ISIS’ antiquities looting causing cultural destruction

When ISIS seizes a new city, it often loots the museums and cultural sites for artifacts it can sell on the black market to make money.

 

This not only provides a significant source of income for the terrorist group, but it also represents a systematic destruction of the region’s cultural heritage. And it’s difficult for authorities to recover stolen artifacts or prevent their sale on the black market, according to a report in The New York Times.

 

The Times outlines the problem:

 

Laws around the world are weak and inconsistent, and customs enforcement can screen only a portion of what crosses international borders, according to officials and experts in trafficking. Long-established smuggling organizations are practiced in getting the goods to people willing to pay for them, and patient enough to stash ancient artifacts in warehouses until scrutiny dies down. Despite a near-universal outcry over the Islamic State’s actions, few countries have shown interest in imposing new restrictions to curb the booming trade in antiquities, estimated to be worth billions of dollars a year.

 

Read More: ISIS’ antiquities looting causing cultural destruction – Business Insider