Rebuilding the Buddhas

Remember back in 2001 when the pre-9/11 Taliban was on a rampage through Afghanistan that included destroying the ancient Buddhas of Bamiyan? The ancient colossal statues (one was 125 feet tall, the other over 180 feet tall, both more than 1500 years old) were blown up as part of a purge of symbols of the "gods of the infidels." Now, with the Taliban in retreat (but not permanently gone - thanks Don, Dick, & Dubya!), the question becomes how and whether to rebuild the massive statues.

There are at least two issues standing in the way of rebuilding. First, the area could lose its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site depending on how the statues are rebuilt. Second, there's the propriety of taking the massive financial undertaking of rebuilding on at a time when the country is still desperately poor. One Japanese scholar suggests rebuilding one of the two statues, leaving the massive gap in the cliff wall from the other statue as a reminder of the crime committed by the Taliban.