Iraq’s religious and cultural heritage is in serious danger of being completely lost from attacks by radical militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which are destroying heritage sites up to 1,800 years old.

The group, which is aspiring to bring much of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its direct political control, has launched a major assault on Iraq in recent months, after spreading from outlying regions such as Syria into Iraq and systematically moving through the country with little initial opposition.

Using social media, ISIS and its followers have posted images of churches, shrines, and mosques across the country being bulldozed, blown up, or otherwise destroyed.

Among the sites confirmed to have been destroyed, the tomb of Jonah – the biblical prophet known for having been temporarily swallowed by a giant fish – has fallen at the hands of the group, while ISIS has also desecrated the grave of Abu al-Hassan al-Jazari, a 12th century historiographer. The group is also responsible for bulldozing both the Shia Saad bin Aqeel Husseiniya shrine in Tal Afar and Mosul’s al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque.

ISIS, which is Sunni Muslim, has mainly targeted holy sites of the Shia sect. The two rival religious factions have a long history of violence against one another but due to the Sunni side’s strictly conservative interpretation of the faith – which only allows the worship of Allah – a number of Sunni mosques have also been destroyed by ISIS due to purported instances of alternate worship.

Based on the group’s social media activity, heritage and religious experts fear that ISIS plans to target Mecca, a pilgrimage site, which attracts millions of Muslims from all over the world. The holy city is home to one of the most sacred mosques in the Muslim world – the Al-Masjid al-Haram – which includes a granite and marble building called the Kaaba, believed to contain a footprint from Abraham and a cornerstone laid by Muhammad himself.

Speaking to The Art Newspaper renowned British archaeologist Colin Renfrew said the destruction of the sites “is a disaster for the cultural heritage of Iraq, and indeed of Islam”, going as far to say that the wanton destruction was a war crime, comparing the loss to that of an English medieval cathedral.

“It would seem that governments are powerless to intervene militarily,” said Renfrew. “The United Nations, advised by UNESCO, could condemn it, and seek to proffer charges against the perpetrators. Such charges could be implemented when the political situation changes, as in the case of the charges against Slobodan Milosevic and other Serbian leaders recently.”

UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova has called for an immediate halt to intentional destruction of religious and cultural heritage monuments in Iraq, but it has fallen on deaf ears.

"The diversity of Iraq's cultural heritage bears witness to centuries of peaceful coexistence among all communities making up the society of the country", said Bokova in a statement.

UNESCO, in consultation with Iraqi and international experts, has agreed on an Emergency Response Action Plan in an attempt to safeguard Iraq's cultural heritage, prioritising interventions to mitigate heightened risks of destruction and damage, looting and illicit trafficking.

Iraq’s heritage took a heavy blow during the conflict of 2003, when the country’s National Museum alone had more than 15,000 objects of historical importance dtolen, among widespread looting and violence across the nation.

ISIS, has already made its mark on parts of Syria, which has suffered targeted shelling on all of the country’s major heritage sites, while Egypt, Jerusalem and Palestine’s cultural heritage is also in serious danger of being lost due to ongoing conflicts.

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