Nefertiti Belongs in Egypt

Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, is threatening a scientific war if Germany does not lend to Egypt a bust of Nefertiti for the opening of a museum in 2012.

Nefertiti belongs in Egypt. German museums are using Egyptian cultural heritage to make money for Germans. The British are doing the same with the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.

Having these icons of Egyptian culture in London and Berlin is like having the Liberty Bell in Moscow. These items are part of Egyptian identity the way the Statue of Liberty is part of our American identity. These artifacts belong with their people.