Mideast Egypt Economy

The Pyramids of Giza on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt.

(Shawn Pogatchnik | The Associated Press)

An Islamist preacher from Kuwait has issued a "fatwa," calling on Islamic State militants to destroy Egypt's Sphinx and pyramids, according to reports.

Preacher Ibrahim Al Kandari's call comes amid growing concern about members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State group (ISIS) destroying historic sites and artifacts in the Middle East, RT reported.

"The fact that early Muslims who were among prophet Mohammed's followers did not destroy the pharaohs' monuments upon entering the Egyptian soil, does not mean that we shouldn't do it now," Al Kandari said.

A similar call came from Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who said ISIS followers had a "religious duty" to end the worship of material objects and idols, Al Alam news reported.

Al Arabiya News reported that the same edict was originally issued in 2012, and translated it further:

Last week, amid Iraqi military operations to retake Tikrit, ISIS militants reportedly bulldozed the city of Nimrud and looted several other historical sites.

RYOT reported that the UN's cultural agency, UNESCO, called the "cultural cleansing" of the ancient sites a war crime.

The discovery of Numrud's royal tombs in the 1980s was considered one of the 20th century's most significant archaeological discoveries, comparable to the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt.