Turkish minister condemns jihadists’ destruction of artifacts in Iraq

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik has joined the condemnation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) destruction of historical artifacts in the Iraqi province of Mosul, recently captured on camera.

“We see how they demonstrate barbarism and how they destroyed the artifacts with sledgehammers in their hands,” Çelik said on Feb. 27 during a meeting in Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace.

A video released on Feb. 26 showed ISIL militants gleefully smashing ancient statues to pieces with sledgehammers in the main museum and an archeological site in Mosul, drawing global condemnation.

“The members of the civilization that created those artifacts cannot believe in the same religion as those who committed that barbarism,” Çelik added.

“Even one word, one sentence of these artifacts is a big challenge to the ill-intended messages that these groups are trying to give the world by abusing our religion,” he also said.