Residents of the city of Benghazi in Libya were caught on film last Friday as they shattered tombstones of fallen British and Italian soldiers from World War II, most likely in retaliation for the Quran burnings at the NATO base in Afghanistan last week, which later led US President Barack Obama to issue a public apology.
The YouTube clip shows a group arriving at the cemetery and breaking off the crosses on the tombstones. One of the headstones had a Star of David on it, and while their target was retaliation against the Christian soldiers, it did not stop them from continuing in their destructive efforts.
One of them men is even overheard telling another: "Come see, there's Israeli writing, Hebrew, on the tombstone."
Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) has already condemned the actions on the official council website. They claim that non-Muslim nationals from states considered to have friendly relations with Libya like Britain and Italy are those buries at the cemetery.
The Council also expressed deep regret over what happened and sharply criticized the actions which they say were not compatible with Islamic values. The council also promised to act to put a stop to the phenomenon and bring the perpetrators to trial in accordance with Libyan law which sees the tombstone desecration as a criminal act.
The NTC also made it clear that the actions did not reflect on the local or official public opinion in Libya as they are in contrast to Islamic morals which stand for respecting all religions and faiths. The Libyan interior ministry added that it will launch an investigation and would apprehend and prosecute those responsible.
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