Mr. Speaker, Islam encourages man to live a life blessed with honesty, mercy, courage, patience and politeness.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan, twisting and torturing the Quran, has embarked on a demolition campaign to destroy two monumental Buddha statues that date back to the second and fifth centuries.
The use of instruments of war to extinguish diversity, in this case that of Buddhism, is an affront to the best interests of all who believe that the best interest of man is served in a world tolerant of religious plurality and compassion.
Tolerance and religious freedom are virtues on which the future of a safe and secure world will be built. The military assault on these virtues by the government of Afghanistan is an action we should all deplore.