Library in Lebanon Destroyed by Arson - Pamphlet Critical to Mohammed Was the Reason

Before reading the opening paragraph of the Jihad Watch post, it should be noted Academia, even before the ascent of Leftists to its highest circles, had expended enormous effort to convince everyone  hat the great  Library of Alexandria was no longer in existence at the time of the Muslims invasion of Egypt.

19th century academicians and other writers, anxious to deride the Christian civilization that had provided them with a place to ply their trades free of oppression but  not quite ready for outright atheism, had taken to painting the most romantic of pictures Islamic rule. It was in that century that the now-obviously indefensible myth of the Golden Age of Spain* was forged with the determination of a Michelangelo chiseling away at a block of marble.  

Christians were the enemy, despite the massive amounts of pagan literature that was preserved by them, portrayed solely as destroyers of anything pre-Christian, particularly in regards to the Classical world. No one disputes that pagan temples were destroyed once Christianity was no longer cause for persecution, but the amount of great architectural works, pagan cultural practices, and literature that what was not destroyed (and in many cases later utilized), so far surpasses what remains in Muslim-majority regions  as to be fully beyond comparison.

The Copts of Egypt believe that the Library of Alexandria was destroyed by order from the Caliph, whi in true Islamic form made the following remark:

http://thehotgates480bc.blogspot.com/2012/07/call-to-destroy-pyramids.html

"......A victim of many fires and other acts of destruction through the centuries, the final act for what was left of the Library of Alexandria is believed by many to have occurred at the time of the fall of Egypt to the armies of Islam. Left-leaning members of Academia, desirous of maintaining the picture of an Islam that fostered literature and the sciences, have buried the following quote attributed to the Caliph Omar after being asked what to do about the books in the Library;....."

"they will either contradict the Koran, in which case they are heresy, or they will agree with it, so they are superfluous."

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Aside from a a few very isolated examples in the early centuries of Islam, literature and that religion have never been very good friends. In a society that held anything that was not the Koran or other clearly Islamic source in suspicion, broken printing presses in even powerful cities such Ottoman Constantinople were not replaced for years. Even in the early 20th century, the best means of acquiring books was to buy them from the family of someone who had died. Bookstores and Islam simply don't mix.

Muslims also tend to resent Christians who either are successful businessmen, are well educated, or both. 

In this case, this combination of centuries of willful ignorance and envy resulted in a terrible crime.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/01/lebanon-muslims-torch-library-after-pamphlet-found-insulting-to-islam-and-the-prophet-mohammad.html 

"Lebanon: Muslims torch library after pamphlet found "insulting to Islam and the Prophet Mohammad"

"Perhaps the attackers meant to follow in the illustrious footsteps of the caliph Umar, who according to legend said when ordering the ancient, fabled library of Alexandria to be burned: "If the books agree with the Qur'an, they are superfluous. If they disagree with it, they are heretical." In any case, they destroyed over 50,000 books, without apology. The only one doing any apologizing was the owner of the library, Father Ebrahim Surouj, who managed to stave off a planned demonstration against area Christians by meeting with Islamic leaders in Tripoli and convincing them that he had nothing to do with the pamphlet that supposedly insulted Islam and Muhammad.

And another thing: the offending pamphlet was "discovered" inside one of the 80,000 books in the library. How exactly did that happen? Did one of the Muslims who destroyed the library walk in, pick up a book, and lo and behold, discover a pamphlet insulting Islam and Muhammad inside it? What a remarkable coincidence, even if he opened five, or ten, or fifty, or a hundred, or five hundred books, that he would have found that pamphlet within one of those 80,000 volumes. It seems more likely that the pamphlet was planted as pretext to burn the library and terrorize the Christians.

"Assailants torch decades-old library in north Lebanon," from AFP, January 4 (thanks to Block Ness):
“Unknown assailants torched the Saeh Library in Tripoli, destroying two thirds of some 80,000 books and manuscripts housed there,” said the source, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

The attack came a day after “a pamphlet was discovered inside one of the books at the library that was insulting to Islam and the Prophet Mohammad [PBUH],” said the source.

“After that, the library owner, Father Ebrahim Surouj, met with Islamic leaders in Tripoli. It became clear the priest had nothing to do with the pamphlet, and a demonstration that had been planned in protest over the incident was called off,” said the source....."

It is highly unlikely that all of these works had been copied or converted to digital format. The library probably  had the last remaining copes of some books. I think that it is safe to say that a substantial amount of priceless works are gone forever. 

*A short but well-written source for those who would prefer a clear picture of Spain under Islamic rule
*http://www.amazon.com/Mohammed-Charlemagne-Revisited-History-Controversy/dp/0578094185