IMAN Chairman condemns destruction of Mosques and Shrines in Iraq
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
ISIS Destroys Mosques and Shrines in Iraq
NEWSWEEK
The Islamist militant group ISIS has been destroying Iraq's Shiite mosques and religious shrines as it continues to put pressure on the country and further its extreme agenda. The AFP reported over the weekend that four shrines that commemorated Sunni Arab or Sufi figures have been destroyed, while six Shiite mosques were demolished.
The destruction seems to have been limited to Iraq's northern Nineveh province, including militant-held Mosul. One local resident told Al-Arabiya that members of the group had also occupied Chaldean cathedral and the Syrian Orthodox cathedral, both in Mosul, removing their crosses and replacing them with the black flag of the Islamtic State"I am appalled at the destruction of these historic mosques and shrines in Iraq; these extremists are systematically smashing apart the rich heritage of Iraq and much more must be done to protect these holy sites.
Responding to the news, Chairman of the IMAN Foundation, Ribal Al-Assad said:
"Every day more and more of Iraq's history is lost to these Islamist terrorists, we cannot allow them to achieve their goal of an Islamist Caliphate state - it would spell disaster not only for the people of Iraq but for the free world.
I urge the International Community to take a more robust approach, it must come together and rid Iraq and the whole region of these islamist extremists before it is too late.
These people need to be stopped. There is simply no more time to loose."
