What fun these fellows will have in Paris and London. Besides removing supposed temptations to idolatry, Islamic jihadists want to destroy the artifacts of non-Muslim civilizations because doing so testifies to the truth of Islam, as the Qur’an suggests that the destroyed remnants of ancient non-Muslim civilizations are a sign of Allah’s punishment of those who rejected his truth:
Many were the Ways of Life that have passed away before you: travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who rejected Truth. (Qur’an 3:137)
This is one of the foundations of the Islamic idea that pre-Islamic civilizations, and non-Islamic civilizations, are all jahiliyya — the society of unbelievers, which is worthless. Obviously this cuts against the idea of tourism of ancient sites and non-Muslim religious installations. V. S. Naipaul encountered this attitude in his travels through Muslim countries. For many Muslims, he observed in Among the Believers, “The time before Islam is a time of blackness: that is part of Muslim theology. History has to serve theology.” Naipaul recounted that some Pakistani Muslims, far from valuing the nation’s renowned archaeological site at Mohenjo Daro, saw its ruins as a teaching opportunity for Islam, recommending that Qur’an 3:137 be posted there as a teaching tool.
“Algiers: young extremists destroy works of art (video),” translated from “Alger : des jeunes extrémistes détruisent des œuvres d’art (vidéo),” Kab News, May 19, 2020 (thanks to Elina):
Islamism is gaining ground in Algeria. The actions of extremist groups are increasing. Yesterday, a group of young people in Algiers “repainted” frescoes by artists on the walls of a playground.
“You have to clear your eyes,” said a young bearded man to the “painter” who was destroying the fresco of a woman on a wall of a building. Made by artists who spent several days on this work, these young extremists did not take more than 3 minutes to destroy the work.
“We did this for God the almighty,” they said, before leaving the scene to find other works to destroy. This abominable act was brought to the attention of the public, since “the crime” was filmed live on social networks. No authority, including security forces, deigned to denounce this act and stop the massacre.
“These are signs of belonging to the Masonic current,” says one in justifying the destruction of the fresco, which represented a woman.