UN cultural body UNESCO on Tuesday
called on Libya to immediately cease the destruction of Sufi holy sites
after Islamist hardliners wrecked shrines across the country.
UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova expressed “grave concern” at the
destruction of Sufi sites in Zliten, Misrata and Tripoli and urged
perpetrators to “cease the destruction immediately”.
“I am deeply concerned about these brutal attacks on places of cultural
and religious significance. Such acts must be halted, if Libyan society
is to complete its transition to democracy,” she said in a statement.
“For this, we need dialogue and mutual respect. Libya’s future prospects
depend on its inhabitants’ ability to build a participatory democracy
that respects the rights and the heritage of all its citizens.”
Several Muslim shrines have been attacked in recent days, including those of the mystic Sufi strand of Islam.
Islamist hardliners on Saturday bulldozed part of the mausoleum of
Al-Shaab Al-Dahman, close to the centre of the Libyan capital.
The demolition came a day after hardliners blew up the mausoleum of
Sheikh Abdessalem al-Asmar in Zliten, 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of
the capital.
According to witnesses, another mausoleum — that of Sheikh Ahmed
al-Zarruq — was destroyed in the port of Misrata, 200 kilometres east of
Tripoli.
Hardline Sunni Islamists are opposed to the veneration of tombs of
revered Muslim figures, saying that such devotion should be reserved for
God alone.
The Sufis, who have played a historical role in the affairs of Libya,
have increasingly found themselves in conflict with Qatari- and
Saudi-trained Salafist preachers who consider them heretical.
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