Why the irony of British Museum thefts is not lost on nations awaiting return of looted artifacts

From the Benin Bronzes to the Elgin Marbles, the British Museum in London is stacked with the spoils of imperial expansionism despite demands from aggrieved nations to return their artifacts. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 30 August 2023
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Why the irony of British Museum thefts is not lost on nations awaiting return of looted artifacts

  • The museum’s director has resigned over stolen artifacts; but critics say the institution’s entire legacy is built upon theft
  • From the Benin Bronzes to the Elgin Marbles, the museum’s collection is stacked with the spoils of imperial plunder

IRBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan/CAIRO/LONDON: The British Museum in London, one of the world’s foremost exhibitors of historical and cultural artifacts, is mired in controversy over the theft of valuable items from its collections and a failure by museum officials to properly investigate, forcing its director to resign.

The irony of the British Museum falling victim to thievery has not been lost on those nations around the globe who have long accused the institution of displaying — and refusing to return — a vast bounty of treasures looted over several centuries of British imperial expansion.

The controversy has once again raised pertinent questions over the museum’s right to exclusively possess and exhibit such artifacts from various ancient civilizations and countries worldwide when it cannot guarantee their preservation or protection.

Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s most renowned archaeologist and former minister of state for antiquities affairs, told Arab News: “What happened in the British Museum is a crime by all standards.

“The presence of Egyptian antiquities in American or European museums or anywhere in the world does not mean that they own these antiquities.”

He said such items would be far better protected, carefully catalogued, and properly restored in their place of origin.

Up to 2,000 artifacts, ranging from gold jewelry to rare gems and semi-precious stones dating from the 15th century B.C. to the 19th century, were stolen from the British Museum’s storeroom over several years, aided and abetted by a lack of proper cataloguing or registration.

The museum’s director, Hartwig Fischer, said he would step down after admitting failures in investigating the thefts. However, his resignation has done little to assuage the concerns of those nations with precious artifacts in the museum’s possession.

“The theft of artifacts from the British Museum and the resulting investigation of its former director is considered a crime against the whole world,” Hawass added.

The ex-politician has in recent years made significant archaeological discoveries throughout Egypt, including a major find at Saqqara necropolis in October 2020.

He said: “Because stealing antiquities from a museum in this way is unreasonable, I ask that Egypt issue a popular demand that this museum does not deserve to display Egyptian antiquities in it.

“It is owned by Egypt, and Egypt must protect its property from theft or improper restoration operations.

“We affirm that the presence of the Rosetta Stone inside the British Museum is a grave mistake because this stone is the icon of Egyptian antiquities, and its place must be in Egypt.

“I also demand that UNESCO and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities hold an international conference to find out the possibility of withdrawing our antiquities from the British Museum,” Hawass added.

A British Museum spokesperson told Arab News it had “received no formal request from the Egyptian government to repatriate the Rosetta Stone.”

The spokesperson said: “The British Museum works with partners all over the world including with colleagues throughout Egypt on projects, exhibitions, and research and we enjoy a long-standing and collaborative relationship with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.”




Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s most renowned archaeologist and former minister of state for antiquities affairs, told Arab News: “What happened in the British Museum is a crime by all standards. (AFP/File)

The museum acknowledged the sensitivities surrounding the restitution of items “which are looked after” by the institution and others like it around the world, the spokesperson added.

“The British Museum understands and recognizes the significance of the issues surrounding the return of objects, and works with communities, colleagues, and museums across the globe to share the collection as widely as possible.

“The debate about restitution raises important and nuanced questions around objects and collections which are looked after in many countries around the world.

“The British Museum fully acknowledges the complex histories of objects within the collection and recognizes our responsibility to engage audiences about their interconnected history in the modern world,” the spokesperson said.

In relation to the recent thefts, museum chair George Osborne, a former British finance minister, was quoted by Reuters denying any suggestion there had been a cover-up in light of the museum rejecting a warning two years ago.

In an Aug. 16 press release, he said the museum’s trustees “have taken decisive action to deal with the situation” and “set up an independent review into what happened and lessons to learn, and used all the disciplinary powers available to us to deal with the individual we believe to be responsible.”




The controversy has once again raised pertinent questions over the museum’s right to exclusively possess and exhibit such artifacts from various ancient civilizations and countries worldwide when it cannot guarantee their preservation or protection. (Shutterstock)

Osborne admitted the possibility of “potential group think” in the institution, which could not even conceive of an insider pilfering from its vast and priceless collection. He also conceded that the thefts had “certainly been damaging” to the museum’s reputation as a trusted place to store and exhibit many valuable relics.

His admission may seem like an understatement. After all, the museum has justified the possession of its vast collection on the basis that it is safer in the museum’s hands compared to many of their areas of origin, especially conflict-ridden parts of Africa and the Middle East.

That justification, at times, appeared to be validated in recent years, at least on a surface level. For example, when Daesh rampaged across Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2019, it intentionally destroyed numerous artifacts in the Mosul Museum and sold others it had looted from such sites on the black market to fund its terrorist activities.

Iraq has since rebuilt the Mosul Museum following the city’s liberation in July 2017 and recently reopened the national museum in Baghdad, which was infamously looted in 2003.

In May, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid announced the recovery of 6,000 artifacts, dating back to several phases of Iraqi civilizations, that had been on loan to the British Museum in the 1920s for study but were never returned.




Benin Bronzes. (British Museum)

Similar cases of the destruction have occurred elsewhere. In 2012, Al-Qaeda overran the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali and intentionally destroyed its centuries-old manuscripts. UNESCO has dubbed such intentional destruction of world heritage sites and artifacts “cultural cleansing.”

When he was mayor of London in 2015, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pointed to such cultural cleansing as a justification for, among other things, the removal of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Greece two centuries ago, which remain in the British Museum to the present day.

His reference to the Elgin Marbles, in particular, was bizarre since Daesh had overrun large parts of the Middle East, not Greece.

The sculptures were removed from the Parthenon’s wall in Athens in the early 19th century, when Greece was under the control of the Ottoman Empire, by the Seventh Earl of Elgin, an antique collector and British diplomat.

Following their removal, under questionable legal and ethical circumstances, the British government bought the artifacts and duly handed them over to the British Museum in 1816.

Their removal continues to rankle Greece and Greeks alike. When the new Acropolis Museum in Athens opened in the late 2000s, it featured a display depicting where the Elgin Marbles would be placed if Britain ever decided to return them. That display aptly demonstrated how their removal essentially continues to disfigure a world heritage site.




Hartwig Fischer, director of the museum, has resigned. (Shutterstock/File)

Assertions like Johnson’s justifying the UK retaining them more than two centuries later arguably ring hollow after the recent revelations of theft.

“We want to tell the British Museum that they cannot anymore say that Greek (cultural) heritage is more protected in the British Museum,” Despina Koutsoumba, head of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, told the BBC.

In a recent interview with the Greek newspaper To Vima, Greece’s Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said the security questions raised by the missing objects “reinforces the permanent and just demand of our country for the definitive return” of the Elgin Marbles.

“The loss, theft, and deterioration of objects from a museum’s collections is an extremely serious and particularly sad event. In fact, when this happens from within, beyond any moral and criminal responsibility, a major question arises regarding the credibility of the museum organization itself,” she added.




Gweagal shield. (British Museum)

The return of artifacts from UK museums is not without precedent. The Benin Bronzes — thousands of looted items in European collections — are in the process of being repatriated to Nigeria, having been taken by British forces during the sacking of Benin City in 1897.

The British Museum is also home to several other contested objects, including Aboriginal artifacts from Australia, the Maqdala collection from Ethiopia, Hoa Hakananai’a of Easter Island, and the Cyrus Cylinder of the Persian Empire.

Iran’s last shah extolled the cylinder as proof of Persia’s progression, invariably describing it as the first bill of rights or human rights charter thousands of years before America’s.

In a clear reference to the British Museum, he once told a British reporter: “You have the real scroll in your museum. You took it from us.”

Events of the past week and revelations of negligence potentially dating back many years make the present moment ideal for objectively reassessing the wisdom of having so many of the world’s treasures and historical artifacts under one roof.


Missile launched from Yemen into Israel intercepted, Israeli army says

Updated 26 April 2025
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Missile launched from Yemen into Israel intercepted, Israeli army says

CAIRO: The Israeli army said in the early hours of Saturday that a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory.
Sirens sounded in a number of areas in Israel following the launch, the Israeli army added in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, who have been launching attacks against Israel as well as ships they perceive as affiliated to Israel, in what they say is to support the Palestinians in Gaza against the Israeli offensive on the enclave.


Former Lebanese PM Diab questioned over Beirut port blast

Updated 25 April 2025
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Former Lebanese PM Diab questioned over Beirut port blast

  • Investigation gains momentum as French official files transferred to Judge Tarek Bitar
  • Lebanese President Aoun reiterates importance of judiciary in securing broader reform

BEIRUT: Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab appeared before Judge Tarek Bitar on Friday for questioning related to the devastating Beirut port explosion of Aug. 4, 2020. 

Diab was interrogated for two and a half hours before being remanded for further questions. The session came a week after Bitar questioned former Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk.

In recent weeks, former General Security Chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and former Head of State Security Maj. Gen. Tony Saliba also appeared before the judge.

The explosion devastated the capital’s waterfront, resulted in thousands of casualties, and has been compared in scale to a nuclear bomb.

It prompted widespread outrage both at home and abroad due to the long-term neglect in safely storing large quantities of ammonium nitrate at the port.

Diab, who was prime minister at the time of the explosion, had previously failed to attend hearings into the disaster for various reasons, notably claiming that “the investigative judge lacked jurisdiction to question” him, or stating that he was abroad.

For more than 18 months, several individuals contested their summons, arguing that Bitar was not the appropriate authority to investigate them.

They also initiated lawsuits against Bitar, whose work was suspended for a significant period due to political pressures and legal challenges.

During their unexpected appearances before the investigative judge, these individuals all expressed their intention to cooperate.

In Lebanon, political and judicial powers are intertwined, contrary to the constitution’s separation of powers principle.

The judiciary is mostly subject to political pressure, starting with judicial appointments, as with other institutions and administrations, which hinders reform efforts and the full independence of the judiciary.

A ministerial source told Arab News that President Joseph Aoun had always stressed two key pillars essential for the state’s recovery are security and the judiciary.

“The security appointments have been finalized, and measures are in place to restore security.

“The minister of justice and the High Judicial Council are actively working on judicial appointments to restore processes free from political interference and corruption.

“These procedures have started to affect the justice system, and everyone has begun to understand that the authority of the judiciary is not negotiable; the previously accepted method is no longer valid.”

The source emphasized that gaining political support for the judiciary is essential to shield it from interference.

This should be prioritized, particularly in light of the president’s commitment to maintaining judicial independence.

Additionally, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is dedicated to implementing the ministerial statement that received unanimous support through the vote of confidence in his government, said the source.

Political authorities are still debating the law on judicial independence, but it remains unapproved and is currently stalled in joint parliamentary committees.

Aoun has previously stressed his belief in the judiciary as a cornerstone of reform.

In a recent meeting with the Bar Association, he noted that the challenge is not the coubtry’s laws themselves, but their implementation and accountability for violations.

“Too often, laws are interpreted for personal gain and interests. By working together, individuals committed to justice and accountability can address imbalances, fight corruption, and promote responsibility,” he said.

“Only the judiciary has the authority to deter offenders and corruption,” the president added.

Currently, the High Judicial Council is investigating bribery cases involving several judges and has issued a preliminary arrest warrant for one of them, who was arrested and transferred to the prison run by the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces.

The council recently set up three bodies to investigate cases against judges.

Lawyer Ghida Frangieh — who represents victims of the Beirut port explosion — told Arab News that the “renewed cooperation between the Public Prosecution and investigative Judge Bitar is a crucial development.

“It will help revive the port explosion case and allow the investigation to continue until an indictment is issued and, ultimately, a trial takes place,” Frangieh said.

“The election of the republic’s president, setting up a functional government instead of a caretaker government, and the political will for reform would collectively help reactivate Lebanon’s judicial system.

“This should have been the scenario in the port investigations three years ago, and all pending judicial cases should now be addressed and resolved in due order,” Frangieh added.

A French delegation is set to arrive in Beirut next Monday, following the transfer of judicial summons from the Public Prosecution at the Court of Cassation in Lebanon to France.

Bitar has requested access to French investigations regarding the port explosion, and the French judiciary has expressed willingness to support the judge by providing all necessary files and documents for his investigation.

Several French nationals were among those killed and injured in the Beirut port explosion.


US says blast near UNESCO world heritage site caused by Houthi missile

A picture shows a view of UNESCO-listed buildings in the old city of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on July 12, 2023. (AFP file photo)
Updated 26 April 2025
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US says blast near UNESCO world heritage site caused by Houthi missile

  • A Houthi official was quoted by the New York Times as saying the American denial was an attempt to smear the Houthis

WASHINGTON: The US military said a blast on Sunday near a UNESCO world heritage site in Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa was caused by a Houthi missile and not an American airstrike.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry said a dozen people were killed in the US strike in a neighborhood of Sanaa. The Old City of Sanaa is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The US ordered the intensification of strikes on Yemen last month, with officials saying they will continue assaulting Houthis until they stop attacking Red Sea shipping.
A US Central Command spokesperson said the damage and casualties described by Houthi officials “likely did occur,” but a US attack did not cause them.
The spokesperson said the closest US strike was more than 5 km away that night.
The US military assessed that the damage was caused by a “Houthi air defense missile” based on a review of “local reporting, including videos documenting Arabic writing on the missile’s fragments at the market,” the spokesperson said, adding the Houthis subsequently arrested Yemenis.
A Houthi official was quoted by the New York Times as saying the American denial was an attempt to smear the Houthis.
Recent US strikes have killed dozens, including 74 at an oil terminal on Thursday in what was the deadliest strike in Yemen under Trump so far, according to the local Health Ministry.
The US military says the strikes aim to cut off the Houthi militant group’s military and economic capabilities.
Rights advocates have raised concerns about civilian killings, and three Democratic senators, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, wrote to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Thursday, demanding an accounting for the loss of civilian lives.
The Houthis have taken control of swaths of Yemen over the past decade.
Since November 2023, they have launched drone and missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, saying they were targeting ships linked to Israel.

 


Flow of Sudan war refugees puts Chad camp under strain

Sudanese refugees fill jerry cans with water at the Touloum refugee camp in the Wadi Fira province, Chad, on April 8, 2025. (AFP
Updated 25 April 2025
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Flow of Sudan war refugees puts Chad camp under strain

  • Chad has taken in more than 770,000 of them, according to the UN refugee agency — with many more likely on their way

IRIBA, Chad: Nadjala Mourraou held her haggard two-year-old son in her henna-tattooed hands for the medics to examine. Then came the painful diagnosis: little Ahma, like many of his fellow Sudanese refugees, was severely malnourished.
The pair were toward the front of a long line snaking out of the doctors’ tent at an already overcrowded refugee camp in east Chad, creaking under the strain as more and more people fleeing the civil war across the nearby border with Sudan turn up.
“We’re suffering from a lack of food,” complained the mother, who fled the fighting in Nyala, in Sudan’s South Darfur region, with Ahma more than a year ago.
Since their arrival at the Touloum camp, Mourraou added that all she and Ahma had to eat each day was a bowl of assida, a porridge made from sorghum.
Yet, as with other conditions at the camp, this meagre ration could deteriorate further as the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces drags on.
Besides killing tens of thousands, the two-year conflict has uprooted 13 million people, more than three million of whom have fled the country as refugees.
Chad has taken in more than 770,000 of them, according to the UN refugee agency — with many more likely on their way.
Between 25,000 and 30,000 Sudanese refugees already live in the makeshift sheet metal and white canvas tents, packed together across the arid Touloum camp, according to sources.
Recently, more and more of them have become malnourished, said Dessamba Adam Ngarhoudal, a nurse with medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF.
“Out of 100 to 150 daily consultations, nearly half of them deal with cases of malnutrition,” said the 25-year-old medic.
The worst cases are sent to the Iriba district hospital, around half an hour’s drive away.
But the hospital was powerless to stop the first Sudanese infant dying of malnutrition under its care.
“Since the beginning of the month, we have already exceeded the capacity of the malnutrition ward at the hospital,” said MSF nurse Hassan Patayamou recently.
“And we expect admissions to continue to rise as the hot season progresses and temperatures rise above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).”
With the fighting set to grind on, Chad’s government fears the number of Sudanese refugees in the country could soon reach nearly a million.
That burden would be too heavy for impoverished Chad to bear alone, argues the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The refugee agency was seeking $409 million in aid to help the Sahel country — only 14 percent of which it had received by the end of February.
“The Chadian people have a tradition of welcoming their Sudanese brothers in distress,” said Djimbaye Kam-Ndoh, governor of Wadi Fira province where the Touloum camp is located.
“But the province’s population has practically doubled, and we’re asking for major support.”
Humanitarian groups are worried about the impact of US President Donald Trump’s move to freeze America’s foreign aid budget, while other donors, notably in Europe, have also made cuts to their financing.
“Hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake,” Alexandre Le Cuziat, the UN’s World Food Programme deputy director in Chad, said in a phone call.
Nearly 25 million people are suffering from acute food insecurity in Sudan itself, according to the WFP.
And with the rainy season just under two months away, medics fear outbreaks of diseases.
“We’re preparing for an explosion of cases of malnutrition and malaria,” said Samuel Sileshi, emergencies services coordinator for MSF in Central Darfur state.
“This year, we are also facing measles epidemics in Darfur,” he said.
That unhealthy cocktail of diseases, he warned, “could have devastating consequences,” not least for children.

 


WFP says has depleted all its food stocks in Gaza

Updated 25 April 2025
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WFP says has depleted all its food stocks in Gaza

  • Entry of all humanitarian aid has been blocked by Israel since March 2

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: The UN’s World Food Programme on Friday warned it has depleted all its food stocks in war-ravaged Gaza, where the entry of all humanitarian aid has been blocked by Israel since March 2.
“Today, WFP delivered its last remaining food stocks to hot meals kitchens in the Gaza Strip. These kitchens are expected to fully run out of food in the coming days,” WFP said in a statement.