This article attempts to explore the main impulses that might have led to the destruction of Buddha statues by Taliban in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan. Drawing on existing literature, and anecdotal evidence, this article suggests that the main impulses that have led to destruction are rather linked to the overall political context of that time (i.e., political iconoclasm) rather than to pure Islamic iconoclasm or an explicit condition of disharmony in heritage (i.e., dissonant heritage). First, the Taliban did not consider the statues as "their" cultural heritage. The act of destruction, therefore, cannot be subscribed to the Afghan cultural dynamics but rather to the political-religious ideology imported by Taliban from outside of the country. Secondly, it seemed that Mullah Omar was viewing the statues as a revenue source at the beginning and as a political bargain chip at the end. In both circumstances, religion seems not to have played the main role. Lastly, the destruction seems a political iconoclasm-that is, a political exploitation, if not a direct political act. The Taliban and especially their external allies were very well aware of the consequences of the act of destruction. It seems implausible to suggest that there were no religion and/or culture in play when ordering the destruction of the statues. The latter is the least what this article aims for. However, to conclude that the destruction was solely triggered by theological and cultural factors might also be improbable. The author does not, in any way, attempt to rationalize the act of destruction, let alone justify the barbaric act.
In de versterking van het voorkomen en aanpakken van (gewelddadig) extremisme en terrorisme is de afgelopen jaren veel geïnvesteerd. Zowel internationale als nationale strategieën richten zich op preventie, bescherming, vervolging en reactie. Centraal in veel beleid staat samenwerking en informatie-uitwisseling op lokaal, nationaal en internationaal niveau. Nederland geeft hieraan vorm door middel van de zogenoemde ‘brede benadering’. Die bestaat uit een combinatie van preventieve en repressieve maatregelen. De lokale persoonsgerichte aanpak gericht op (religieus) extremisme, vormt een onderdeel van de brede benadering. Ook zet men interventies in die gericht zijn op het risico dat individuen of groepen zouden vormen. De gemeente voert de regie en de aanpak wordt uitgevoerd door lokale professionals uit de gemeente, politie, Geestelijke GezondheidsZorg (GGZ) en andere (zorg)partners binnen een multidisciplinair overleg. Vaak is er overleg met het Openbaar Ministerie en de nationale overheid. Over het effect van de lokale persoonsgerichte aanpak is weinig bekend. Het doel van dit verkennende onderzoek is meer zicht te krijgen op de lokale geïntegreerde benadering.
The sense of safety and security of older people is a widely acknowledged action domain for policy and practice in age-friendly cities. Despite an extensive body of knowledge on the matter, the theory is fragmented, and a classification is lacking. Therefore, this study investigated how older people experience the sense of safety and security in an age-friendly city. A total of four focus group sessions were organised in The Hague comprising 38 older people. Based on the outcomes of the sessions, the sense of safety and security was classified into two main domains: a sense of safety and security impacted by intentional acts and negligence (for instance, burglary and violence), and a sense of safety and security impacted by non-intentional acts (for instance, incidents, making mistakes online). Both domains manifest into three separate contexts, namely the home environment, the outdoor environment and traffic and the digital environment. In the discussions with older people on these derived domains, ideas for potential improvements and priorities were also explored, which included access to information on what older people can do themselves to improve their sense of safety and security, the enforcement of rules, and continuous efforts to develop digital skills to improve safety online. Original article at MDPI; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073960
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