A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas

Yusuf

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When I first traveled to Afghanistan in 2004, I immediately fell in love with the country and its people, and I was optimistic that the young people in Kabul would soon have better lives. Yet my hopes dimmed as I learned about a revolving door of exploitation at the hands of the Russians, Americans and now the Chinese — who have begun mining Afghanistan's plentiful natural resources and threatening priceless national heritage sites.

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In 2007, the Chinese state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation (M.C.C.) won the rights to mine copper at a site called Mes Aynak. Situated in volatile Logar Province, Mes Aynak is home to one of the world's largest untapped copper deposits — worth more than $100 billion. Yet, as this Op-Doc video shows, the site also houses the astonishing remains of an ancient Buddhist city, which archaeologists are now racing to save. An international team has only until June to finish the excavations, which began in 2009. So far they have uncovered golden Buddhist statues, dozens of buildings and fragile Buddhist manuscripts buried within temples. Yet perhaps 90 percent of the site remains underground and unseen. To finish the job could take decades. In all likelihood, the destruction of the Buddhist sites will begin later this year. The Afghan government is letting this happen — it's a tragedy that echoes the notorious destruction of the Buddhas at Bamiyan in 2001.

Yet, even after four trips to Afghanistan to report this story, it's difficult for me to know for sure what will become of Mes Aynak. Recent repeated attempts to contact the M.C.C. to confirm the mining timeline for this story have gone unanswered. There is widespread corruption and virtually no government transparency in Afghanistan, and the M.C.C. contract has never been made public.

I have heard arguments in favor of the mining. The copper deal is the largest foreign investment and private business venture in Afghanistan's history. There is hope among some Afghans that this Chinese deal will bring real and positive change to Afghanistan — jobs, infrastructure and money to help fuel economic growth. Some of the Buddhist artifacts are being rescued, and it's possible that not all of the ancient sites will be destroyed by the mining.

But I worry that nothing positive will come from this mining project. I fear the mineral resource is being undervalued, that money will be lost to corruption in the Afghan ministries and that jobs at the mine will go to Chinese immigrants. Geologists tell me that, as a result of the open-pit style of mining, the site will most likely become so toxic that nothing can ever live there again. Money can come and go, but these precious historical artifacts will be gone forever.

Brent E. Huffman is a documentary filmmaker and assistant professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He is expanding the material in this Op-Doc into a feature-length documentary.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/opinion/a-chinese-threat-to-afghan-buddhas.html?_r=0
 
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Yusuf

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As usual the Chinis completely disregard a country's heritage and connive with corrupt officials and mine any area dry without concern for environment as well.
 

amoy

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As usual the Chinis completely disregard a country's heritage and connive with corrupt officials and mine any area dry without concern for environment as well.
As usual any genuine Muslims would see such Buddhist relics as heretic, and again statues as stupid idols.

Long before Chinis came pious Muslims like Taliban had vandalized all such remains. Don't try to shift the blame to Chinis.
 

Ray

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As usual any genuine Muslims would see such Buddhist relics as heretic, and again statues as stupid idols.

Long before Chinis came pious Muslims like Taliban had vandalized all such remains. Don't try to shift the blame to Chinis.
But the Chinese claim that they are the beacon of civilised people and civilisation!

How can one compare the Han civilisation with any other?
 

dhananjay1

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But the Chinese claim that they are the beacon of civilised people and civilisation!

How can one compare the Han civilisation with any other?
China is not a Han civilization, that civilization is dead. Chinese government is just another Jihadi regime, following communist abrahamism. There is no ideological difference between Taliban who destroy pre Islamic art and Chinese commies who destroy pre-communism art. Like they did in cultural carnage which they like to call 'cultural revolution'.
 

amoy

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China is not a Han civilization, that civilization is dead. Chinese government is just another Jihadi regime, following communist abrahamism. There is no ideological difference between Taliban who destroy pre Islamic art and Chinese commies who destroy pre-communism art. Like they did in cultural carnage which they like to call 'cultural revolution'.
As if u were a better spokesman for Chinese civilization than Chinese ?!
@Yusuf ji, isn't this thread abt Afghan Buddha ah?
 
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dhananjay1

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As if u were a better spokesman for Chinese civilization than Chinese ?!
@Yusuf ji, isn't this thread abt Afghan Buddha ah?
Likes of you were busy rampaging around destroying anything related to 'Chinese' culture in the name of brain dead 'revolution', these Chinese won't know anything about chinese civilization if it shows up and hits them in the head. :rofl: Communists are just Jihadis by any other name. This thread is exactly about chinese, taliban and Buddha, so learn to live with it.
 
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datguy79

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MCC is on the verge of bankruptcy.

The new government will almost certainly use an out-clause in the contract to cancel the deal next year.
 

Ray

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As if u were a better spokesman for Chinese civilization than Chinese ?!
@Yusuf ji, isn't this thread abt Afghan Buddha ah?
Point.

Maybe this is what got his goat and hence the rejoinder:

Long before Chinis came pious Muslims like Taliban
Pious Muslims cannot be Taliban, or can they?
 
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amoy

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Point.

Maybe this is what got his goat and hence the rejoinder:



Pious Muslims cannot be Taliban, or can they?
That's abt who's doing the narrative, to pick one from an array of such as fundamentalist, extremist, orthodox"¦ and so on. Paradoxically pious?.

MCC is gonna go bankrupt? Hmm lets wait n see

Sent from my 5910 using Tapatalk 2
 

Ray

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@amoy,

As a member of the Staff, I thought I should chip in and nip issues in the bud lest some actual pious Muslim on this forum takes umbrage and then the whole thread going into a flame and tailspin.

While one can use what nomenclature one likes, but then if one has read Islamic scriptures or have some idea of it, one would be very wary to call terrorists like the Taliban as pious.

I don't think creating mayhem, bloodshed and religious chaos, in any religion, can be a sign of piety.
 
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amoy

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Sir your stand well noted. Meanwhile there's an interesting thread "From freedom fighters to terrorists, the US attitude shift" ongoing which may shed good light on the perception of Talib..

also bear in mind the Allies are negotiating a deal out with the great Satan u accuse Talib of as part of a post-NATO structure. meaning Talib will continue to play a key role in the region.

Sent from my 5910 using Tapatalk 2
 

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