Nature’s revenge on Taliban's religious intolerance: Ancient, Islam and Pluralism, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and Pluralism

Nature’s revenge on Taliban's religious intolerance: Ancient Buddha Statue discovered near the ruins of giant Buddha statues destroyed by Taliban in Afghanistan

We are discussing the issue of religious intolerance today in the backdrop of perhaps its worst and most repulsive manifestation in recent times. The 2,000-year old statues of Lord Buddha, colossal images carved into the Hindukush Mountains at Bamiyan in Afghanistan, and hundreds of other precious artefacts that symbolised that country’s glorious heritage, are lost to the world forever. These had survived the depredations of the vandals of the past. But in this day and age when we think we have become more civilised, this precious human heritage has been destroyed by the Taliban. The world watched helplessly in horror. All international appeals to the Taliban asking them to desist from their declared goal of destroying mankind’s collective legacy failed.

What makes this deed even more pernicious is that it was done in the name of religion and by people who claim to be religious; indeed, they claimed they were performing their religious duty. This brings into disrepute not only Islam, the religion they claim to espouse, but the concept of religion itself and hence constitutes an affront to all religious peoples of the world. Even the outrage felt and expressed by the one and a half billion followers of Islam, in whose name this barbarism was being perpetrated, could do nothing and they had to watch helplessly the name of their religion being besmirched by the Jihadis in Afghanistan. They could not even persuade any of the three UN-member countries that recognise this government to derecognise it.

http://newageislam.com/nature%E2%80%99s-revenge-on-taliban-s-religious-intolerance--ancient-buddha-statue-discovered-near-the-ruins-of-giant-buddha-statues-destroyed-by-taliban-in-afghanistan-/islam-and-pluralism/d/713