ISIS to Turn Biblical Prophet Jonah's Tomb into a 'Fun Park' (A7/Jewish Voice). I can't imagine what their idea of a "fun park" would be. More on the (traditional) Tomb of Jonah (etc.) is here and links.
Islamic State Transforms Cathedral into 'Mosque of Jihadis' (Raymond Ibrahim, Middle East Forum).
The Islamic State posted notices around the captured city of Mosul announcing that the Syriac Orthodox Cathedral Church of St. Ephrem, seized a year ago, is to be become the "mosque of the mujahedeen," or "jihadis."UN: Islamic State destruction of heritage sites a war crime (AP). Actually the resolution said "may amount to war crimes."
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Save Palmyra From ISIS's Rampage (Razi Rumi, Huffington Post). That sounds like a good idea in principle, but the West needs to decide first just how much blood and treasure it is willing to expend if it wants to try to stop the carnage in the region, let along protect Palmyra. Some related reflections from a few years ago are here. Recent posts on ISIS's rampage through the antiquities of the Middle East are here, here, here, and here. And follow the various links for still more.
Palmyra - An oasis of cultural history (DW). A photo essay. Much more on Palmyra here and links. Cross-file this post under Palmyra Watch.
