Buddha basher

In the Billings Gazette (via Juan Cole).

KABUL, Afghanistan - A former regional governor who oversaw the destruction of two massive 1,500-year-old Buddha statues during the Taliban's reign was elected to the Afghan parliament last month, officials said Tuesday as results from two provinces were finalized.

Mawlawi Mohammed Islam Mohammadi, who was the Taliban's governor of Bamiyan province when the fifth-century Buddha statues were blown up with dynamite and artillery in March 2001, was chosen to represent the neighboring province of Samangan.

Mohammadi told The Associated Press he should not be held responsible for the destruction of the statues.

"It was not my decision. It was foreigners like Chechens and Arabs with the Taliban who made the decision. They were crazy people," he said.