WYWH: Looted in “Fakes, Forgeries and Looted and Stolen Art” (NYC)

By Rebecca Krishnan-Ayer 

“In many ways, cultural heritage defines what it means to be human.  It is a tangible reminder of the beauty and accomplishment of the ancient civilizations, our common origins, and our shared history and identity.  It inspires a sense of belonging and is a source of pride.  Culture has the exceptional potential to be used as a tool for expression and peaceful cooperation, as it reminds us of the contributions and experiences of humanity.” --Sheba Crocker, U.S. Department of State

In June 2015, New York University’s School of Professional Studies hosted the 2nd annual Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Symposium entitled “Fakes, Forgeries and Looted and Stolen Art.” A major theme for the symposium was the increasingly grave threat facing the world’s invaluable international cultural heritage--particularly in Iraq, Syria, and Libya--through systematic destruction by extremist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS). The topic has gained considerable traction in the media within the last year since the demolition has spiraled into an unprecedented and alarming scale. Leading the discussion on ISIS cultural heritage destruction at the NYU symposium was Amr Al Azm, Associate Professor of Middle East History and Anthropology at Shawnee State University, and former Director of the Scientific and Conservation Laboratories in the General Department of Antiquities and Museums in Syria. Dr. Al Azm delivered a passionate message to conference attendees condemning the “industrial-scale” damage inflicted by ISIS in places like Mosul, Nimrud and Aleppo. He described opportunistic and systematic looting on the part of ISIS and an intensification of an already thriving trade in illicit looting of antiquities and pillaging of archaeological and Shi’ite religious sites. According to Al Azm, “2015 heralded a much more sinister manifestation of ISIS’ control and exploitation of cultural heritage.”

What incentivizes ISIS to embark on such extensive and relentless paths of deliberate, punitive cultural heritage destruction? Al Azm noted that such drastic measures enhance political power, demonstrating impunity and impotence of the western world. With 70% of Syria’s cultural heritage outside of state control and surmised to have been destroyed or damaged since the conflict arose, organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization  (UNESCO) and Safeguarding the Heritage of Syria Initiative (SOSHI) have been left to grapple with a challenging international repatriation effort in heavy-armed conflict and civil war zones. Al Azm called for an extension of the moratorium on trade of objects in these countries and urged conference attendees to escalate and prioritize the fight against international racketeering, terrorism, and wanton annihilation of cultural heritage in the Middle East.