“The terrorist group has sought to destroy religious groups that don’t embrace its twisted and violent interpretation of Islam.” Reporter Perry Chiaramonte assumes that the Islamic State’s interpretation of Islam is “twisted” because that is the acceptable opinion today. The fact that it has not been established, and flies in the face of the obvious fact that the Islamic State is extremely attractive to many young Muslims in the West because of its claim to reconstitute the caliphate, as well as its strict adherence to Islamic norms, is considered irrelevant.
“ISIS reportedly selling Christian artifacts, turning churches into torture chambers,” by Perry Chiaramonte, FoxNews.com, December 23, 2014:
The Islamic State is turning Christian churches in Iraq and Syria into dungeons and torture chambers after stripping them of priceless artifacts to sell on the black market, according to reports.
Ancient relics and even entire murals are being torn from the houses of worship and smuggled out through the same routes previously established for moving oil and weapons in and out of the so-called caliphate, a vast region the jihadist army has claimed as sovereign under Sharia law.
“ISIS has a stated goal to wipe out Christianity,” Jay Sekulow, of the American Center for Law and Justice and the author of “Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore,” told FoxNews.com. “This why they are crucifying Christians — including children — destroying churches and selling artifacts. The fact is, this group will stop at nothing to raise funds for its terrorist mission.”
It’s not clear what items have been stolen, but the terrorist group has sought to destroy religious groups that don’t embrace its twisted and violent interpretation of Islam, and has already blown up several revered Christian sites and monuments.
Last July, ISIS militants used sledgehammers to destroy the tomb of Jonah in Mosul. Around the same time, they were destroying Sunni shrines and mosques in the northern province of Ninevah, including the Shia Saad bin Aqeel Husseiniya shrine in the city of Tal Afar and the al-Qubba Husseiniya, as well as Christian churches in Syria. The group follows a strict interpretation of the Sunni faith which is against idolatry of anything other than God. ISIS has also threatened to destroy the holy sight [sic] of Mecca in Saudi Arabia….