Thread by @anuraag_saxena

Exposé: How ISIS steals our Heritage & sells it through the Dark Web for terror-funding.
Read the full thread on #BloodBuddhas 1/n

From a #NationalSecurity perspective, this might interest @hmoindia @GatewayHouseIND @sameerpatilIND @Dhruv_CK @atahasnain53 @nitingokhale @orsoraggiante @gauravcsawant #BloodBuddhas 2/n

From a #HeritageCrimes perspective, this might interest @Unite4Heritage @CombatLooting @ChasingAphrodit @stolengods @natarajansdance @CultureTraffic @Terressa_Davis @DrDonnaYates @AnthroPaulicy #BloodBuddhas 3/n

From a #BreakingIndia perspective, this might interest @Swamy39 @RajivMessage @TVMohandasPai @vivekagnihotri @trramesh @jsaideepak @Shubhrastha @ShefVaidya #BloodBuddhas 4/n

So here we go, #TweetThread on "How ISIS steals our Heritage & sells it through the #DarkWeb for terror-funding". #BloodBuddhas 5/n

Sources of these exposes:
1 Our team at @indiaprideproj tracks online-sale of #IllicitHeritage (DB of 200+).
2 BloodBuddhas: fairobserver.com/region/central… .
3 Research by @AnthroPaulicy : mdpi.com/2076-0752/7/2/… . #BloodBuddhas 6/n

Quick definition: #BloodBuddhas = Trading in illicit/stolen heritage, to fund terror/jihadi activities. #BloodBuddhas 7/n

While the #IllicitAntiquities trade has existed forever, it hasn’t really been so catastrophic. Till ISIS/Daesh started using it for terror-funding. #BloodBuddhas was born. 8/n

UNSC passed Resolution 2199, saying ISIS is generating income from the looting and smuggling in cultural heritage items. #BloodBuddhas 9/n

.@FBI issued an advisory and US Homeland Security @DHSgov have been seizing Indian & Asian heritage. #BloodBuddhas 10 /n

Bang in the middle of the Hillary:Trump Presidential diatribe, the US Congress passed this Bill... 415:0. That’s how you prioritize an issue across the aisle. #BloodBuddhas 11/n
congress.gov/bill/114th-con…

Even countries like Pakistan and China have new laws and enforcement wings to fight #BloodBuddhas. #BloodBuddhas 12/n
swarajyamag.com/politics/worse…

Jordan's GDP is <2% of India's. Yet they have an enforcement agency for heritage. #BloodBuddhas 13/n
zawya.com/mena/en/story/…

India still has neither passed a new law, nor created an enforcement agency to deal with the issue. (However, agencies like DRI @debidashindia have been doing a splendid job lately). #BloodBuddhas 14/n

Internationally also, #HeritageCrimes seen as a “heritage” or a “faith” issue; not a #NationalSecurity challenge. #BloodBuddhas 15/n

MSM / #Lutyens Media doesn’t really care about #BloodBuddhas. The likes of @ShekharGupta communalize the issue… #BloodBuddhas 16/n

opindia.com/2017/07/an-ope…

…while the American Govt’s official publications commends our efforts. #BloodBuddhas 17/n
span.state.gov/us-india-relat…

Conferences continue to glorify Bureaucrats & Theorists; not Activists. So you have a lot of 3-W’s (Wining, Whining & White Papers)… but limited results. #BloodBuddhas 18/n

While Syria, Libya, etc are also targets; Indian heritage is by far the largest (eg. >50% of US market). #BloodBuddhas 19/n

…as India has historically been. #BloodBuddhas 20/n
theantiquitiescoalition.org/blog-posts/the…

Most #HeritageCrimes have a strong international angle to it; making it difficult for any one country to prosecute. #BloodBuddhas 21/n

That’s why, the @INTERPOL_HQ runs an separate unit for #HeritageCrimes. So does @Unite4Heritage. #BloodBuddhas 22/n

India however, is NOT part of Interpol’s effort and does NOT subscribe/use/contribute to their Art-Crimes database. #BloodBuddhas 23/n

Since the crackdowns in USA, Australia, etc; potentially Illicit-art dealers have moved online. The anonymity is an added layer of protection for them. #BloodBuddhas 24/n

But since the #DarkWeb / #ToR, it has really been quite a ride for #BloodBuddhas dealers. Anonymity, Masking, cryptocurrencies and a general lack of traceability. #BloodBuddhas 25/n

#ToR’s usage for the weirdest searches is well known. #BloodBuddhas 26/n

I’m not sure how many countries use cyber forensics to track #BloodBuddha dealers on the Dark Web (like they do for narcotics, counterfeit currencies or other crimes). #BloodBuddhas 27/n

ISIS for sure has migrated their communications an recruitment efforts there. #BloodBuddhas 28/n

Thankfully, Anonymous @YourAnonNews targeted these terror groups and found millions of $ Bitcoins stashed away. #BloodBuddhas 29/n

However, that’s a drop in the ocean compared to the $700 billion #cryptocurrency market. #BloodBuddhas 30/n

The DarkWeb’s usage for illicit narcotics, wildlife, human-trafficking, etc is well known… #BloodBuddhas 31/n
medium.com/homeland-secur…

…Its usage for Illicit Art & Heritage is new. See example: #BloodBuddhas 32/n

As narcotics, sex-slaves, etc are “high visibility” crimes, ISIS moves to peddling #BloodBuddhas coz “nobody is watching”. #BloodBuddhas 33/n

In “Digital World War” @haroonullah reports how Javaid, an ISIS member, uses #DarkWeb for these deals “with no footprints left behind”. #BloodBuddhas 34/n

Interestingly, legal/official antiquities dealers have officially started accepting Bitcoins. Even if the intent is genuine, you can’t wish away the potential to play havoc. #BloodBuddhas 35/n

“Posh” looking art-dealers are already being arrested “on suspicion of jihadi terrorist financing. #BloodBuddhas 36/n conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/lib…

While Jihadi groups are trying to sell heritage coins through Telegram (just one of the examples). #BloodBuddhas 37/n

Jihadis are being prosecuted at the Hague right now. They’re destroying/selling heritage; when they’re not busy kidnapping sex-slaves or planning terror attacks. #BloodBuddhas 38/n
dw.com/en/mali-allege…

The saddest part– NONE of this new-age form of terror-funding, is in the public narrative… #BloodBuddhas 39/n

… we STILL think of Jihadis as testosterone driven brutes, holed up in caves somewhere; NOT as sophisticated cyber-criminals.
They are leveraging OUR dumb assumptions to THEIR advantage! #BloodBuddhas 40/n

Now why should all this matter to India?
#BloodBuddhas 41/n

So far, citizens-groups have to beg governments to restore stolen heritage. #BloodBuddhas 42/n
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad…

When the US offered us 200 heritage-items back, our bureaucrats brought back only 11. Yes! ONLY 11 out of 200 . #BloodBuddhas 43/n
sundayguardianlive.com/news/10577-ind…

But as @peterbcampbell reported, the #Haqqani network is involved, so this makes it “real” for India. #BloodBuddhas 44/n
researchgate.net/profile/Peter_…

In Kashmir alone, 499 temples were destroyed/looted in #CulturalCleansing. #BloodBuddhas 45/n

In Karnataka, elected politicians are involved in Temple theft. #BloodBuddhas 46/n

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In Tamil Nadu, senior police officers are looting Temples. #BloodBuddhas 47/n

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And remember, the Indian people are STILL the biggest victims. #BloodBuddhas 48/n

You are naïve if you believe that all of these are isolated-incidents and NOT interconnected. #BloodBuddhas 49/n

The global narrative on heritage is changing, with USA & #Israel leaving @UNESCO . #BloodBuddhas 50/n
hindustantimes.com/opinion/why-be…

Hopefully this expose, will change some of your assumptions. #BloodBuddhas 51/n

Hopefully, our heritage will not be sold, so bombs can be thrown back at us! #BloodBuddhas 52/n

Hopefully YOU will ensure the narrative in the Art/Heritage Community changes. #BloodBuddhas 53/n

Hopefully, instead of idle banter, YOU will share this story with friends & fellow citizens. #BloodBuddhas 54/n

Hopefully YOU will demand that your Government gets their heads out of the sand... & DO something about it. #BloodBuddhas 55/n

Hopefully History will come back to its Geography. #BloodBuddhas 56/n

Jai Hind! . . . #BloodBuddhas 57/n

.@threadreaderapp unroll pls. #BloodBuddhas 58/n. n/n