AIUMB condemns destruction of tombs in Syria by IS terrorists

23rd June 2015

All India Ulama &Mashaikh Board an apex body of Sunni Sufi Muslims of India has expressed serious concern over the havoc created by ISIS in Syria and Iraq where these enemies of civilization and Islam are destroying all the monuments of Islam and the world is silently watching them working on their agenda of making Islam and its history a myth for the next generations.

Heritage sites are protected by world bodies to preserve human history but ISIS is one of those non state players that are on destruction spree while some state players are glad because their agenda is being furthered by IS terrorists.

President of the Board Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichchawchchvi said in a statement today that AIUMB learnt this with much dismay, concern and annoyance that IS terrorists blew up the tombs of Mohammed bin Ali, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed’s cousin, and Nizar Abu Bahaaeddine, a religious figure from Palmyra, few days ago in Syria, where they are fighting a proxy war for gulf oil and gas rich monarchies against President Bashar Al Asad.

Hazrat Maulana in his statement said that as published reports say Photos published by IS depicted two armed men carrying canisters, apparently filled with explosives, walking up the rocky hill to the site. Abu Bahaaeddine’s tomb, nestled in a leafy oasis about 500 metres (yards) from Palmyra’s ancient ruins, is said to be more than five centuries old.

President and founder of the board in his statement added it is indeed a matter of great concern that IS Terrorists have destroyed at least 50 mausoleums dating between 100- 200 years old in the regions under its control in north and east Syria. Maulana Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichchawchchvi said they (ISIS) are enemies of civilisation and Islam.

They are systematically destroying these historical places like tomb of Hujr Bin Adi, Janab e Zainab Bint Ali, Khalid Bin Walid and others because they wrongly consider these Islamic mausoleums are against their extreme ideology. It is a matter of great concern that in a continuing assault two weeks ago, fighters from the terrorist group also destroyed a number of tombstones at a cemetery for Palmyra residents. All tombs with marble designs were destroyed. For them, graves should not be visible and this smells the design of gulf monarchy to destroy all the remaining symbols and signs, monuments and mausoleums in their control thus depriving the religion from its all symbols.

Hazrat Maulana Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichchawchchvi asked the Indian Muslims to record their protest against the ongoing assaults on monuments and mausoleums. He said that more than 80% of the Muslim population of the world as of India believes in culture of reverence and veneration and all over the globe tombs of great Godly / Saintly men of Islam, friends and family members of Prophet PBUH are revered but a small section of misguided elements has taken upon itself the task of destruction with aid, advice, money and material from gulf monarchies who are vying for world Islamic leadership and are guilty of creating a precedence by themselves destroying monuments of Islam in the birth place of the religion of Allah. Syed Mohammad Ashraf Kichchawchchvi said that this is high time for all the correct thinking people of this world to unite against these terrorists and their hidden masters.