Hobby Lobby Smuggling Artifacts out of Iraq Highlights Cultural Theft in the Middle East

Oklahoma-based evangelical-owned company Hobby Lobby’s smuggling of thousands of ancient artifacts out of Iraq underscores the ongoing problem of cultural theft from the Middle East.

by Fatima Mohie-Eldin

U.S. arts and crafts retailer, Hobby Lobby, was recently found to have smuggled thousands of ancient artifacts out of Iraq between 2010 and 2011. The incident underscores the ongoing problem of cultural theft from the Middle East region.

Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma-based company, is owned by Steve Green and his family, well-known billio…