Raqqa’s mosques and churches, Reconstruction attempts after destruction
Raqqa – North-Press Agency
Abdullatif Hilal
The Committee of Religious Affairs of Raqqa’s Civil Council is working on rehabilitating mosques and churches that were almost destroyed during the control of the Islamic State group over the city where they were using religious temples as training centers and weapons warehouses.
The places of worship in the city of Raqqa, north-east of Syria, were exposed to great destruction, as the war did not differentiate between a mosque and a church, most of them were either partly or completely destroyed.
Today, The Committee of Religious Affairs of Raqqa’s Civil Council is working on rehabilitating the destroyed mosques, such as the mosques of Al-Nour, Al-Shamti, Al-Quds, and Al-Sharakisa.
The head of the Religious Affairs Foundation in Raqqa, Ali Nayef Al-Shuaib spoke to North-Press about the conditions of places of worship in the city, stressing that works of rehabilitation of mosques and churches are ongoing, noting that the lack of support for the two churches in the city had urged them to stop after they had made a study about both churches.
Al-Shuaib denied all news about the arrival of donors for the reconstruction of the two churches, saying that “It’s just a rumor that confesses of how the people of Raqqa are concerned in reconstructing the two churches, as their hopes are so, in order to encourage the return of the Christians to their city”.
During the control of the Islamic State militants over the city of Raqqa, where fierce fighting and terrorist actions took place, about 28 mosques were destroyed in the city and turned into warehouses for weapons and ammunition and camps for recruiting young people to join the group’s ranks, while outputting those mosques’ role in preaching and the awareness of the society.
While the state of the two churches “Sayyidet Al-Beshara” and “Al-Qiyama” in the city, was not better than the mosques, as “Sayyidet Al-Beshara” church was completely destroyed after ISIS dug tunnels beneath and made it a large warehouse of ammunition.
While the Church of “Al-Qiyama” (also known as Mary Church), was stolen and looted during the control of ISIS on the city, like the Iron Cross at the top of the church’s building was completely destroyed.
After ISIS had tightened its grip over the city, the group had transformed the church of “Al-Qiyama” to what they called Da’wah Bureau (missionary activity) in order to attract young people to work with and support them.
They painted the church with black color as a confirmation of the beginning of a new era in Raqqa, marked by the abolition of the role of the church, displacing Raqqa’s Christians and forcing them to pay “al-Jizya” (per capita yearly tax by Islamic law) that was estimated at about 14 grams of gold per adult.
It’s worth mentioning that the construction Raqqa’s churches in dates back to 559, by the Eastern Roman Emperor “Justinian” who built St. Sergius Church, “Mary Church” now.