Extremism in Contemporary Cultural Heritage Debates about the Muslim World

Abstract:This article considers the way that heritage preservation perpetuates its own mythologies, affecting public and disciplinary debates, with regard to popular representations of "Islamic" practices of heritage management and preservation. We suggest that representations of heritage practices in the broader Muslim world have been largely constructed on very few and regionally select reports that present Muslim communities as destructive stewards of heritage resources, including what is perceived to be their own heritage as well as the heritage of other groups within Muslim-dominant territories. We argue that the act of highlighting destructive heritage practices has therefore imagined and encouraged a preconception toward preservation that is not only monolithic, but also overwhelmingly "antiheritage." In this paper, we first provide an overview of the heritage case studies that are selectively mobilized in order to sustain a view of destructive practices, and then suggest a more careful consideration of case studies from Saudi Arabia that challenge this persistent perception and encourage a better contextualization of the heritage stewardship of Muslim nations and communities. Throughout this discussion, we argue that a more inclusive review of heritage practices across the Muslim world is needed to problematize how heritage practices in this region are presented.