Free Republic

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism. When the Taliban and its Al Qaeda allies blew up two giant Buddha statues in Afghanistan,it put the Jihadist alliance on the world's radar even before the September 11 attacks. The destruction of the statues was widely condemned by just about everyone. Even Democrats. Now, Joe Biden has decided to free an Al Qaeda commander who helped bomb the statues. As the Taliban retake Afghanistan, Biden’s decision to free Abdul Latif Nasir signals support for the...

An Iranian newspaper is reporting that government authorities are confiscating Buddha statues from shops in Tehran to stop the promotion of Buddhism in the country. … Iran has long fought against items, such as Barbie dolls and Simpsons cartoon characters, to defuse Western influence, but this appears to be the first time that Iranian authorities are showing an opposition to symbols from the East. …

<p>BAMIYAN, Afghanistan -- When the Taliban blew up the two giant Buddhas of Bamiyan, people around the world gasped in outrage at the willful destruction of such a highly prized archeological site.</p> <p>But it appears the Taliban overlooked one giant Buddha.</p> <p>Archeologists have long suspected that a third giant Buddha, a reclining Sleeping Buddha, is buried somewhere between the two destroyed Buddhas. Now, with the end of Taliban rule and the restoration of a measure of peace and stability across the country, the quest to find it is being revived.</p>

50-meter high Buddha statue in Bamiyan, Afghanistan The Museum of World Religions, established in Taiwan, announced the first step towards the rebuilding of the giant Buddha statues destroyed last year by the Taleban regime in Afghanistan. The announcement comes just over a year after the giant Buddha sculptures in Bamiyan were reduced to rubble on the orders of the Taleban regime. Buddhist communities in Asia raised the money, and are donating around $130,000, through the Museum of World Religions, to Afghanistan. The Dharma Master Hsin Tao, the organization's founder and leader, handed over a check to the Afghan ambassador...