For those who survive the destruction of their home, the pain and grief often endure. Some people who are forcibly displaced wait in exile to return to the places from which they were uprooted, to homes that are now ruins. History shows us that some people wait a lifetime. Meanwhile, many of those who remain in war-torn cities grieve for their beloved ones who were killed at home and lie beneath the collapsed buildings, unable to be buried in dignity.
The destruction of people’s homes is not simply the destruction of a physical structure. The effect is far greater than the immediate damage. For the destroyers – whether they destroy in the name of gods or the “war on terror” – the obliteration of architecture is not simply collateral damage. It is the deliberate attempt to destroy a people, to kill their memory and rewrite history.
