Islamists Destroy 7th Century Church, Mosque in Tikrit, Iraq

Islamists Destroy 7th Century Church, Mosque in Tikrit, Iraq

Assyrian International News Agency
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Islamists Destroy 7th Century Church, Mosque in Tikrit, Iraq


2014-09-25 05:27 GMT

The Assyrian Green Church in Tikrit, Iraq, built in the 7th century, which was destroyed by ISIS.

(AINA) -- According to a report by BBC Arabic, Islamists in Tikrit have destroyed The Assyrian Green Church, built in 700 A.D., and Forty Shrine, the oldest Islamic religious shrine in Iraq.

Islamists, most likely ISIS, planted explosives around the Assyrian Green Church, which is located inside the presidential palaces compound in the center of the city, and detonated them, completely destroying the ancient church, which belonged to the Assyrian Church of the East.
Similarly, Islamists planted explosives around the Forty Shrine mosque and surrounding tombs, located in the center of the city in Salahuddin Province, and detonated them, completely destroying the mosque. It is believed the Forty Shrine housed the remains of 40 of Muhammad's comrades, who took part in the Islamic conquest of the region during the reign of the second Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab in 638 A.D.
ISIS has destroyed churches, religious shrines and mosques in the provinces of Kirkuk and Nineveh, including the tombs of the prophets Jonah, George, Daniel as well as a number of ancient churches in the provinces of Salahuddin and Nineveh. In Mosul ISIS has destroyed or occupied all 45 Christian religious institutions (AINA 2014-07-29).
The following youtube video (in Arabic) is a report on the Assyrian Green Church by an Iraqi television station.

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