Egypt: Islamic Salafis Demolish Iconic Statue Because It's an "Idol," Says Cleric

Keeper of Secrets statue

, --April 15, 2016

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Raymond Ibrahim 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, the Taliban, etc., all cite. The Keeper of Secrets was an iconic statue made by early 20th century sculptor Mahmoud Mokhtar.

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Raymond Ibrahim——

RAYMOND IBRAHIM (RaymondIbrahim.com) is a widely published author, public speaker, and Middle East and Islam expert.  His books include Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians (2013) and The Al Qaeda Reader (2007). His writings, translations, and observations have appeared in a variety of publications, including Fox News, Financial Times, Jerusalem Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Times Syndicate, United Press International, USA Today, Washington Post, Washington Times, and Weekly Standard; scholarly journals, including the Almanac of Islamism, Chronicle of Higher Education, Jane’s Islamic Affairs Analyst, Middle East Quarterly, and Middle East Review of International Affairs; and popular websites, such as American Thinker, the Blaze, Bloomberg, Christian Post, FrontPage Magazine, Gatestone Institute, the Inquisitr, Jihad Watch, NewsMax, National Review Online, PJ Media, VDH’s Private Papers, and World Magazine. He has contributed chapters to several anthologies and been translated into various languages.