By Coptic Solidarity –
While the world watches as the Islamic State wantonly destroys the ancient heritage of Mesopotamia—including by destroying “pagan” statues and other antiquities—lesser known is that lesser Islamic groups are destroying lesser statues around the Muslim world.
Most recently, the people of Alexandria, Egypt were surprised to wake up and find that the Keeper of Secrets statue had disappeared from downtown. The official explanation is that the statue, which had long stood in the Latin neighborhood of the historical city, collapsed due to erosion and weathering.
However, on the following day, Egyptian cleric Muhammad Abdullah Nasr lashed out at the nation’s Islamic Salafi party—specifically naming its vice president, Dr. Yassir al-Burhami—accusing them of demolishing the Keeper of Secrets.
Nasr made his accusations on Sah Al Nawm, a live satellite program, on April 4.
“Why did they demolish it?” he rhetorically asked: “Because to these Wahhabis, it is an idol!”—the same reason that ISIS cites.
The Keeper of Secrets was an iconic statue made by early 20th century sculptor Mahmoud Mokhtar.
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