The destruction of idols

This is fairly horrifying-- Islamic fundamentalists are calling for the destruction of the Pyramids and the Sphinx:

"Weeks after the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi entered office as Egyptian President, calls began to rise for the destruction of those 'symbols of paganism' -- the Egyptian Pyramids.

 "That was in late June and early July, but following last week's U.S. presidential election, Islamic clerics again demanded the destruction of one of the Seven Wonders of the World."

Here, Murjan Salem al-Johari is quoted as saying,"Muslims must implement the rules of Sharia and we will destroy the statues of Sphinx and the Pyramids because they are idols."

Wow. It's horrifying to consider that religious extremists would want to destroy some of the most glorious relics of the ancient world. It's even more horrifying to consider that they might succeed. It's hard for Americans to imagine that anyone thinks this way-- at least it's hard for me to imagine-- but fundamentalist Muslims have destroyed other historical monuments (such as the 1500-year-old Buddha statues in Afghanistan) without remorse.