Ansar Dine Islamist militia threatens to destroy rare science and math texts in Timbuktu. →

Armed with hammers, pickaxes, and loaded guns, Islamist extremists are tearing down Timbuktu’s ancient shrines, endangering rare texts on science and mathematics.

Documents housed in the shrines include writings about astronomy, the health effects of tobacco, and 3,000-year-old medicine, according to the New Scientist. They are part of Timbuktu’s “matchless collection” of about 300,000 historical Islamic texts, some dating back to the 13th century.

It’s history repeating itself, except instead of Christians and the Library of Alexandria it’s Muslims and ancient science texts. See the common thread?