Experts Believe Hobby Lobby Stole Biblical Antiquities From Iraq. Here’s Why.

The proudly Christian proprietors of the craft store chain Hobby Lobby have been under federal investigation for the past four years for illicit importation of religious artifacts and cultural antiquities from Iraq for their soon-to-open Museum of the Bible, according to a recent report by the Daily Beast.

“Is it possible that we have some illicit [artifacts]? That’s possible,” Steve Green, the CEO of the craft company, told the authors of the report.

While Green admitted that some of its ancient holdings might have been sourced illegally or sold in defiance of international standards on antiquities sales. Experts consulted by ThinkProgress said that that the Green family likely turned a blind eye towards these provisions in order to amass its holdings.

thinkprogress.org...

I'm sorry but this isn't really very current, but it's the first I've heard about it. And well, I don't remember seeing anything about it here on ATS, or elsewhere for that matter. So, I guess I am thinking that it's news to me!!!

The investigation began in 2011, when a shipment was intercepted by customs that contained hundreds of clay tablets. So far the family has imported around 40,000 artifacts for it's Museum of the Bible, and many of them might have been kind of stolen from countries in turmoil.


Most probably know why I find this story interesting, if true, well, not only is hobby lobby okay with doing business with chinese companies that aide and abet the chinese gov't in their one child, please report for an abortion policy, but well, it seems that they have no moral problem with being involved with the looting of a nations national heritage. they only have a problem with providing birth control coverage to their employees!!! I and I hope others will keep an eye on this story, and see where it leads us.

a reply to: dawnstar

Good for them, they've probably saved these artifacts from destruction judging by what's left of the antiquities in Iraq.
Maybe once Iraq is stable again they can reach a deal with them.

originally posted by: mclarenmp4
a reply to: dawnstar

Good for them, they've probably saved these artifacts from destruction judging by what's left of the antiquities in Iraq.
Maybe once Iraq is stable again they can reach a deal with them.

That's my line of thinking as well. Considering how ISIS is burning and razing sites and antiquities all over the middle east, it's better those antiquities end up in a museum of some sort rather than permanently destroyed.

Removed for redundancy

Well they can get ISIS to testify the items would probably have been destroyed by now.

Or the Russians would have bombed the areas.

Or the U.S. would have.

a reply to: dawnstar

hussar - cult A is fencing stolen antiquities from cult B so that cult B can buy munitions to slaughter cult C

but, ISIS isn't destroying them they are the ones selling them!

The rise of the Islamic State, or ISIS, has brought heightened attention to the antiquities trade. That’s because the group considers the looting and trafficking of antiquities a valuable source of revenue. “Such funding,” the UN Security Council recently declared, “is being used to support recruitment efforts and to strengthen operational capability to organize and carry out terrorist attacks.” In May, when U.S. forces assassinated Abu Sayyaf, a senior ISIS officer, and then raided his compound in Syria, they found it stuffed with hundreds of ancient Iraqi artifacts.

Can Hobby Lobby Buy the Bible?
www.theatlantic.com...

a reply to: dawnstar

ISIS isn't destroying sites and artifacts?

Here Are the Ancient Sites ISIS Has Damaged and Destroyed

Reports of looting at Mosul's libraries and universities began to surface almost as soon as ISIS occupied the city last summer. Centuries-old manuscripts were stolen, and thousands of books disappeared into the shadowy international art market.

They are doing some looting. But it's not near as much as what they've destroyed.

If I Remember correctly, the first day Americans troops entered Baghdad in 2003 the national museum was plundered, blame ISIS all you want but a much more insidious force was the one that started it all, including ISIS (if you guessed America you are correct)

Notice the wording used: "Experts Believe Hobby Lobby Stole Biblical Antiquities From Iraq".

The first thing I noticed was the words "Experts Believe"....

Whenever that phrase is used, it automatically raises some huge red flags for me.

Second, five minutes in a search engine makes it obvious that the source linked in the OP is 100% bogus because Hobby Lobby stole diddly squat...

A complete fail as far as credibility goes.

Whoever is behind that source, I do not trust a single word they say.

EDIT: a quick search on the OP's source brings up names like Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, nough' said...

Let the blogosphere know that Truthout.org, thinkprogress.org, the nation and moveon.org are Liberal rubbish propaganda...

occupyomc.tumblr.com...

CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS (CAP) is a key member of the Shadow Party... The prime mover behind CAP's creation was the billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

• Think tank headed by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta
• Has extremely close ties to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, the Democratic Party, and George Soros

www.discoverthenetworks.org...

The president and chief executive officer of CAP is Neera Tanden, who worked for the Obama and Clinton administrations and for Hillary Clinton’s campaigns. The first president and CEO was John Podesta, who served as chief of staff to then U.S. President Bill Clinton. Podesta remained with the organization as chairman of the board until he joined the Obama White House staff in December 2013. Tom Daschle is the current chairman.

Center for American Progress

A few links I used in case anyone else wants to search for a more credible source:

Hobby Lobby Museum of the Bible - Google Search

Hobby Lobby Museum of the Bible - YouTube

a reply to: EternalSolace

Ya, well the point I was making was that these artifacts, may very well have been sold by isis... so no, isis wouldn't have destoyed them. churches, statues, ect...ya, what the heck, you can actually secretly sell them and sneak them into another country can you?

Casey participated this week in a forum, Death of History: Witnessing Heritage Destruction in Syria and Iraq, in part to promote a bill he introduced that seeks to limit ISIS’s ability to profit off plundered antiquities.

“If you’re involved in this in any way, or you’re not doing enough to shut it down, you’re helping ISIS. It’s pretty simple,” he said.

In July, Casey and GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and David Perdue (Ga.) introduced the Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act that gives the State Department authority to impose restrictions on the importation of Syrian antiquities into the United States.

Because the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Syria, the typical process of restricting the sale of illicit artifacts — entering into a memorandum of understanding with the other country — doesn’t apply, Casey said.

Some estimates have ISIS’s antiquities smuggling as its second largest source of income, behind black-market oil, which brings in up to $100 million a month, he said.

thehill.com...

but it's highly unlikely that they are going to destroy their second largest source of income.

gee, one could say, that hobby lobby could possibly be aiding the isis terrorists....

a reply to: dawnstar

Yea, we probably should just leave them there for ISIS and Co to do with what they see fit, at least that way westerners wouldn't be involved in any more theft, and when I say westerners I mean white males.

Stealing or buying stolen artifacts; how very Christian of them.

a reply to: TechniXcality

how do you know that there isn't any rich black western males buying looted artifacts from isis and thus funding them?

a reply to: dawnstar

I don't it's an assumption based on your views expressed in the OP, and a slight parody falling in with "poes law".

now let me first state that I am an athiest and often do not agree with what Christians do as a whole, in this specific case I do not have any problem with acquiring these artifacts and bringing them here. in ww2 artifacts were stolen as well and bought as to preserve them which means this also has precedence.

With that said, it appears you are coming from the extreme view that Christians can do no right, which often ties into the white males commit micro aggressions en masse. how do you know there aren't atheists buying and preserving these stolen artifacts, and why is it wrong? Quite frankly it isn't,period end of story.

I find it astonishing how Christians can ignore "Thou shalt not steal" when it's politically expedient for them to STEAL.

Hypocrites....If you can't even follow the 10 commandments...don't call yourselves Christians.

These so called "experts" lost all credibility when they explained what they think is the real issue here:

According to Mr. Amr Al-Azm, "Christian beliefs" are the real problem...

Considering the fact that George Soros is behind the creation of the OP's source, I'm not one bit surprised...

“The issue is not whether they were caught smuggling stuff, the issue is why they were doing it,” said Amr Al-Azm, a professor at Ohio’s Shawnee State University who has helped save antiquities from all out destruction or illegal sale through a league of archaeologists in Syria.

The reason that he thinks the Green family might have broken international law or avoided ethical standards in the antiquities trade is to promote their overtly Christian beliefs...

thinkprogress.org...

Another search adding Soros' name, brings things into even clearer focus and makes me wonder how in the world that anyone on ATS could be so gullible:

CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS (CAP)

1333 "H" Street NW - 10th Floor
Washington, DC
20005

Phone :202-682-1611
URL :www.americanprogress.org...

• Think tank headed by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta
• Helped launch Media Matters For America in 2004
• Has extremely close ties to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, the Democratic Party, and George Soros
• Helps formulate many Obama administration policies and talking points

The Center for American Progress (CAP) describes itself as “an independent nonpartisan educational institute dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action” in such areas as “energy, national security, economic growth and opportunity, immigration, education, and health care.” CAP is a key member of the Shadow Party, a network of non-profit activist groups organized by George Soros and others to mobilize resources -- money, get-out-the-vote drives, campaign advertising, and policy initatives -- to advance Democratic Party agendas.

The prime mover behind CAP's creation was the billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

www.discoverthenetworks.org...

a reply to: Murgatroid

Well done, and for people who can't see through this bull# as just a slant against Christians than they have drank the kool-aid, there is nothing absolutely nothing wrong with buying stealing and preserving these artifacts from a major war zone, if people did not buy them they would be destroyed or missing forever. I don't care who does it, but I have no problem with them being here in the west until further notice.

a reply to: TechniXcality

gee, if I remember, right, ya know when Bush was president, I kept hearing a phrase "if you're not with us, you're against us", how many times have the liberals been accused liberals of aiding the terrorists just for speaking up in defense of those arabs who have no evidence of even being connected to terrorism. So here why one the one hand, isis making millions a month selling looted artifacts, and well, hobby lobby mysteriously accumulating artifacts and refusing to give much details as to how they are coming up with them. plus the fact that customs intercepted a shipment that was quite suspicious. and it's ya!! good for them!!! I never said a thing about them being white, or black, athiest or christian really, just hypocritical.... in that what they claim to believe...weather it be about the birth control pill, or it be theft, well, it seems they'll easily let that belief go when it suits them.

gee, if yous are so concerned about your country falling to sharia law, like yous act like you are....well, maybe you should be a bit concerned as to weather or not hobby lobby is buying artifacts originally looted by isis and other terrorist groups and financially supporting them.

a reply to: dawnstar

none of what you posted made any sense what so ever.

next