Written by Dr Mohammed Ilyas   

In this article I will discuss the deplorable destruction of Muslim heritage sites in the Muslim world by other Muslims. The sites that I am referring to are the scared spaces such Mosques, Shrines and other buildings that are of importance to Muslims.

In the Muslim world, the destruction of Muslim heritage sites has been taking place for decades to either make way for hotels or for sectarian reasons. These sites are not only spaces of reverence but also constitute a rich historical tapestry for Muslims to learn about there past. Damian Thompson writes in the 2nd November 2012 edition of the Telegraph that: ‘In Mecca the Saudi authorities demolished the house of one of Prophet Mohammed’s wives to make space for public lavatories. Furthermore the birthplace of the prophet may also disappear, as part of King Abdullah’s scheme to complement the skyscrapers and shopping malls with a Grand Mosque fashioned from the same materials as a multi-storey car park in Wolverhampton’.

It seems that Muslim heritage sites in Islam’s second holiest city of Medina are likely to suffer the same fate as Mecca. Jerome Taylor in his Independent article published on the 26th October 2012 entitled ‘Medina: Saudis take a bulldozer to Islam's history’ clearly indicates how much of Muslim history will be lost if Masjid an-Nabawi was demolished. The Mosque is not only the burial place of Prophet Mohammed but is also place of reverence for some Muslims. The article also suggests that Masjid Ghamama will also be demolished. This mosque is dedicated to Abu Baker and Umar and it is also where the Prophet is thought to have given his first prayers for the Eid festival. Expansion is the official line for demolishing the aforementioned Mosques, which is likely to be true, but as Dr Irfan al-Alawi of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation notes in the above article: ‘There are ways they could expand which would either avoid or preserve the ancient Islamic sites but instead they want to knock it all down’.

The destruction of the Mosques has caused outrage among some Muslims but nowhere near the level that is needed to stop monster skyscrapers and lavatories being built to replace Muslim heritage sites. Muslims have to realize, regardless of their interpretive differences, the destruction of Muslim heritage is the erasing of their history and foundations. If governments or developers even planned to demolish Jewish, Christian or Hindi sites there would be many protests, a lot of lobbying and believers would act as shields to stop the bulldozers.

Sectarianism is another reason why Muslim heritage sites are being destroyed. In recent years we have seen the acceleration of such destruction. A good example of this is the 2012 destruction of the UNESCO protected sites in Timbuktu/Mali by an Al Qaeda type group during the recent conflict between the Tuareg and the government of the country. This destruction received worldwide media coverage and condemnation from all walks of life because the city was once the cradle of Islamic learning in Africa and had many libraries full of scholarly work going back centuries. During the destruction Mosques, Shrines and libraries, as well as their contents was destroyed. A CNN article published on 19th October 2012 reported that, ‘Al Qaeda type groups targeted Sufi shrines, which they say they are sacrilegious. Sufism is a mystical dimension of Islam considered offbeat by Islamic hardliners, who frown upon it’.

Why these sites need to protected

In the UK buildings that have historical importance or have sacred meaning are preserved and protected by laws, in addition to governments and private donors paying towards their upkeep. One just needs to look at the work that English Heritage does to realize the importance given to British heritage sites. The British have realized the importance of their history, such that, they are constantly making new discoveries about their past and preserving it for their future generations. Heritage sites are important because they provide a window to our past.

Like British heritage sites, Muslim sites connect Muslims to their glorious past, which stretches back over a thousand years. They are spaces of reverence, as well as were learning, scientific and philosophical advancement took place. It seems that in the minds of many Muslims the significance of there past has gone amiss.

Muslim silence

During the controversy over The Satanic verses in 1988, Jyllands-Posten cartoons in 2006 and the movie Innocence of Muslims in 2012 Muslim leaders were falling over themselves to condemn what they regarded as degradation of their faith. But over the destruction of Islamic heritage by other Muslims there seems to be silence.

Jerome Taylor in his article for the Independent on 24th October 2012 entitled: ‘Why don't more Muslims speak out against the wanton destruction of Mecca's holy sites?’ - concludes that the reason why Muslims are silent is because: ‘It’s politically a lot more convenient to blame infidels for disrespecting your religion’s founder than it is to point the finger of blame at your own kind’.

If Muslims allow the destruction of their heritage sites to continue unchallenged, then are they in any position to condemn Islamophobes for attacking Mosques?