Echoes of the Taliban
The week's news at a glance.
Cairo
Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, Egypt’s government-backed religious authority, issued a fatwa this week banning the display of statues for decoration. The ban didn’t specifically mention ancient statuary, but archaeologists and other scholars said they feared that Islamic extremists might interpret it that way and destroy the Sphinx or other national treasures. In 2001, the Taliban issued a similar edict in Afghanistan and then followed it by blowing up two enormous ancient Buddhas. But Egypt’s Islamist opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, said few would take the fatwa seriously. “The people are more concerned with corruption,” said party spokesman Issam al-Aryan. “What they would like to see is a fatwa banning the presence of the same people at the helm of the country for 25 years.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Week contest: Flight fraud
Puzzles and Quizzes
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?
Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts