![\"Temple](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/319\/2019\/01\/01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>Damage caused by ISIS has been replaced by damage caused by airstrikes<\/h2>\n
For the first time in five years, the destruction of religious sites of all faiths by ISIS largely came to an end in 2018.\u00a0 One of the last major religious sites reported destroyed by ISIS was the Sufi Shrine<\/em><\/strong> in Kirkuk.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the carnage of war goes on.\u00a0 Earlier in the year, allied military aircraft carried out numerous attacks in northern Syria and Iraq that have reduced many of the region\u2019s religious sites to rubble.\u00a0 Ancient Assyrian churches and Yazidi temples have been particularly hard-hit.\u00a0 The most tragic loss in the fighting this year was the Temple of Ain Dara<\/em><\/strong> in Northern Syria.\u00a0 More than half of this 3000 year old temple, a contemporary of Solomon\u2019s Temple in Jerusalem, now lies in ruins.<\/p>\n Further south, airstrikes in the ongoing conflict in Yemen seem to be deliberately targeting ancient religious sites despite the protests of UNESCO.\u00a0 Many of these have been destroyed over the last few years, most recently the fourth century BC Temple of Nakrah<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 In a related tragedy, an arms cache in Baghdad accidentally exploded, destroying an historic Sadr City Mosque<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0It is unclear if the cache was being kept inside the mosque.<\/p>\n In general, destruction of sacred sites of one religious group by another religious group appears to have decreased in 2018, especially in Africa.\u00a0 However, even Africa was not immune; despite significant improvements in both Nigeria and Niger, bombings of mosques were reported in both countries.\u00a0 Both Christian and Muslim religious sites have been targeted by extremist groups in Libya.\u00a0 One of the most prominent sites destroyed in Africa this year was not in the Sahara region at all, but the Njelele Shrine<\/em><\/strong> near the town of Matobo in Zimbabwe, which was bombed by an as yet unidentified attacker.<\/p>\n The Indian Subcontinent witnessed significant religious unrest this year.\u00a0 A Sunni mob destroyed the historic Ahmadi Mosque<\/em><\/strong>in Sialkot, Pakistan, while bombings of mosques and churches were reported in Afghanistan and Nepal, respectively.\u00a0 In India, mob attacks against churches took place in the east-central region, notably Odisha.\u00a0 The Sangameshwar Church<\/em><\/strong>, the only church in a small village near Hyderabad, was completely destroyed.<\/p>\n Deliberate demolitions of sacred places around the world were up last year.\u00a0 Many of these were due to the inability or unwillingness of religious groups to maintain aging structures.\u00a0 New England in the United States noted a large number of such demolitions, especially of Catholic structures in Massachusetts.\u00a0 These include (or will soon include) the Mater Dolorosa Church<\/em><\/strong> in Holyoke, the Notre Dame Church<\/em><\/strong> in Worcester, and the Immaculate Conception Church<\/em><\/strong> in Fall River.<\/p>\n In other places, demolitions have taken place in the name of \u201cprogress.\u201d \u00a0The Indian province of Maharashtra has witnessed a number of such losses lately, including the Durga Devi Temple<\/em><\/strong> in Nagpur and the Bawkhaleshwar Temple<\/em><\/strong> in Navi Mumbai. Malaysia also saw the destruction of a number of Hindu shrines for similar reasons. The popular Bridge Temple<\/em><\/strong> in Port Klang may be among these in the near future.<\/p>\n China experienced the loss of many churches and mosques in 2018.\u00a0 Prominent demolitions have included two Catholic Marian shrines, the Church of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows<\/em><\/strong> and the Church of Our Lady of Bliss<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 Also demolished was theGolden Lampstand Church<\/em><\/strong> in Shaanxi province, one of the largest churches in China.\u00a0 In neighboring Myanmar, the deliberate destruction of churches was widespread.<\/p>\n In a few cases, religious sites that were previously damaged faced (or will soon face) the wrecking ball. Among these were the United Orthodox Synagogue<\/em><\/strong> in Houston, Texas, damaged by flooding from Hurricane Harvey; the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament<\/em><\/strong> in Christchurch, New Zealand, damaged by earthquake; and St. Mary\u2019s cathedral<\/em><\/strong> in Marawi, Philippines, damaged by sectarian fighting.<\/p>\n Other losses in 2018 include the the Kilifi Mosque<\/em><\/strong> in Kilifi, Kenya, torn down due to a land dispute; and the Breslov Synagogue<\/em><\/strong> in Elad, Israel, which had been constructed illegally.\u00a0 And, in what may have been the most shameful demolition of the entire year, the St. Lambertus Cathedral <\/em><\/strong>was razed, along with many of the historic buildings of Immerath, Germany, in order to make way for a coal mining operation.<\/p>\n Once again, catastrophic storms ravaged the American South this year, with Hurricane Michael dominating the headlines this October.\u00a0 Michael, and other major weather events in 2018, laid waste to churches from the Caribbean islands to Virginia.\u00a0 Notable losses include St. Dominic Catholic Church<\/em><\/strong> in Panama City, Florida; the West Point Baptist Church<\/em><\/strong> in Jacksonville, Alabama; and the Central Baptist Church<\/em><\/strong> in Appomattox, Virginia.\u00a0 In Italy, the city of Venice experienced some of its worst storm surges ever, leaving many historic churches underwater. \u00a0The Basilica of St. Mark<\/em><\/strong>, where the Biblical Evangelist is buried, received minor damage from flooding that lasted more than half a day.<\/p>\n In general, earthquakes and their attendant tsunamis did far less damage this year than usual.\u00a0 There were a few major exceptions, however.\u00a0 A series of earthquakes in Japan left many shrines there damaged to varying degrees, including the Myotokuji Temple<\/em><\/strong> in Osaka.\u00a0 The worst destruction was seen in Indonesia, especially around the island of Sulawesi. \u00a0Sulawesi was hit by a string of major earthquakes and tsunamis that leveled entire regions.\u00a0 Hundreds of churches and mosques were completely laid waste. The city of Palu, ground zero of the devastation, saw the loss of many religious buildings. The foundation of its famous Floating Mosque<\/em><\/strong> was compromised, leaving the mosque partially submerged and with an uncertain future.<\/p>\n Every year, fires, both accidental and deliberate, devastate religious sites around the world, and 2018 was no exception.\u00a0 Major arson attacks appear to have decreased worldwide this year, but sadly there were still many.\u00a0 Among these was the badly damaged Koca Sinan Camii Mosque<\/em><\/strong> in Berlin, Germany; the historic Bethel Community Church<\/em><\/strong> in Newport, Wales, which was spread from a nearby fire started by arson; and the Islamic Cultural Center of Hassleholm<\/em><\/strong>, Sweden, where arson is suspected.<\/p>\n Accidental fires hit religious sites in the United States especially hard this year.\u00a0 Losses include the House of Israel Temple of Faith<\/em><\/strong>, a Black Hebrew Temple, on the south side of Chicago; the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church<\/em><\/strong> in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and the Shriner\u2019s Oman Temple<\/em><\/strong> in Flint, Michigan. \u00a0The First Baptist Church<\/em><\/strong> in Wakefield, Massachusetts was completely destroyed by fire, though a painting of Jesus that had been hanging in the church was spared, and the Emanuel Episcopal Church<\/em><\/strong>in Brooklyn, New York had the misfortune of burning down for the second time in less than a dozen years.\u00a0 The toll taken on religious sites by the California wildfires has not even been tallied yet.<\/p>\n The Watford Hindu Temple<\/em><\/strong> in Watford, England, a gift of musician George Harrison, narrowly escaped destruction when a neighboring barn on the property burned down.\u00a0 The Beit Midrash Morasha Synagogue<\/em><\/strong> in Cape Town, South Africa, was not so lucky. \u00a0It was completely destroyed by fire, along with millions of dollars in historic Torah scrolls.\u00a0 Probably the most devastating fire, in terms of historic importance, was that which struck the Jokhang Temple<\/em><\/strong> in Lhasa, Tibet.\u00a0 The Jokhang Temple, one of the most sacred Buddhist<\/a> temples in the world, was not completely destroyed, though the extent of the damage is not fully known.<\/p>\n The Complete Pilgrim would like to dedicate this year\u2019s article to the many victims of religious violence around the world in 2018.\u00a0 In particular, it is dedicated to the eleven congregants killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, close to where I attended college; and to the 42 worshippers killed at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Alinandao in the Central African Republic, across the border from where I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chad.<\/p>\nSectarian violence and vandalism target shrines in Africa and Asia<\/h2>\n
Demolitions on the rise from Massachusetts to Maharastra<\/h2>\n
Historic shrines lost to storms in the Americas, earthquakes in the Far East<\/h2>\n
Fires take their usual heavy toll on religious sites around the world<\/h2>\n
In Memoriam<\/h2>\n