Church Built in 1873 Demolished as ISIS Continues to Erase Iraq’s Christian History 

4/26/2016 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Islamic State militants, on Monday, April 25, used explosives to destroy the well-known Clock Church in Mosul, Iraq. The Clock Church was built in the 1870s, paid for by Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.

The Islamic State has controlled the city of Mosul since June 2014, displacing thousands and entrapping many more within their walls. The militants have made it a habit to strip and destroy ancient cultural icons that show an Iraqi history prior to Islam. The Clock Church of Mosul now joins the list along with the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, The Temple of Bel, the Arch of Triumph, and the Gate of God.

The group reportedly planted bombs beneath the Clock Church for its destruction, though no official statements have emerged as to why. While ISIS has maintained its stronghold in Mosul, there has been ongoing fighting with Kurdish forces and the US backed coalition.

In Mosul, citizens live under the brutality of extreme Sharia law. Reports of human rights atrocities including public executions and human trafficking are all too commonplace in the region. While the city used to be home to thousands of Christians, almost all have fled to save their own lives.

The Chaldean Patriarch for Iraq, Luis Sako was raised in the Clock Church, which was located just over a hundred yards from his childhood home. “It’s special in Iraq, rich with historical photos and icons,” he told Iraq Today. “Destroying that church is destroying the Christian’s history and heritage, it’s really painful to[a] Christian to see this and that’s why they are leaving the country.” 

The Patriarch also said that the church housed a school, a library and an orphanage within its walls and that the iconic clock tower served the Muslim community as to when prayer time was to be held.

ICC’s Regional Manager for South Asia, William Stark, said, “We here at ICC are, again, heartbroken by the systematic destruction of the historical property of Christians by ISIS. The group has been relentless in its efforts to wipe out the Christian heritage of Iraq, as well as that of Syria. We grieve with the Christian communities in Iraq who continue to suffer immensely under the Islamic State occupation. We call on the United State and other allies to step up efforts to protect the lives and the history of religious minorities from the barbaric actions of the Islamic State.”