Icon smashing - the precedents

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>"Ashok Chowgule"

>"Ashok Chowgule"

>

>Icon smashing - the precedents >Sat, 10 Mar 2001 19:27:43 +0530

> >Icon smashing - the precedents >By George Fitzherbert >BBC Web page

>http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1211000/1211067 >.stm

>Saturday, 10 March, 2001, 10:55 GMT > >The decision by the hardline Islamic

government of Afghanistan to >destroy all statues in the country has provoked

indignation across the >world. Even Pakistan, the Taleban's closest ally, has

called on the >Taleban to show greater tolerance. > >But the destruction of

statues for ideological or doctrinal reasons has >a long history in the world,

right across Europe and Asia, and is by no >means restricted to the Muslim

world. > >Indeed, the word iconoclasm - the breaking of images - derives from

the >early centuries of the Christian era. > >Mao Zedong: His image replaced

religious ones > >During the Cultural Revolution in China the then premier, Mao

Zedong, >launched a massive campaign to eradicate what were known as the Four

>Olds - Old Culture, Old Thinking, Old Ideas and Old Habits. > >In Tibet, where

the Buddhist society placed great emphasis on holy >relics, images and statues,

this was particularly devastating. > >Tsering Shakya, a Tibetan historian

working at the School of Oriental >and African Studies in London, said there

was a feeling by Maoists that >traditional symbols and religious ideology were

hampering the >construction of the new Tibet. > >There was no question of

choosing to Maoists be involved or not to be >involved, because if you say you

will not be involved, its likely that >you would be executed > >"The presence

of the statues was a reminder of the past and the people's >devotion to

tradition," said Tsering Shakya. > >"Mao used to say if you make a mistake,

there's no point in trying to >correct it in piecemeal fashion, what you need

to do is to wipe it out >completely and create a totally new culture. > >"So

during the Cultural Revolution there was an attempt to literally >destroy every

single religious item. > >"We are not just talking about the destruction of a

few important >statues, we are talking about the destruction of the entire

presence of >religious symbols in private houses, in monasteries, temples,

village >prayer halls. > >English precedent > >Going back 400 years to the

English reformation, there are examples of >the destruction of religious images

on grounds remarkably similar to >those used by the Taleban - namely to

discourage idolatry. > >The campaign of destruction went on for a whole

century, starting during >the reign of Henry VIII as part of the campaign

against the monasteries. > > Dr Margaret Aston, a historian of the English

Reformation, and author >of the book England's Iconoclasts, explained: "It was

like a kind of >propaganda campaign which was carefully masterminded by the

king's chief >minister Thomas Cromwell. > >"Objects were actually torn to bits

in front of a congregation of people >who were being instructed in this way." >

>The idea behind the destruction, she said, was commandments in the Old

>Testament that said 'Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image >or any

likeness', and 'Thou shall not bow down to them'. > >"The feeling was that

people were attributing to the object, to the >images - and this particularly

applies to sculpture, which is the most >realistic art form - they were

attributing to the objects a power that >is really only God's," said Dr Aston.

> >"When people in England, for instance, were kneeling before an image of >the

virgin, they were praying to the Virgin, and were expecting answers >from the

Virgin." > >There was such a thorough campaign against religious statues in

England >that there are very few such works of art left. > > > Get your FREE

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