Egypt takes Islamist threats to destroy Pyramids, Sphinx seriously

[jimmy olsen]

Things are definitely not looking good for Egypt these days.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/13/249354.html

Egypt takes threats to destroy Pyramids, Sphinx seriously: official

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

By AL ARABIYA

Egypt is taking a jihadist's calls to destroy the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx "seriously," an Egyptian interior ministry source has said, according to reports.

The source, who was not named, spoke to the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper late Monday in response to Sheikh Murgan Salem al-Gohary's television interview earlier this week.

Gohary, a jihadist with self-professed links to the Taliban, called for the "destruction of the Sphinx and the Giza Pyramids in Egypt," drawing ties between the Egyptian relics and Buddha statues.

The Islamist, previously twice-sentenced under former President Hosni Mubarak for advocating violence, called on Muslims to remove such "idols."

"All Muslims are charged with applying the teachings of Islam to remove such idols, as we did in Afghanistan when we destroyed the Buddha statues," he said on Saturday during a television interview on an Egyptian private channel, widely watched by Egyptian and Arab audiences.

"God ordered Prophet Mohammed to destroy idols," he added. "When I was with the Taliban we destroyed the statue of Buddha, something the government failed to do."

His comments came a day after thousands of ultraconservative Islamists gathered in Tahrir Square to call for the strict application of Sharia law in the new constitution.

But in retaliation to Gohary's remarks, the vice president of Tunisia's Ennahda party, Sheikh Abdel Fattah Moro, called the live program and told Gohary that famous historic military commander Amr ibn al-Aas did not destroy statues when he conquered Egypt.

"So who are you to do it?" he wondered. "The Prophet destroyed the idols because people worshiped them, but the Sphinx and the Pyramids are not worshiped."

Gohary, 50, is well-known in Egypt for his advocacy of violence, Egypt Independent reported.

In recent months, fears have surfaced that the ultra-conservative Salafi political powers may soon wish to debate new guidelines over Egyptian antiquities.

Islamists have swept the recent presidential and parliamentary elections in the country's post-revolutionary stage, with the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultra-conservative Salafi Islamists rising to political power.

[mongers]

Of all the world monuments to threaten, I think the Giza pyramids would be the hardest to destroy, what are they in the 3-10 million tonnes of stone each.

Even the Sphinx is fairly substantial, I guess you could blow off its human head, but that would require some preparation.

[Darth Wagtaros]

It isn't really as big as you'd think.  It could be defaced or destroyed with explosives easily enough.  The Sphinx that is.

[Razgovory]

Yeah, I mean according to Islamic chroniclers one guy knocked the nose off the Sphinx ( I don't know if that's true or not though).  The Pyramids are like big hill made of stone.

[Ed Anger]

Blow the motherfuckers up.

[mongers]

Any one got a source for good estimate of the weights of the three Giza pyramids ?

I suspect I could be off by an order or two of magnitude. 

edit:
I've found one reference on wiki to a figure taken from a book on the subject of the great pyramids dimensions.
The suggestion is it's 6×109 kg which is what, 6 million tonnes.

[jimmy olsen]

Yeah, I mean according to Islamic chroniclers one guy knocked the nose off the Sphinx ( I don't know if that's true or not though).  The Pyramids are like big hill made of stone.

I thought a French canonball knocked the nose off?

[11B4V]

Blow the motherfuckers up.

Creationist!

[garbon]

Idols? Does anyone actually worship those objects?

[Ed Anger]

Blow the motherfuckers up.

Creationist!

I didn't say what to blow up.

[11B4V]

Blow the motherfuckers up.

Creationist!

I didn't say what to blow up.

Quite so. Carry on then. 

[Valmy]

Yeah, I mean according to Islamic chroniclers one guy knocked the nose off the Sphinx ( I don't know if that's true or not though).  The Pyramids are like big hill made of stone.

I thought a French canonball knocked the nose off?

Please tell me you are kidding.

[HVC]

Yeah, I mean according to Islamic chroniclers one guy knocked the nose off the Sphinx ( I don't know if that's true or not though).  The Pyramids are like big hill made of stone.

I thought a French canonball knocked the nose off?

Please tell me you are kidding.

its always France's fault, you know that. 

[CountDeMoney]

Yeah, I mean according to Islamic chroniclers one guy knocked the nose off the Sphinx ( I don't know if that's true or not though).  The Pyramids are like big hill made of stone.

I thought a French canonball knocked the nose off?

Please tell me you are kidding.

Somebody watches a cartoon in their formative toddler years, it's seared into their minds.

Hell, I thought the Barber of Seville actually had a barber shop.

[HVC]

Bugs single handedly defamed and libeled nimrod. That's a pretty impressive feat.