Sacred Islamic shrines in Iraq’s second largest city Mosul have been blown up by Islamic State (IS) militants with half a dozen revered places targeted and destroyed this past week, end of July 2014, reports The Guardian.
The latest building to be bombed by the radical jihadists was the Prophet Jirjis mosque built over the Quraysh cemetery in the 14th century which included a small shrine to Nabi Jerjiis.
Other mosques which have been destroyed by the IS group include the mosques of the Prophet Sheeth (Seth) and that of the Prophet Younis which claims to be a burial place for Jonah. IS militants claim the shrines encourage apostasy, not true Islamic prayer.
IS militants have captured much land in northern and west Iraq and declared a caliphate and strict interpretation of Islamic law over the region under their control which includes parts of Syria.
One of the oldest Christian communities in the world was forced to flee Mosul because of the terror group. Muslims have also been persecuted by the extremists.
Massoud Barzani, President of the Kurdish regional Government, has said the bombing of churches and mosques in Mosul goes against ‘the principles of the heavenly religions’.
