The ICMA joins learned societies worldwide in opposing the threats made by President Trump on Jan. 5, 2020 to harm cultural heritage sites in Iran. In support of the language of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, we are convinced that damage to cultural property belonging to any people whatsoever means damage to the cultural heritage of all humankind. Cultural Property is defined in the Convention as the movable or immovable property of great importance to the cultural heritage of every people, such as monuments of architecture, art or history, whether religious or secular; archaeological sites; groups of buildings which, as a whole, are of historical or artistic interest; works of art; manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest; as well as scientific collections and important collections of books or archives. The cultural wealth of Iran includes ancient Persian, medieval Sasanian, East Christian, and Islamic monuments among its more than twenty UNESCO World Heritage sites, and many more locations of great global importance. We urge our Membership to contact their members of Congress to express the importance of sustained international respect and protection for the cultural patrimony of all peoples. A statement by the American Anthropological Association and congressional contact form is available here:

https://www.americananthro.org/ParticipateAndAdvocate/AdvocacyDetail.aspx?ItemNumber=25357#/8/