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Iran Condemns Afghan Taliban Destruction of Buddhist Statues
Iranian Majlis (parliament) issued a statement Monday condemning the Afghan Taliban decision to destroy ancient Buddhist statues throughout the country as being "counter- cultural" and "un-Islamic."
The statement, carried by the official IRNA news agency, decried that "those who pretend to be paragons of Islam (an allusion to puritan Islamism to which the Taliban claims to adhere), are seen committing such evil acts, now being implemented in full swing despite an international outcry.
Sources in Kabul said that Afghan Islamic clerics have urged the ruling Taliban's supreme leader not to bow to international pressure and to push ahead with the controversial plan to destroy the historic statues.
The Taliban have vowed to destroy all Buddhist monuments in the country, including two massive ancient Buddhas in Bamiyan in central Afghanistan, towering 50 meters and 34.5 meters, respectively, and carved into sandstone cliffs.
They have already smashed major statue collections in several parts of the country since last week when the reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar issued a decree to destroy what he termed "un-Islamic idols."
The Majlis statement said its "cultural committee calls on all international bodies to spare no effort in calling a halt to such anti-Islamic and counter-cultural acts aimed at portraying a wrong image of Islam."
On Friday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said that the destruction of ancient Buddhist monuments in Bamiyan by Taliban is the result of a Taliban campaign to portray Islam as a "violent" religion.
Iran supports Afghanistan's moderate opposition northern alliance under ousted President Burhanuddin Rabbani, which is still fighting with the Taliban that control some 95 percent of the country.
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