(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) UNESCO Tuesday said it was alarmed over reports of a massive destruction of books in the Iraqi city of Mosul, adding such "deliberate" acts were part of what it described "cultural cleansing" in Iraq.
"This destruction marks a new phase in the cultural cleansing perpetrated in regions controlled by armed extremists in Iraq," Director General Irina Bokova said in a statement.
"It adds to the systematic destruction of heritage and the persecution of minorities that seeks to wipe out the cultural diversity that is the soul of the Iraqi people," she added.
thousands of books on philosophy, law, science and poetry have been deliberately burned over the past several weeks. If confirmed, this would be one of the most devastating acts of destruction of library collections in human history.
"Burning books is an attack on the culture, knowledge and memory ... ," said Bokova.
UNESCO was created 70 years ago to combat this type of violence, through education, science and culture, using the tools of dialogue and peace. "Such destruction is a cruel reminder that the nations of the world must remain united to combat such fanaticism today," the director general added.
Over the past several months UNESCO has been taking stock of and condemning the cultural cleansing perpetrated by armed extremists in Iraq, that targets cultural heritage, cultural and religious minorities, and the documents and written evidence of one of the oldest civilizations in human history.
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