The Destruction Of Art And Architecture In The 21st Century

987 Words4 Pages

Destruction of art and architecture is destruction of humanity, annihilating the roots of civilization and direct impact on the economy, social life and beliefs of a nation. Belief is just a portion of culture while culture is a set of beliefs, traditions and behaviors that people express and hold. “The whole complex of distinctive, spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or societal groups. It includes not only arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs” (UNESCO, 1982). The main point of any culture is its perspective on creation, the purpose of life and on an afterlife and hence every community’s religious beliefs is …show more content…

The power and importance of religion caused it to be politically misused to incite to violence, hatred, and wars. Use of religion as a tool is one of the main ways for pursuing violence in the form of destruction by terrorism and therefore, one of the powerful weapons of terrorism is destruction of cultural heritage, tearing humanity from the history it shares. This cultural cleansing is a tactic to erase memories, propagate intolerance and undermine societies. “Cultural heritage is an important component of the cultural identity of communities, groups and individuals, and or social cohesion, so that it’s intentional destruction may have adverse consequences on human dignity and human rights.” (Ruggles, …show more content…

In my opinion Art and Architecture in modern era of terrorism plays a complementary role for terrorist attacks to either be:
• A symbolic act to show their power and create an image of horror and fear to the people around the world.
• Larger destruction footprint.
Similar to the technological world, that it is used as a supporting system and more effective for them to raise their voice and deliver their messages to the world, as an example, killing one person in front of the camera is more effective and frightening than killing hundred in secret, art and architecture also similarly play a complementary role.
World trade centers or twin towers of New York City, America, the heart of America’s economy on 11th September 2001 after less than half a century life turned into ruins by the largest terrorist group, Al Qaeda
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal building bombing of Oklahoma City, U.S on 19th April 1995 by Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh a domestic terrorist group damaged 324

More about The Destruction Of Art And Architecture In The 21st Century

Open Document