pity because we WILL lose the ancient Egyptian works in the coming decades.

It's a shame. I also fear a huge "brain drain" on this one.

[null and void]

muslims reverting to type.

[null and void]

I am hoping Turkey and Tunesia are smarter.

Why?

[null and void]

Time to nuke the Aswan High Dam and flush them all into the Mediterranean.

I've been thinking about that, and I think you're wrong.

Better to cut a channel and re-establish the Nile's historic flow across the Sahara to the Atlantic.

That most perfect of countries, the jewel of islam, Saudi Arabia, has no rivers.

Every muslim country should strive for such perfection...

[Blind Eye Jones]

I think of the loss of Alexandria’s great library back in the day. Nothing seems to have changed.