Sin Chew Daily 2016-09-09 18:45
TAY TIAN YAN Translated by DOMINIC LOH
Fanaticism knows no limits, from the Middle East to the rest of the
world.
Often the
boundary between fanaticism and insanity is equally
blurred.
Many years
back when the fanatic Taliban were ruling Afghanistan, many
world-shocking events took place there, the most classical being
the detonation of Bamiyan's Buddha status.
For
thousands of years, Bamiyan Valley used to be on the Silk Road with
travelers from China, India, Persia and Europe making regular pit
stops there.
Back then
Bamiyan was an important hub of Buddhist learning. Thousands of
monks and craftsmen sculpted countless of awe-inspiring Buddha
statues on the walls of the cliffs in the valley, with unparalleled
determination, artistic acumen and exceptional techniques. The
biggest among the statues stood at 38 and 58 meters.
From the
aesthetic point of view, these were the masterpieces attesting to
the pinnacle of cultural preeminence. And from the historical point
of view, they were the priceless legacies of human civilization.
For over a thousand years, these two enormous Buddha statues
watched over this land and witnessed the many historical
developments of human race taking place under their
noses.
Unfortunately such godly artistic creations were blown up and
reduced to ashes by the Taliban in just a matter of
hours.
Similarly,
after the IS fanatics captured parts of northern Iraq, they blew up
the 3,000-year old Assyrian relics and statues in the ancient city
of Nimrud.
They also
destroyed the Temple of Bel and Baal Shamin in the 4,000-year old
city of Palmyra in northern Syria they subsequently captured,
smashing up the invaluable ancient animist relics.
Khaled
Asad, the Palmyra Antiquities and Museum director, was executed by
the IS.
Taliban and
IS prohibited idolatry in the pretext of defending their religion,
destroying priceless deity statues and relics without taking into
consideration their enormous historical values.
What has
been brought down can never get restored; neither can pieces of
history be duplicated. The fanaticism and insanity of these people
have shocked the world and brought tears to millions.
But, what
has this got to do with us here?
The eagle
statue in Langkawi and the statue of fallen heroes at the National
Monument have both been given prominent media coverage of late.
Some clerics who thought they were safeguarding their religion
called for their demolition to preserve the sanctity of the
religion and stub out idolatry.
The eagle
is but a symbol of Langkawi and a popular sightseeing spot. No one
is going to worship an eagle statue anyway. As for the National
Monument, it was built in honor of the warriors sacrificing their
precious lives for the nation, and was meant to inspire Malaysians
to be patriotic. Similarly, no one is going to deify and idolize
them, too.
The
narrow-minded and radical interpretations by these people have
religionized everything that crosses their minds and banished all
that do not belong to them. This is the crudest manifestation of
the pride and prejudice born out of such fanaticism.
If by chance their wayward thinking gets approved and legitimized,
the country's diversity and universal values will be completely
uprooted.