Islamists Take Over Egypt Library of Alexandria to Be Burned Again; Food for Half-Price

 by Khaled Abu Toameh
November 11, 2011 at 5:00 am

The Royal Library of Alexandria in Egypt, the largest and most significant library of the ancient world, is now being targeted by radical Muslims who seek to replace it with a mosque.

Radical Islamic groups claim that the library’s art programs, which include music and ballet dancing, spread “depravity” in Egyptian society.

The Islamist campaign against the library is taking place under the looking eyes of Egypt’s military dictators, who are burying their heads in the sand and refusing to see the danger, noted columnist Mohammed al-Hamamsi.

“Is the Supreme Military Council waiting until the Islamists come to power and demand, through their parliament, that the library be demolished and that a mosque be built on its site?” al-Hamamsi asked rhetorically.

The destruction of the library will mark the beginning of Egypt’s fall into the hands of the Islamists, who seek to take the Arabs and Muslims back to dark ages.

Fears over the fate of the legendary library surfaced following a dispute between the director and the majority of his workers.

Director Ismail Serageldin has been under fire for his alleged affiliation with the former regime of President Hosni Mubarak and crackdown on freedom of speech in the library.

But he and many Egyptians are convinced that the campaign is part of a scheme by Muslim extremists to take control over one of the world’s most important cultural and scientific institutions.