The World Looks on in Shock as Islamist Extremists Destroy Africa's Historic Shrines

ARTINFO
By Kelly Chan

The City of 333 Saints' Great Djingareyber Mosque in Timbuktu

MALI---This past weekend, the world watched in horror as Islamists from the al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar Dine razed centuries-old mausoleums in Timbuktu. While UNESCO has led the international outcry, calling for an immediate halt of the destruction spree that began last Saturday, a group of roughly 30 Ansar Dine Islamists, armed with axes, shovels, and automatic weapons, continued to carry out what they believe to be a divine order to destroy the idolatrous shrines of local saints. [link]