GUEST BLOG: The Taj Mahal Controversy

Also see Skeet Street's article Coining Replacement Terms, on 6th Column Against Jihad,

George,

I was reading the news today and came up with these thoughts which I'd like to share with you.

Another controversy concerning the Taj Mahal follows this recent dispute which claims Islamic ownership of the great Mogul monument. Of course, the Muslim claimants demand exclusive management of the Taj, rejecting government administration (since 1920) of the historic site all the while being a minority
status amongst the Indian population.

If the Indian government does eventually cave in to Muslim demands one must wonder if the Taj will fall victim to blatant destruction by its Muslim managers as did the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban and more recently, the systematic destruction by its Saudi masters of historic Mecca, the cradle of Islam and its most holiest city?

Or will it fall suffer disrepair and neglect like Egypt's Sphinx and pyramids? One of mankind's greatest achievements which kindled a European interest in preservation only after Napoleon invaded the area and one which now is kept intact mainly because it draws so many tourism dollars. Will a terrorist attack against the Taj ebb the flow of that tourist dollar just as the Luxor attacks devastated Egyptian tourism? What is the saying - "A person's past behavior is a good indicator of future behavior"?

Sincerely,

Skeet Street