Pray For The Sphinx

From the middle of the sixth century until 2001 there stood at the gates of the Bamiyan Valley on the ancient Silk Road in Afghanistan two proud statues. In this desolate spot Buddhist monks had created the two tallest "Standing Buddha" statues in the world as a sign of their devotion. They were marvelous to behold made of stone and wood and mud. People traveled from all over the world to see them as they stood in giant niches that the monks carved into the side of the cliff.

In 2001 the Taliban gained complete power over this tribal area. Now the English translation of the word Taliban is "the teachers". It seems that they had much to teach about these statues. As they packed them with explosives and blew them to pieces. They taught a powerful lesson about ignorance, intolerance, and hatred. The world lost two irreplaceable pieces of ancient art on that day. The Taliban gained only the disgust of civilized people everywhere.

That brings our thoughts to today and modern Egypt. Egypt is and has been for some time now a country in turmoil. It is a country with a long history of important art and artifacts that are world treasures. From the Library at Alexandria to the pyramids and the Sphinx, the tombs of the Pharaohs, Egypt has historical wealth untold. Almost all of it is based on the religion of the Pharaohs.

Because  of the turmoil I fear for these great historical items. If hard line Islamists gain power will we see these great treasures destroyed by overly prideful men? We already see what is happening to the native Coptic population that has been in Egypt for 2000 years. They're being beaten and stoned. Their churches are being destroyed. They are being driven out of their own country. Recently I was talking to a friend who is a Coptic Egyptian and has lived in the US for many years. We were having a discussion about events in his home country. As we parted company his final words to me were "pray for my country". We all should.


As a separate issue, I am writing this at 11:15 on Wednesday night. The Washington Post  has just blown the lid off of a huge secret intelligence operation on the African Continent. It provides for aerial surveillance of military actions across wide areas. Who is providing all of these leaks and why. Investigation is needed and arrests must be made.