MORE ON ANTIQUITIES AS COMPENSATION FOR TERRORISM:

Suit over terrorism may cost Chicago museum its Persian collection

By Ron Grossman

Chicago Tribune

(MCT)

CHICAGO - A federal judge has rejected a key defense by the University of Chicago in a lawsuit over rights to ancient Persian artifacts, a decision bound to ripple through the American museum community.

The next step, according to the Rhode Island lawyer who sued the university and several renowned museums: Seize an invaluable collection at the university's Oriental Institute - thousands of clay fragments with cuneiform writing that came from Iran. Then auction off the pieces to compensate victims of Middle Eastern violence on the grounds that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism.

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I have the fullest sympathy for victims of terrorism, but this is not the way to proceed. To break up a museum collection of ancient inscriptions and scatter them to the wind in private collections would be to do great harm to the past heritage of all humanity. Whatever damage it does to the Iranian regime (over which I'll shed no tears), this is not worth it. The plaintiffs should reign their lawyer in; he's running amok.