Why The Bamiyan Buddha Should Have Been Protected By Taliban, Not Destroyed!

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam 12 October 2025 By Destroying the Bamiyan Buddha, The Taliban Didn’t Protect Islam — They Betrayed It A Refutation of the Bamiyan Buddha Demolition! The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001 was a profound violation of Islamic principles, history, and human heritage. Claiming religious justification, the Taliban misrepresented Islamic jurisprudence, which distinguishes between actively worshipped idols and ancient relics, ignoring both Qur’anic injunctions and historical precedent. For over 1,400 years, successive Muslim rulers preserved the Buddha statues, demonstrating that they posed no threat to faith. The demolition was driven more by political motives and ideological posturing than by Qur'an, aimed at consolidating internal power and projecting defiance internationally. The Bamiyan Buddhas, emblematic of Gandhara art, spiritual wisdom, and the coexistence of civilizations along the Silk Road, symbolized human creativity and tolerance. The Taliban’s Deobandi–Wahhabi-influenced ideology distorted classical Islamic jurisprudence, and their act was widely condemned by scholars and institutions, revealing a betrayal of Islam’s true spirit of mercy, wisdom, and justice..... Buddha, born as a prince, was recognized by the wise of that time as a soul which had the finest feeling that it could have, and the deepest depth in his heart, said Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan in one of his discourses on the "Unity of Religious Ideals". He further says: "Buddhi, which is subtle reasoning, is the path which leads to the goal. The absence of that keeps a person in obscurity. As the sun is the source of light, which shows outwardly things in life, so Buddhi is the inner source of light, which enables the person to see life clearly, inwardly and outwardly......And the same idea is the secret of Sufism." Buddha was the title of Gautama. He was called Buddha because his spirit expressed the meaning of the word "Buddh", which in Sanskrit means "reason." In the Buddhistic terminology the Spirit of Guidance is named Bodhisattva, which means the essence of reason. The Bamiyan Buddha in Afghanistan was the beautiful represented that spiritual essence of reason and wisdom. But in March 2001, the world watched in horror as dynamite blasts echoed through the Bamiyan valley of Afghanistan. Two colossal Buddha statues, which had stood tall for nearly fifteen centuries, were reduced to rubble by the Taliban. The regime claimed that Islam commanded the annihilation of “idols,” citing the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ destruction of pagan statues in the Kaaba. But this claim was not only historically misplaced; it was also theologically unfounded. As an Indian Muslim, I find the Taliban’s action a betrayal of the Islamic spirit of Rahmah (mercy), Hikmah (wisdom), and ‘Adl (justice). To destroy a relic of humanity’s past is not an act of piety; it is an act of arrogance — a refusal to see history as a mirror of human striving for the Divine. The Theological Fallacy The Taliban argued that Islam demands the obliteration of all statues, regardless of context. But classical Islamic jurisprudence makes a critical distinction: idols actively worshipped are forbidden, while ancient relics of bygone civilizations are not objects of concern. The Qur’an itself cautions: “Do not insult those they call upon besides Allah, lest in hostility they insult Allah without knowledge” (6:108). This verse affirms a principle of restraint and respect toward the symbols of other faiths. Moreover, when the Prophet ﷺ encountered Christian and Jewish sacred objects, he did not order their destruction. Even Caliph Umar Ibn al-Khattab, upon entering Jerusalem, chose not to pray inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — precisely so that its sanctity would be preserved, not transformed into a mosque. The Taliban’s act, therefore, was a distortion of prophetic precedent. History Bears Witness Against Them If destroying the Bamiyan Buddhas was truly an Islamic duty, why did no Muslim dynasty for 1,400 years attempt it? The Ghaznavids, despite their iconoclastic raids in India, left the Buddhas untouched. The Timurids, Mughals, and Safavids preserved them as part of Afghanistan’s cultural landscape. Even Afghan monarchs in the 19th century used Bamiyan’s grandeur as a symbol of national pride. For centuries, Muslims ruled the land where the Buddhas stood, yet none considered their presence a threat to faith. The Taliban alone, shaped by refugee-camp madrassas and political radicalism, saw in them an enemy of monotheism. Politics Disguised as Piety The demolition of Bamiyan was not a religious duty but a political performance. At the time, international organizations such as UNESCO and Buddhist-majority nations like Japan pleaded for preservation. Mullah Omar rejected the appeals, declaring that Afghans should not “feed on foreign aid in the name of statues.” In reality, the destruction was a gesture of defiance against the world, a spectacle to prove ideological purity to hardline clerics and militants. The Buddhas were not broken because of Islam; they were broken because the Taliban wanted to project power. Islam’s Legacy is Preservation, Not Erasure The Bamiyan tragedy sparked outrage across the Muslim world. Al-Azhar University in Egypt, Iran’s senior clerics, and even Saudi scholars condemned the act as contrary to Islam. This consensus reflects Islam’s true civilizational ethos: preservation, not annihilation. Throughout history, Muslims safeguarded the monuments of others. In Egypt, they preserved the pyramids; in Syria, they protected Greek and Roman ruins; in Central Asia, they absorbed Buddhist heritage into Islamic culture. The Taliban broke with this legacy, choosing destruction over stewardship. A Spiritual Reflection As I reflect on Bamiyan, I recall that Islam describes the Prophet ﷺ as “Rahmatan Lil-‘Alamin” — a mercy to all creation. That mercy extends not only to the living but also to the memories of the past, to the stones and symbols that tell humanity’s collective story. The Buddhas of Bamiyan may be gone in form, but their absence speaks louder than their presence. They remind us that those who destroy heritage are in fact destroying themselves, severing their link to history and to the divine gift of human creativity. Islam is not threatened by statues carved in stone. It is threatened only when mercy is replaced by cruelty, wisdom by ignorance, and humility by arrogance. The Taliban reduced Bamiyan’s Buddhas to dust — but in doing so, they revealed the bankruptcy of their theology. The statues fell, yet the moral lesson stands tall: Islam commands us to be guardians of history, not vandals of it. Theological Underpinnings The Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in March 2001 was driven by a mix of theological ideology, political posturing, historical ignorance, and cultural insecurity. Interpretation of Islamic Law on Idolatry (Shirk): The Taliban followed an extreme Deobandi–Wahhabi-influenced interpretation of Islam that sees all statues or images of living beings as forbidden (haram), especially if they are linked to past worship. They claimed they were enforcing Tawheed (monotheism) by erasing symbols of "kufr" (disbelief). Misapplication of Hadith about Idol Destruction: They invoked incidents where the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ destroyed idols in the Kaaba after the conquest of Mecca. However, classical Islamic jurists clearly distinguished between idols actively worshipped vs. ancient relics of extinct religions. For instance: Even Salahuddin Ayyubi preserved ancient Pharaonic monuments despite ruling over Egypt. Ignoring Established Islamic Precedents of Tolerance: Muslim rulers like Mahmud of Ghazni, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and even earlier Afghan rulers had left the Bamiyan Buddhas untouched for over 1,400 years, proving the statues were not seen as religiously threatening. Historical & Political Assertion of Power & Global Defiance: The destruction happened after the Taliban were internationally pressured to protect the statues, especially by UNESCO and Buddhist-majority countries. Mullah Omar rejected the appeals, saying: “These statues are not in our faith. Why should we care?” It became a symbolic act of defiance against the West and international norms. Internal Legitimacy & Radical Credentialing: The Taliban leadership wanted to appease hardline clerics within their ranks and prove their commitment to puritanical Islam. Destroying a world monument was a spectacle to showcase ideological purity. Historical Ignorance & Cultural Disconnect: The Bamiyan Buddhas (built circa 5th–6th century CE) had long been part of Afghan heritage, even appearing on local currency under past Muslim governments. But the Taliban—many of whom were raised in refugee camps and madrassas in Pakistan—lacked cultural literacy and saw history only through religious dogma, not civilizational continuity. Refutation: The Taliban’s vandalism was not a timeless Islamic command, but rather a distortion of theology fused with political bravado and historical ignorance. The act was condemned across the Muslim world, including by Al-Azhar (Egypt), Iran, and even some Deobandi scholars, proving it was not representative of mainstream Islamic tradition. The Taliban are not just random extremists but rooted in a specific interpretive lineage. Yet their violent iconoclasm diverges even from classical Deobandi or Hanafi orthodoxy, meaning they misrepresent their own tradition. While the Taliban draw much of their theology from the Deobandi school — a Sunni revivalist movement that arose in 19th-century India in response to colonial disruption — their approach is more heavily infused with Saudi-inspired Wahhabi literalism than with the nuanced Hanafi jurisprudence Deoband was built on. Classical Deobandi scholars such as Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi or Hussain Ahmad Madani did not advocate the destruction of historical heritage and spiritual relics. Even when they condemned idol worship, they did not sanction the annihilation of dormant archaeological symbols. This fusion of Deobandi rhetoric with Wahhabi iconoclasm has produced a hybrid ideology that is neither authentically South Asian nor true to traditional Islamic jurisprudence. Chishti Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan succinctly puts it: "Just as today in modern civilised countries, the statues of heroes, royalties, commanders of armies, politicians, poets, writers, and musicians are set up everywhere, and the statue of Liberty reminds America of national freedom, so to a Buddhist the statue of Buddha speaks of spiritual liberation. Why should it be regarded as being any worse if the Buddhists have the statue of their inspirer before them, whose every image elevates their soul towards the highest ideals, and the life of renunciation and self-denial that their teacher led? (THE UNITY OF RELIGIOUS IDEALS, p. 167) Carved in the 5th–6th centuries CE, the Bamiyan Buddhas represented the Gandhara artistic tradition, which blended Hellenistic, Persian, and Indian styles, reflecting Afghanistan’s place on the ancient Silk Road. The statues stood as testimony to over 1,400 years of Buddhist presence in Central Asia before Islam emerged. The statues and surrounding caves contained frescos, manuscripts, and carvings, offering rich insight into early Buddhist art, religious practices, and daily life. For Buddhists, the statues symbolized spiritual enlightenment and meditation. They were pilgrimage sites and symbols of peace, tolerance, and devotion. They also reflected coexistence of different religious traditions in Central Asia over centuries. Even after their destruction by the Taliban in 2001, the Bamiyan Buddhas still remain alive in our spiritual consciousness as symbols of human creativity, heritage, and cultural loss. Their absence reminds the world of the vulnerability of cultural heritage and the importance of preservation. ----- Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Indo-Islamic scholar, Sufi poet and English-Arabic-Urdu-Hindi writer with a background in a leading Sufi Islamic seminary in India. He is currently serving as Head of International Affairs at Voice for Peace & Justice, Jammu & Kashmir. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-politics/bamiyan-buddha-protected-taliban-destroyed/d/137207 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism