Saudi, US-Backed Militants Damage Top Shia Shrine in North Syria

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On Thursday, al Qaeda-linked rebels bombed an important shrine in the city of Raqqa, Syria. The attack took place on the Shrine of Ammar bin Yasser and Owais al-Qarni, and The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that al Qaeda splinter group Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS, sometimes ISIL for Levantine) is responsible.Bin Yasser, one of the two individuals interred at the shrine, was an early companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and is revered by Sunni and Shia Muslims. His shrine was a top destination for Shiite pilgrims seeking to give homage to his religious accomplishments. Al-Qarni was also an early Muslim, contemporaneous to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was well noted for his support of the prophet’s family.Photos of the mosque of Ammar bin Yasir and Uwais al-Qarani posted on the internet on Wednesday showed extensive damage to the exterior walls and roof of the site.Other pictures showed concrete and twisted metal strewn on the street outside the mosque with an interior wall collapsed inward.The site, seized over a year ago by militants fighting against the Syrian government, was once a destination for Shia Muslim pilgrims from Iran, Lebanon and Iraq.As important figures in Islamic history, the attack on the shrines of these figures will likely be viewed as an affront to the Shiite Muslims who typically perform pilgrimages at the memorial. While Sunni Muslims view the two personalities favorably, they typically avoid attending or visiting shrines of any revered figures, believing the practice to be an “innovation” and thus sinful. Despite this, multiple Sunni groups have expressed anger at the attack.Analysts believe the attack marks a critical change in Syria. In 2013, similar attacks occurred when Nusra Front rebels exhumed the thousand year old grave of Hujr ibn Adi, and stole the remains, posting photos of the incident on Facebook. Ibn Adi is a highly respected historical figure for Shiite Muslims, and the unusual attack prompted a heightened response from throughout the Shia world. Shortly thereafter, rebels launched a rocket attack on the shrine of Lady Zainab, granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad,  as well as destruction of churches in the Christian village of Maaloula, near the capital city of Damascus.Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Some sources say over 140,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria./129