Today marks a day in infamy in the fabric of human history. Today the Islamic State is reported to have destroyed the ancient Babylonian city of Nimuud. Nimruud was perhaps one of the oldest cities in the world, at the crossroads of several religions and ideals. This is an artifact of one of the most ancient civilizations in history, a birthplace of humanity, and perhaps one of the possible locations for inspiration of both the Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel. It held priceless artifacts, history and understanding that is now lost.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/isis-destruction-ancient-city-artifacts-war-crime/story?id=29441874
This is not uncommon it seems in the Islamic world. Back in the early 2000's, the Taliban destroyed two ancient stone Buddha's that had stood for millenia in the Afgan desert. Back then, the world recoiled at such brazen acts as they do now to these. ISIS has also destroyed sites that oppose THEIR ideal of Islam, places like the Tomb of Moses. They aren't going to stop now.
As a writer and a student of history, I wonder where we are now going. These forces are intent to destroy all sense of the past so they can teach and promote only their ideals. History shows us that when we have no past, we have nothing to give us perspective. History gives us depth, a sense of character and purpose. Hitler knew this well. Hitler burned books, advanced his ideals through Mein Kamph, through speeches, through terror, through death and destruction. ISIS does this as well, and like that regime of the early 20th century, they are a mobile force advancing like a shadow across the Middle East.
Can we as Americans ignore this as we did the warning signs with the Nazi's? Are we content in our isolated continent, thinking this could never reach us? What about the people of Iraq? How would we feel if we were them, and this force showed up and destroyed our towns and our heritage? There is no negotiating with this sort of ideology, there never has been. If we do, or we ignore it, we are allowing ourselves to lose our past, lose a sense of our history as human beings. Without a past we have no future, and the IS seems to want to wipe out both.
