The books (and more) in Timbuktu

       There was recently a coup in Mali -- see, for example, Soldiers Overthrow Mali Government in Setback for Democracy in Africa by Adam Nossiter in The New York Times, or (if you can stomach the article-titles) coverage in The Economist such as Mali-drama and Mali à l'aise ('Mali à l'aise' ? seriously ?) -- but aside from the central government being overthrown, rebels have taken over much of the north of the country -- including UNESCO world Heritage Site Timbuktu.
       These well-armed (the downside of the successes of the Libyan campaign) buffoons trying to assert power in the north claim to be of an Islamist persuasion -- leading, of course, to headlines such as: British couple flee Timbuktu as town falls to al-Qaida (filed by: "msnbc.com staff" -- and, yes, the piece itself at least immediately makes clear: "the town fell to fighters linked to al-Qaida" [emphasis added]) and Mali: Rebels to Impose Islamic Law. The latter article reports that:

The Islamist rebel faction that seized control of the northern city of Timbuktu over the weekend has said it will impose Islamic law there, local officials said Wednesday.

       And:

The group's leader, Iyad Ag Ghali, said that women would be required to wear veils, thieves would be punished by having their hands cut off and adulterers would be stoned to death, according to local officials and a radio journalist.

       Of course, given widespread reports of looting and rape (e.g. Mali: Looting Halts Aid Work in Chaotic North) it doesn't appear all the rebels are on board with the new program (i.e. far from religious idealists they're just greedy little scum, abusing their momentary power advantage).
       Still, the pretense of adopting sharia is worrisome, especially since exposed Timbuktu is a cultural repository of enormous value and significance. I remind you that the last time similarly inclined fanatics -- in that case the Taliban -- set their sights on a UNESCO Heritage Site it was the Bamiyan Buddhas, blown up in 2001 in an eerie foreshadowing of attacks on New York City several months later.
       So, for example, as Peter Fabricius reports, Scientists worry about safety of literary gems in Timbuktu -- although:

The ancient African manuscripts of Timbuktu seem to have survived the capture of the city at the weekend by Tuareg and other rebels trying to topple the new military government of Mali.

       But, as Ricci Shryock notes at Voice of America, Timbuktu's Cultural Artifacts at Risk as Mali Crisis Grows.
       I hope the bums are run out of town quickly (unlikely though that seems) -- and if there's any threat to the literary riches there (whose preservation has proven difficult even under the best of circumstances) that there will be swift and decisive international action.
       (One can/might as well hope, right ? Reality just looks too bleak.)