openDemocracy forums' members Matt and Chris discuss the 2001 destruction of the Buddha Statues in Bamyan Valley, trying to find answers to their whys:
I still remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, the anger, the frustration, and the complete helplessness that I felt back in 2001 when the then leaders of Afghanistan, the Taliban, destroyed the two Buddha Statues in Bamyan Valley. What made it all the worse though was the seemingly incomprehensibility of it all, why would anyone on earth, even religious fanatics, want to destroy such a unique and precious part of civilization's cultural legacy?
Even as I sit and think about it now it is still difficult to not feel angry for what I view as a unforgivable and despicable act, yet last night I read a passage that for the first time offered me some insight into why the Taliban may have chosen such a controversial decision as destroying the statues, even as world-wide criticism of their decision was escalating (...)
Read the entire discussion here, and post your comments...
