The blood-thirsty bastards killed him. The Medieval
malignancy known as ISIS butchered Khalid al-Asaad earlier this week for the “crime”
of trying to protect the precious antiquities of Palmyra, Syria. The pathetic men
who lead this criminal band seem to fear everything, from reminders of the past
found in the Palmyra UNESCO World Heritage site to any positive and productive
possibilities for the future. Theirs is solely the realm of ignorance and
destruction.
For decades, Asaad, dubbed “Mr. Palmyra” by scholars,
curated and chronicled Palmyra’s many historic treasures. Most recently, as the
ISIS plague descended upon his beloved town, he and his colleagues secreted many
of Palmyra’ most precious artifacts to other parts of the country for
safekeeping. Asaad wouldn’t tell these gangsters where the goods were hidden,
so this gentle, 83-year-old man was tortured, beheaded and defiled. How far
would any one of us go to protect our history and civilization? Khalid al-Asaad
never even had to ask that question.
Photo courtesy of the Albany Times Union.
