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Islamic State militants beheaded Khaled al-Asaad, 82, a renowned antiquities scholar in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra and hung his mutilated body on a column in a main square of the historic site because he apparently refused to reveal where valuable artifacts had been moved for safekeeping.
Before the city's capture by Isis, Syrian officials said they moved hundreds of ancient statues to safe locations out of concern they would be destroyed by the militants. Isis was likely to be looking for portable, easily saleable items that are not registered.
Unesco warned last month that looting had been taking place on an "industrial scale". Isis advertises its destruction of sites such as Nimrud in Iraq but says little about the way plundered antiquities help finance its activities. Stolen artefacts make up a significant stream of the group's estimated multi-million dollar revenues, along with oil sales and straightforward taxation and extortion.
Asaad had worked over the past few decades with US, French, German and Swiss archaeological missions on excavations and research in Palmyra's famed 2,000-year-old ruins. "He was a fixture, you can't write about Palmyra's history or anything to do with Palmyrian work without mentioning Khaled Asaad. It's like you can't talk about Egyptology without talking about Howard Carter."
Archaeological experts say Isis took over the already existing practice of illegal excavation and looting, which until 2014 was carried out by various armed groups, or individuals, or the Syrian regime. Isis initially levied 20% taxes on those it "licensed" to excavate but later began to hire its own own archaeologists, digging teams and machinery.
"Their systematic campaign seeks to take us back into pre-history. But they will not succeed."
(Score: 4, Informative) by Thexalon on Thursday August 20 2015, @02:42PM
Turkey considers the Kurds their enemy and treats them accordingly. That's not news, nor is it surprising: the Kurds have been in armed rebellion against the Turkish government for decades.
But your position was that Muslims were not fighting Daesh. That Turkey is also fighting the PKK does not refute the fact that Turkey is fighting Daesh as well.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday August 20 2015, @02:56PM
"But your position was that Muslims were not fighting Daesh."
I don't think that I said that. Nor was it my intent to imply that. It WAS my intent to imply that Islam in general is far to tolerant of Daesh, and all the lesser militant groups.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Thexalon on Thursday August 20 2015, @03:02PM
So let me get this straight: Your argument is "Muslims are too tolerant of Daesh ... and the fact that a lot of Muslims are currently taking the lead in defeating Daesh is irrelevant"?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Thursday August 20 2015, @03:12PM
"It WAS my intent to imply that Islam in general is far to tolerant of Daesh, and all the lesser militant groups."
Recruits from around the world are making their way to Iraq and Syria, mostly by way of Turkey, to join Daesh. These people were taught by SOMEONE that Daesh' goals are laudable, even admirable. Who? I don't think that Wiccans are teaching such a thing. Or Shintos. Or Bhuddists. I doubt that any Native American tribes are teaching such a thing. Maybe ethnic Tibetans? Maybe the Chinese?
WHO IS TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE THAT IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO BECOME A JIHADIST?!?!?!?!?!
(Score: 2, Informative) by Post-Nihilist on Thursday August 20 2015, @03:42PM
Adil Charkaoui [wikipedia.org] is one of those hyenas. He is an expert at using western democracies to avoid imprisonment and deportation while teaching that democracy is bad and that being a desert hyena is good.
p.s. if you know of an animal more hateful and coward than the hyenas please reply, I will use that term to designate those barbaric sand dwellers (with apologies to barbarian and dwellers)
Be like us, be different, be a nihilist!!!
(Score: 2) by AnonymousCowardNoMore on Thursday August 20 2015, @05:21PM
Perhaps a rat—besides the obvious I understand that they are considered "servants of Satan" by muslims. Failing that, you could hardly go wrong with "pig".
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Thursday August 20 2015, @07:41PM
How dare you compare us large rodents to ISIS?! Rats are decent creatures with moral fiber, unlike ISIS, which is probably why they always have the shits.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday August 21 2015, @01:37AM
What's wrong with hyenas? Yeah, that have a weird laughing sound, and they mostly feed on carrion, but so what? Someone needs to clean up dead carcasses. As for rats and pigs (which someone else suggested), what's wrong with them? Rats are intelligent (really, really intelligent for their size and small brain), and pigs are really smart too, and very affectionate, though not very attractive (but that's not their fault).
If you want to compare ISIS to some kind of animal, I suggest something like the mosquito, or the tapeworm, or the leach, or the gadfly.: animals which really serve no useful purpose in the natural order and have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, animals which no one would miss if they disappeared, and do nothing but cause problems for other animals.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 21 2015, @07:47AM
The mosquito eating birds disagree.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Thexalon on Thursday August 20 2015, @03:46PM
That's easy: Jihadists. Who are not, as you seem to think, the vast majority of local imams and other religious leaders. Indeed, the imams are at the forefront of trying to convince young Muslims that joining Daesh is anti-Islam.
What you are continuing to refuse to do is recognize that approximately 99.9% of Muslims oppose Daesh (and other jihadist groups), and that far more are putting their lives on the line to oppose Daesh than are to fight for them. You do this in an attempt to justify atrocities on a scale that would make Francisco Franco, Josef Stalin, Chairman Mao, and Pol Pot seem like wimps.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Thursday August 20 2015, @03:59PM
Exaggerate, much? You seem to suggest that I've called on the western world to just nuke the mideast.
Atrocities? That is what is happening right now, today, everywhere within Daesh's power. Did you read the story about - uhhmm, I think it was 19 - women put to death because they refused to marry the swine? "Marry this soldier." "No, I don't want to marry him." "Then, die bitch!"
Atrocities. Is it an atrocity to kill a man who is standing over the bodies of women and children he has butchered? If so, then I'm all for atrocities.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday August 21 2015, @01:40AM
Is it an atrocity to kill a man who is standing over the bodies of women and children he has butchered? If so, then I'm all for atrocities.
There's a whole bunch of groups of armed Muslims fighting Daesh right now; do you think they're worried about fighting them fairly? I don't. I'm sure the Kurds, Iraqis, Iranians, Jordanians, etc. would all be happy to exterminate every last Daesh if they had the ability to do it easily. I'm sure they'd also be happy to have you go over there and help them; there's already a few western soldiers who have gone over there voluntarily to fight them. One's been killed.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 21 2015, @02:25AM
Then it's time we did OUR PART.
The Kurds have been clamoring for the weapons needed to do the job. Turkey objects to arming the Kurds. The US is honoring Turkey's objections. The Kurds have done a magnificent job, considering their very limited resources. The United States and Europe need to supply the Kurds with anything they ask for, up to and including armor. Then, we need to offer them air support. "We" - the US and Europe. And, if Turkey doesn't like it, we tell Turkey to go stuff themselves. We tell them as diplomatically as possible, but we tell them to fuck off.
The Druze are just as dangerous as the Kurds, but alas, they have not yet been goaded into action. The Druze also have a complicated loyalty thing going - they are very reluctant to offend a host nation's government in any way. Syria would be very offended if the Druze were to arm themselves, separately from the Syrian army.
The Yazidi? As far as I can tell, they've just run from every potential fight, abandoning their week and feeble. I've not read of one single time the Yazidi have stood and fought.
Those are just the Christians in the affected area - Muslims also have various reactions to Daesh. One sect seeks to make peace with Daesh, some tribes hope to escape notice, others just pack up and leave.
Aside from the Kurds, NO ONE is doing nearly enough to destroy an organization which poses an existential threat to almost all groups in the region.
And, let me be very clear. Daesh does pose an existential threat to every government in the region, as well as every religious group or sect, in addition to the many different tribes.
As evidenced by TFA, Daesh is intent on destroying any and all opposition, as well as destroying the history, the culture, and the legacy of any opposition. Complete and utter genocide for any and all who disagree with this supposed "Islamic State".
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 20 2015, @04:14PM
> WHO IS TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE THAT IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO BECOME A JIHADIST?!?!?!?!?!
You are.
Look in the mirror, half your life is dedicated to preaching that the only good muslim is a former muslim. Your entire worldview is defined by your belief that regular and crazy and are interchangeable. And then you wonder why some people believe you?
You are the problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 20 2015, @08:37PM
half your life is dedicated to preaching that the only good muslim is a former muslim
How ironic that that to become that former Muslim makes you guilty of apostasy, and you get sentenced to death.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 20 2015, @10:26PM
People like you, who discriminate them. They want to fight back against that...and there just happens to be an organization that seeks them out...
(Score: 2) by M. Baranczak on Thursday August 20 2015, @03:37PM
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday August 20 2015, @03:49PM
"Just like most of the victims of ISIS"
Bingo. Most of the victims of Daesh HAVE BEEN Muslims. But, that will change, eventually. Once Daesh has executed all the convenient victims, they'll move abroad, looking for more victims. Your neighborhood, mine, they'll get to all of us in turn.
And, once again, Islam nurtured the beast - Islam should be taking a leading role in killing it.
And, once again, the entire world community needs to step in, bringing enough force to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Also - I have not claimed a special position of leadership for the US. The WORLD needs to step in, and say "enough is enough".