Destruction of beloved Baghdad statue emblematic of violence's toll

The bronze bust of Jaafar al Mansour, who founded Baghdad in the eighth century, stood in the center of a traffic circle in northwestern Baghdad and was used by nearly everyone as a reference point: "near the statue," "a kilometer past the statue." It was a symbol of the city, without politics or sectarianism.

Until Oct. 19, when terrorists reduced it to rubble with a roadside bomb of the same sort used to kill U.S. and Iraqi forces. With it went another bit of whatever sense of well-being that Iraqis still had.

"Ours is a country of many centuries of civilization," said Baghdad historian Salem al Alousy, 68. "I feel very sad about this. How will we explain to our children that we've ruined this country, that we've destroyed all of our heritage?"

But the destruction of the statue of Mansour, who died in A.D. 775, was especially troubling to residents, not just because it was so well known, but also because it celebrated Baghdad's storied past, not its recent troubles. "They are destroying Iraqi civilization," said Ahmed Mustafa, 36, who owns a supermarket near the statue.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/world/13063386.htm

"They are destroying Iraqi civilization," said Ahmed Mustafa, 36, who owns a supermarket near the statue.

A small price to pay for freedom.

to destroy Iraq? The good old 'democracy spreader' himself.

blew up before the war?

They are being rebuilt (as best as they can)

this would not have happened without bush and his delusions of grandeur.

so sad...



By Karim Sahib, AFP/Getty Images
A crane lifts the statue of Abu Jaafar al-Mansour after it was destroyed in an overnight explosion.

Now that they have democracy.

:sarcasm:

Tell me one more time, and here's a hint: It wasn't the Iraqis who are destroying their civilization.