If you're referring to the Breathing Permit of Hor (the scrolls the LDS church claim are the source for the Book of Abraham), the reason that Egypt doesn't demand them back is because they're so common that they're of no interest to the Egyptian community. EVERY mummified corpse had those religious artifacts placed in their coffin - with only minor edits to reflect the actual person that was deceased. There are so many of them that they're almost generic.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2012 01:52PM by enigma.
They were common Egyptian funerary texts, dating to about the first century BC. Known as the Book of Breathings, a copy would have been commissioned by anyone who could afford one. There are plenty of them, and since the one owned by the Mormons is in pretty decrepit condition, I imagine the Egyptians don't particularly care about retrieving such an insignificant, common, and busted up fragment of their patrimony. They have bigger fish to fry...
...that was swiped by colonial powers. Stuff way more important than the Breathing Permit of Hor. And the Egyptians have had almost zero luck getting any of it back.
I have qualms about visiting archeology museums in general. I tell myself that some artifacts were rescued from destruction and not, er, stolen. Worldwide. But...you know.