Saifur Rashid :
The mosaic of religious cultural heritage in Asia is one of the strongest elements of the world’s religious property. Many of the Asian cities, architectural and archaeological sites, geographical and cultural spaces are strongly conditioned by religious roots. Even, in some Asian societies, religion is considered as a means of integration and works as a foundation for cultural development.
The great variety of Asia’s religious properties (including monasteries, shrines, sanctuaries, churches, mosques, temples, sacred landscapes, sacred groves, necropolises, sacred mountains or trees, inscriptions, harbours/protections, and sacred land or sacred water) are the symbols of the diversity of Asian culture and tradition. Approximately 20 per cent of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage List have various specific and significant spiritual meaning; and demonstrate a very particular spirit of a specific place or community (ethnic, cultural or religious). These religious and sacred sites are indeed, proof of the oldest protected areas of the world. In many places of Asia, religious and spiritual practices have generated masterpieces such as the temples at Angkor in Cambodia or the Buddhist monuments of Horyu-ji in Japan.
Religion, in Asia, is deeply rooted in the history of human societies and in the development of arts and sciences. Examples of this development can be seen by the minaret in Jam of Afghanistan, Confucius Temple and Cemetery in China, Lumbini, the birthplace of the Lord Buddhain Nepal, and the shrine of Vaishno Devi-ji in Jammu of India. Within Asia, South Asia has created a very important and distinct religious cultural heritage, associated with various religious beliefs, rituals and practices. For centuries, religion, in South Asia has been playing a very significant role in governing many of its country’s social life from the cradle to the grave; and provides a defining link between the individual and the universe/nature. Due to its significance to the community, as well as their artistic, historical, scientific or anthropological importance, religious buildings or sites make up a considerable part of national or local heritage lists. This situation is echoed in the World Heritage List where an explicit religious reference, mainly temples, churches, mosques, monasteries, shrines or sacred mountains are listed from South Asia.
Over the centuries, the sharing of common history, customs, beliefs and practices has been giving the people of the (bordering) India, Bangladesh and Myanmar a feeling of keenness and a sense of common identity. But alack of interest in the maintenance of its religious cultural heritage makes them vulnerable to threats from factors like population pressures, ill managed tourism, environmental degradation, vandalism, theft, religious terrorism etc. Thus the sacred sites of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir are now frequently attacked by terrorists who are mostly fuelled by religious fundamentalism.
One of the most fundamental reasons of destruction and the substantial loss of cultural religious heritage in the world and very specifically in the Asian countries is the ‘religious hostility’ (‘iconoclasm’). Examples include the Byzantine, Christian, Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and Hindu iconoclasm during the different phases of history like during the Byzantine era, the Protestant reformation movement, French Revolution, Chinese ‘anti-foreignism,’ etc.
In recent times, a series of destruction of religious cultural heritage has been conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) since 2014 in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. In Iraq, between the fall of Mosul in June 2014 and February 2015, ISIS has plundered and destroyed many historical religious buildings. All destructions were carried out mainly with explosive devices, in some cases with bulldozers. ISIS also destroyed Sufi shrines near Tripoli, Libya, in March 2015.
The shrines were destroyed by sledgehammers and bulldozers. Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia, demolishing of Buddhist sculptures (Buddhas of Bamiyan) by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, Islamist destruction of Timbuktu heritage sites in Mali in 2012, and Archaeological looting in Iraq, destruction and looting of Buddhist temples in Ramu of the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh in September 2012 and the attack and demolition of Babri Mosque in the city of Ajodhya in Uttar Pradesh in 1992 by the Hindu fundamentalist group, who traditionally regarded the site as the birthplace of the Hindu deity Rama are just some of the examples of threats and attacks on religious cultural heritage in Asia. A large number of Buddhist temples in South Korea were also destroyed or damaged by fire by misguided Christian fundamentalists.
During and after the Xinhai Revolution in China, as well as during the later Cultural Revolution, there were widespread destructions of religious and secular imagery in China. The Cultural Revolution of China also included a widespread destruction of historic artworks in public places and private collections, whether religious or secular.
Bangladesh, a country of South Asia, has been a place of religious harmony for centuries. Peaceful co-existence of various religious groups and sects has labelled it as a more secular country than many other Asian and South Asian countries; although many of the international Islamic fundamentalist militant groups have been running their activities in Bangladesh directly or indirectly. In the last few decades, many of the Asian and South Asian countries have experienced several conflicts among its various religious groups and sects. Ongoing civil wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Palestine and conflicts between India and Pakistan are some of the examples of such religious hostility (‘iconoclasm’) in the Asian countries.
For protecting various religious cultural heritages from ‘iconoclasm’ and for sustainable conservation of religious cultural heritage of Bangladesh and other Asian countries, a regional governmental (state level) and other organisational forums should work together in collaboration with the UNESCO and other International Heritage Organisations. Reinforcement of dialogue with religious communities and generating mutual understanding and collaboration amongst them are essential for the protection of various religious World Heritage properties.
i) A multi-level initiative should be taken) to raise awareness among the different religious communities to reduce the threats of ‘iconoclasm’ (religious hostility),
ii) To identify areas where a Asia -wide response for religious heritage management is appropriate,
iii) To find the ways to prevent the risks associated with inter-religious or intra-religious tensions,
iv) To develop a participatory heritage management strategy through interfaith dialogue (which refers to cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions, at both the individual and institutional levels) and to share religious knowledge and insights with each other and
v) To work together to prevent the threats and to face the challenges of the management of various religious cultural heritage in Asia. n
The mosaic of religious cultural heritage in Asia is one of the strongest elements of the world’s religious property. Many of the Asian cities, architectural and archaeological sites, geographical and cultural spaces are strongly conditioned by religious roots. Even, in some Asian societies, religion is considered as a means of integration and works as a foundation for cultural development.
The great variety of Asia’s religious properties (including monasteries, shrines, sanctuaries, churches, mosques, temples, sacred landscapes, sacred groves, necropolises, sacred mountains or trees, inscriptions, harbours/protections, and sacred land or sacred water) are the symbols of the diversity of Asian culture and tradition. Approximately 20 per cent of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage List have various specific and significant spiritual meaning; and demonstrate a very particular spirit of a specific place or community (ethnic, cultural or religious). These religious and sacred sites are indeed, proof of the oldest protected areas of the world. In many places of Asia, religious and spiritual practices have generated masterpieces such as the temples at Angkor in Cambodia or the Buddhist monuments of Horyu-ji in Japan.
Religion, in Asia, is deeply rooted in the history of human societies and in the development of arts and sciences. Examples of this development can be seen by the minaret in Jam of Afghanistan, Confucius Temple and Cemetery in China, Lumbini, the birthplace of the Lord Buddhain Nepal, and the shrine of Vaishno Devi-ji in Jammu of India. Within Asia, South Asia has created a very important and distinct religious cultural heritage, associated with various religious beliefs, rituals and practices. For centuries, religion, in South Asia has been playing a very significant role in governing many of its country’s social life from the cradle to the grave; and provides a defining link between the individual and the universe/nature. Due to its significance to the community, as well as their artistic, historical, scientific or anthropological importance, religious buildings or sites make up a considerable part of national or local heritage lists. This situation is echoed in the World Heritage List where an explicit religious reference, mainly temples, churches, mosques, monasteries, shrines or sacred mountains are listed from South Asia.
Over the centuries, the sharing of common history, customs, beliefs and practices has been giving the people of the (bordering) India, Bangladesh and Myanmar a feeling of keenness and a sense of common identity. But alack of interest in the maintenance of its religious cultural heritage makes them vulnerable to threats from factors like population pressures, ill managed tourism, environmental degradation, vandalism, theft, religious terrorism etc. Thus the sacred sites of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir are now frequently attacked by terrorists who are mostly fuelled by religious fundamentalism.
One of the most fundamental reasons of destruction and the substantial loss of cultural religious heritage in the world and very specifically in the Asian countries is the ‘religious hostility’ (‘iconoclasm’). Examples include the Byzantine, Christian, Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and Hindu iconoclasm during the different phases of history like during the Byzantine era, the Protestant reformation movement, French Revolution, Chinese ‘anti-foreignism,’ etc.
In recent times, a series of destruction of religious cultural heritage has been conducted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) since 2014 in Iraq, Syria, and Libya. In Iraq, between the fall of Mosul in June 2014 and February 2015, ISIS has plundered and destroyed many historical religious buildings. All destructions were carried out mainly with explosive devices, in some cases with bulldozers. ISIS also destroyed Sufi shrines near Tripoli, Libya, in March 2015.
The shrines were destroyed by sledgehammers and bulldozers. Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia, demolishing of Buddhist sculptures (Buddhas of Bamiyan) by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, Islamist destruction of Timbuktu heritage sites in Mali in 2012, and Archaeological looting in Iraq, destruction and looting of Buddhist temples in Ramu of the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh in September 2012 and the attack and demolition of Babri Mosque in the city of Ajodhya in Uttar Pradesh in 1992 by the Hindu fundamentalist group, who traditionally regarded the site as the birthplace of the Hindu deity Rama are just some of the examples of threats and attacks on religious cultural heritage in Asia. A large number of Buddhist temples in South Korea were also destroyed or damaged by fire by misguided Christian fundamentalists.
During and after the Xinhai Revolution in China, as well as during the later Cultural Revolution, there were widespread destructions of religious and secular imagery in China. The Cultural Revolution of China also included a widespread destruction of historic artworks in public places and private collections, whether religious or secular.
Bangladesh, a country of South Asia, has been a place of religious harmony for centuries. Peaceful co-existence of various religious groups and sects has labelled it as a more secular country than many other Asian and South Asian countries; although many of the international Islamic fundamentalist militant groups have been running their activities in Bangladesh directly or indirectly. In the last few decades, many of the Asian and South Asian countries have experienced several conflicts among its various religious groups and sects. Ongoing civil wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Palestine and conflicts between India and Pakistan are some of the examples of such religious hostility (‘iconoclasm’) in the Asian countries.
For protecting various religious cultural heritages from ‘iconoclasm’ and for sustainable conservation of religious cultural heritage of Bangladesh and other Asian countries, a regional governmental (state level) and other organisational forums should work together in collaboration with the UNESCO and other International Heritage Organisations. Reinforcement of dialogue with religious communities and generating mutual understanding and collaboration amongst them are essential for the protection of various religious World Heritage properties.
i) A multi-level initiative should be taken) to raise awareness among the different religious communities to reduce the threats of ‘iconoclasm’ (religious hostility),
ii) To identify areas where a Asia -wide response for religious heritage management is appropriate,
iii) To find the ways to prevent the risks associated with inter-religious or intra-religious tensions,
iv) To develop a participatory heritage management strategy through interfaith dialogue (which refers to cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions, at both the individual and institutional levels) and to share religious knowledge and insights with each other and
v) To work together to prevent the threats and to face the challenges of the management of various religious cultural heritage in Asia. n
