Destruction of relics is a war on history

A man looks at artefacts displayed at the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad March 8, 2015. Iraq urged a U.S.-led military coalition on Sunday to use air power to protect the country's antiquities from Islamic State fighters looting and destroying some of the world's greatest archaeological treasures. [Photo/Agencies]

Islamic State jihadists in Iraq have been universally condemned for destroying cultural treasures such as the ancient city of Nimrud and artifacts in the Mosul museum. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the international community on March 8 "to swiftly put a stop to such heinous terrorist activity and to counter the illicit traffic in cultural artifacts". Comments:

The jihadists' attack on cultural relics means they have declared war against the culture and history of all human races. However, the paranoid madness and weakness behind the destruction, will only lead to the opposite of their intended purpose. Anti-IS momentum is building among not only all righteous forces, but also among some Islamic fundamentalist extremists that used to support the IS group.

The Beijing News, March 11

Those reports lashing out at IS atrocities, such as one titled "Outrage: Extremists take ancient statues, damage Iraqi site" from the Associated Press, were trying to lead the public astray from the truth that Washington caused greater cultural damage to Iraq in the 2003 war. Notorious as it is, the IS may not and can not culturally exterminate Iraq, but the United States certainly did, and escaped.

Wen Yang, a Shanghai-based scholar, March 10

Believing that idol worship is evil, the ignorant IS jihadists, who have devoted themselves to Islamic fundamentalism, smashed priceless ancient artifacts at the Mosul museum. Moreover, they are trading unbroken valuable relics that have little to do with Islam for good prices, in a bid to fund the IS group's expansion. It may explain why the militants stormed the Iraqi sites.

Li Shaoxian, a senior researcher on Middle East studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, March 10