UNESCO voices alarm over reported book-burning in Iraq

UNESCO voices alarm over reported book-burning in Iraq
by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Feb 3, 2015

Iraq cabinet approves national guard bill
Baghdad Feb 3, 2015 - Iraq's cabinet on Tuesday approved a draft law on establishing a national guard, a measure aimed at gaining support from the country's Sunni Arab minority. Sunni backing is key to Iraq's battle against the Islamic State jihadist group, which led an offensive last June that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, many of them Sunni-majority. A statement from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office announced the approval of the bill -- which must now go before parliament -- but did not provide details on its content. Under a general proposal previously outlined by Abadi, the national guard would be made up of forces from the country's various provinces that would be responsible for local security. For Sunni Arabs, this would be an significant improvement over the Shiite-majority federal security forces they view as hostile to their community. But in other areas, the law could further entrench Shiite militias that are playing a major role in the fight against IS, but are also accused of carrying out abuses including extrajudicial killings, kidnappings and extortion. It also remains unclear how security in mixed Sunni-Shiite areas would be handled.

UNESCO on Tuesday voiced concern over reports of mass book-burning in Iraq, saying it would be one of the most "devastating" such actions in history if confirmed.

Referring to reports that thousands of books on philosophy, law, science and poetry have been torched in recent weeks, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said it was part of a campaign of "cultural cleansing."

"If confirmed, this would be one of the most devastating acts of destruction of library collections in human history," UNESCO said.

"Such destruction is a cruel reminder that the nations of the world must remain united to combat such fanaticism today," Bokova added.

Islamic State extremists currently hold the city of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq.

US air strikes against the group have aimed to put pressure on the group. Kurdish peshmerga forces have also launched successful offensives against IS-held roads near Mosul.

UNESCO said the "armed extremists in Iraq" were targeting "cultural heritage, cultural and religious minorities, and the documents and written evidence of one of the oldest civilisations in human history."

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

.

Related Links
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century

Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

IS claims beheading of Iraqi security personnel
Baghdad (AFP) Feb 1, 2015
The Islamic State group beheaded an Iraqi police officer and two soldiers, the latest in a long series of atrocities committed by the jihadists, according to pictures posted online Sunday. In one photo, a blindfolded man said to be a police lieutenant colonel kneels in a street in front of a row of gunmen. A masked militant is then shown beheading the victim with a machete, after which h ... read more

S.Africa inventions aim to stop slum fires, floods

China allows funerals for Shanghai stampede dead

China rebuffed over UN move targeting NGOs

Russian Satellites Prohibited for Emergency 911 Calls in US

NASA Engineer Advances New Daytime Star Tracker

Europe to resume satnav launches in March: Arianespace

911 Assc says lobbyist behind tactics to derail GLONASS

Congressman claims relying on GLONASS jeopardizes US lives

New software analyzes human genomes faster than ever

Complex environments push 'brain' evolution

Skull discovery potentially housed brain like ours

Can hair-growing stem cells cure baldness?

Mesozoic mammals -- what do we know from China?

Scientists discover organism that hasn't evolved in more than 2 billion years

Birds take turns leading migratory V formations

'Arabian Ark' helps save wildlife from extinction

GMO mosquito plan sparks debate in Florida

Second bird flu case confirmed in Canada

WHO says Ebola epidemic on the decline

H5N1 bird flu spreads to 11 states in Nigeria: govt

The Mao the merrier: China boom for leader lookalikes

China opposes Dalai Lama meeting foreign leaders 'in any form'

China web portal chastised for 'rumour-mongering'

China bank says operations 'normal' as chief reportedly taken away

China arrests Turks, Uighurs in human smuggling plot: report

Two police to hang for murder in Malaysian corruption scandal

Nobel protester sought to draw attention to 'murdered Mexican students'

Corruption on rise in Turkey, China: Transparency

China's Bank of Beijing says top official investigated

HSBC: China manufacturing shrank again in January

China manufacturing unexpectedly shrinks in January

Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing bets on Europe as China slows

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.