ISIS BEHEADS SYRIAN ANTIQUITIES EXPERT

There's been another Islamic decapitation in Syria:

The aging antiquities scholar dedicated his life to exploring and overseeing Syria's ancient ruins of Palmyra, one of the Middle East's most spectacular archaeological sites. He even named his daughter after Zenobia, the queen that ruled from the city some 1,700 years ago.

Islamic State militants who now control the city beheaded him in a main square and hung his body on a pole, witnesses and relatives said Wednesday.

The killing of 81-year-old Khaled al-Assad stunned Syria's archaeologists and underscored fears that the extremist group will destroy or loot the 2,000-year-old Roman-era city on the edge of the modern town of the same name, as they have other major archaeological sites in Syria and Iraq.

The Sunni extremists, who have imposed a violent interpretation of Islamic law across the territory they control in the two countries, believe ancient relics promote idolatry. IS militants claim they are destroying ancient artifacts and archaeological treasures as part of their purge of paganism — though they are also believed to sell off looted antiquities as a significant income earner.

Uh oh, the AP is imposing their own distortions on the proceedings. Islam and the Koran incorporate violence. It's not just interpretation. And when they do that, they end up doing a disfavor to the memory of the man whose murder they reported.