Taliban exploiting remains of destroyed 6th-century 'Buddhas of Bamiyan' for money

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ANI, Massimo Introvigne, an Italian sociologist of religions and author, shared in his article on Bitter Winter how he refrained from visiting Afghanistan, despite being a keen traveller, to prevent the Taliban from benefiting from the sites they themselves had demolished. “The Afghan regime desperately needs cash. It cannot show the Bamiyan Buddhas for the good reason it blew them up.

But it would take tourists to the site for a fee," he stated. As per the author's account, the Taliban used artillery fire and detonated anti-tank mines in 2001 to destroy the massive sixth-century CE statues. Presently, the public can only view the vacant niches that once housed these magnificent Buddhist sculptures and use them for meditation.

However, access to these sites comes at a cost, as individuals are required to pay money to the regime, as reported by Bitter Winter. The author noted that he would be willing to pay a fee to visit historical sites like the Nuremberg propaganda headquarters of the Nazi Party or the Khmer Rouge mass graves in Cambodia. In these cases, the money would not go directly to Adolf Hitler or Pol Pot, as those regimes are no longer in power, but instead support the current governments.

However, in the context of Afghanistan, the situation is different, as the Taliban was responsible for the destruction of the Buddhist statues and is now profiting from the sites while being in the current government. The author draws a parallel by stating that paying to visit the sites of historical atrocities, such as the Xinjiang "transformation through education camps" where Uyghurs have endured torture and death, would be akin to financially supporting Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I understand the empty niches of the