 |
| The
53-meter (175-foot) tall, 2000-year-old Buddha statue located in Bamyan,
about 150 kilometers (90 miles) west of the Afghan capital Kabul, is shown
in November 28, 1997, file photo. Afghanistan's hardline Taliban rulers
ordered the destruction, Monday of all statues as insulting Islam, including
this, the world's tallest standing Buddha statue which was already damaged
in fighting. The Taliban said they began to destroy the statues Thursday,
March 1, 2001. (AP Photo/Zaheeruddin Abdullah, FILE) |
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KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's
ruling Taliban have blown the head off one of the
ancient Bamiyan Buddha statues, a Pakistan-based Afghan news service
reported on Friday.
The purist Islamic group used a ``large
explosive'' on Thursday to destroy the ``top
quarter'' of the taller of the statues, the Afghan Islamic Press
(AIP) said.
``Informed sources told AIP that the Taliban again started the demolition
of the statues on Thursday and by using a large explosive destroyed the
upper part of the 53-meter statue.
``The sources said that efforts were being made today (Friday) to destroy
the remaining part of the tallest statue.''
The Taliban had vowed to destroy the statues,
carved almost 2,000 years ago, sparking
international condemnation, but witnesses
said the campaign had been put on hold for
Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, which ended on
Thursday.
AIP said the lower portion of the statue had been destroyed ''previously''
and only the middle section remained. It did not elaborate.
The two Buddhas in the central province
of Bamiyan tower 53 meters (175 feet) and 38 meters (120 feet)
and were hewn out of sandstone cliffs almost
2,000 years ago.
A picture of the taller statue taken in 1997 shows the
face already erased, chipped away over the
centuries by Islamic rulers. Islam arrived in the country in the
ninth century, ending centuries of Buddhist rule.
Opposition officials said the Taliban resumed
destruction of the Buddhas on Thursday.
``They are using tanks, artillery, shells and also
explosive devices for knocking them down completely,''
Mohammad Ashraf Nadeem, a spokesman for the opposition led by commander
Ahmad Shah Masood, told Reuters.
``The Taliban have allowed residents to watch the event as well.''
AIP said there was no immediate comment from the Taliban, who are under
intense international pressure to spare Afghanistan's best-known archaeological
treasures.
Despite the international outcry, Taliban
leaders have insisted that the policy of demolishing all statues -- considered
un-Islamic -- will not be reversed.
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| Japanese
members of Parliament, from left: Akihiko Kumashiro, Kenshiro Matsunami
and Otohiko Endo arrive at Islamabad airport on Thursday, March 8, 2001.
The two Parliament members are in the country to try to convince the Taliban
rulers of Afghanistan to stop the destruction of Buddha statues. (AP Photo/Tariq
Aziz) |
|
A Japanese
delegation of four members of parliament is on
its way to the southern city of Kandahar for
a last-minute appeal to save the statues.
Japan, one of the largest aid donors to war-ravaged
Afghanistan, has hinted that that aid could be threatened
by the statue destruction campaign.
Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil has rejected proposals
to save the statues, which have included offers from
foreign museums to buy them and a proposal to build a giant wall to hide
them from Islamic eyes.
The order to smash the statues was issued a month after
the United Nations imposed new sanctions against the Taliban, aimed
mainly to force them to hand over Saudi militant Osama
bin Laden, who is accused of blowing up
two U.S. embassies.
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ひとくちメモ
blown the head off
one of the ancient Bamiyan Buddha statues: 古代のバミヤン仏像の内、その一つの頭部を吹き飛ばした
The purist Islamic group: Talibanを呼ぶ時の一つの言い方。欧米では、彼らの政教一致でイスラム法を政治に反映しようという思想をイスラム原理主義(Islamic
Fundamentalism)と呼ぶ。この思想は、アフガニスタンに限らずイスラム教圏国には、程度の差こそ多少あれ、共通している
large explosive: 大規模の爆発物 *元々、火山の噴火の程度を表すlarge-scale
explosive eruptionから
top quarter: 上の四分の一、頭部
demolition: 破壊 *demolish(動詞)
had vowed to destroy the statues: 彫刻を破壊すると宣誓していた
carved: 彫刻された *自然の砂岩を彫刻して造られている
sparking international condemnation: 国際的な非難を呼んだ
witnesses: 目撃者
the campaign had bee put on hold: 活動は、一時停止していた
Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha: イスラム教の宗教的なお祭りの一つで年中行事。
* Eid-al-Adha
elaborate: 詳しく伝える
hewn out of sandstone cliffs: 砂岩質の崖を大なたで刻んで造った
the face already erased: 顔が既に無くなった
chipped away over the centuries by Islamic rulers: 何世紀にも渡たるイスラム教支配によって、徐々に削り取られた
ending centuries of Buddhist rule: 何世紀も続いた仏教支配を終わらせた
Opposition officials: 反対勢力関係者
resumed destruction of the Buddhas: 仏陀(仏像)の破壊を再開した
using tanks, artillery, shells and also explosive devices: 戦車、大砲、砲撃、発破装置を使って
knocking them down completely: 仏陀を完全に取り壊してしまう
under intense international pressure to spare Afghanistan's best-known
archaeological treasures: アフガニスタンで最も有名な考古学的財産を大事にするようにと激しい国際的な圧力を受けて
outcry: 抗議
considered un-Islamic: イスラムの教えにそぐわないものとして
will not be reversed: 覆されない
A Japanese delegation of four members of parliament: 日本の四人の国会議員による派遣団。メンバーの一人、保守党の松浪健四郎議員は、アフガニスタンにコネ(アマレス関係？)を持つという
*日本の国会を言う時は、普通 Diet を使う。
on its way: 向かう途中
for a last-minute appeal to save the statues: 彫刻を傷つけぬようにと最後の訴えに
aid doners: 援助供与国
war-ravaged: 戦争で荒廃した
that aid could be threatened by the statue destruction campaign: その援助が仏像破壊活動で危うくなりかねない
offers from foreign museums to buy them and a proposal to build a giant
wall to hide them from Islamic eyes: (仏像を)買い取って、イスラム教徒の目に見えないように大きい壁を建てるという外国の美術館からの申し出(アメリカの美術館によるオファー)
*関連記事
after the United Nations imposed new sanctions: 国連が新しい制裁を下した後に
aimed mainly to force them to hand over..: 主に、彼らに強制的に〜を引き渡せようとして
accused of blowing up two U.S. embassies: 二つのアメリカ大使館を爆破したとして訴えられている |
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