Attack on WWII graves raises question: What do Salafists have to do with it?

Screen grab of vandals damaging a cross at the Benghazi British Military Cemetery.

Footage of a group of men kicking over, digging up and smashing headstones at a British World War II military cemetery in Libya has sparked international shock and outrage. The video, which was filmed in the northeastern city of Benghazi, was at first interpreted as an act of vandalism in retaliation against last month’s Koran burning at the US' Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. Yet Britain has since placed the blame on the country’s Salafist Muslims, a claim our Observer in Benghazi says is grossly exaggerated.

The Benghazi British Military Cemetery houses the graves of 1,214 Commonwealth soldiers killed during World War II’s infamous North Africa Campaign, which ran from 1940 until 1943. At the beginning of the video, a voice is heard saying, “Smash the dogs’ cross”, as tomb markers are overturned and a man later scales a ladder in an attempt to damage a giant, standing cross. At least 200 headstones were knocked down or demolished in the attack, which allegedly took place sometime between February 24 and 26.

Although no one has yet claimed responsibility for the act, Britain’s Foreign Office has reportedly said it believes that Salafists, an extremist Sunni branch of orthodox Islam, were behind it, due to the fact Muslim shrines were also apparently targeted.

Libya’s National Transitional Council quickly condemned the incident, labelling it “unethical, irresponsible and criminal” and vowing to “find and bring those responsible to justice”. For the moment, authorities have been unable to identify those in the video.

“It’s ridiculous to say this is the work of Salafists. It is more likely that it was a group of irresponsible young men”

Fatima Agiela, a school inspector, lives in Benghazi.

We can’t blame any particular group for these acts. It’s clear in the video that the vandals have very different profiles – there were definitely some men wearing ‘gamiss’ [a type of djellabas, or loose-fitting outer robe] and sporting beards, which could easily be associated with Salafists. They are heard shouting ‘Allahu akbar!’ [‘God is great!’]. But there were also young men wearing jeans who seem to think the whole thing is a game, and even men dressed in military uniforms carrying with weapons strapped onto their shoulders.

It’s not even possible to say whether the latter group seen in the video were former rebels, because Libya is awash with guns and you can find a military uniform for sale in just about any market. Things are so chaotic here, that these men could be just about anybody, which is why it seems a little ridiculous to say the vandalism was the work of Salafists. People here say that it was mostly irresponsible young men who saw the Koran incident as a pretext to lash out, but not for any particular ideological reason.

The graveyard desecration has outraged both Libyan officials, and residents. Acts like these not only put a bad face on our religion, but also our country. It’s sad that it happened in Benghazi, which was the first city to rise up against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. This sort of incident could also help remaining pockets of Gaddafi supporters, because it is the first time since World War II that the graveyard has been vandalised [a pro-Gaddafi YouTube user has already posted the video under the title ‘Rebels destroy a Christian cemetery’]”.