Ribal Al-Assad condemns sacrilege of Islamic Sanctities

Ribal Al-Assad joined in the condemnation of the sacrilege of Islam's religious sanctities, and urged international bodies to take the necessary actions to safeguard Islam's holy sites.

The Wahhabis attacked the mausoleum of Ja'far al-Tayyar, a close companion of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the brother of Shiite Islam's first Imam, and torched his grave in Karak province in Southern Jordan on Saturday.

The desecration of al-Tayyar's grave came only a few days after Wahhabi-backed Nusra Front attacked the mausoleum of Hojr ibn Oday in the Damascus suburb of Adra and exhumed his grave taking his remains to an unknown location. Hojr was a close companion of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and also a companion of Imam Ali (PBUH).

The sacrilege of Islamic sanctities has aroused intense feelings in Muslim lands, specially in Shiite communities.

The Nusra Front, affiliated to the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization, has taken up the responsibility for the desecration of Hojr's grave.

Hojr was a staunch supporter of the first Shiite Imam Ali (PBUH) and led the army of Muslims to victory in several crucial battles. He and his sons finally fell victim to their loyalty to Imam Ali (PBUH) and were murdered at the order of the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah in the year 660 CE.

Commenting on the situation, Ribal Al-Assad, Director of ODFS said:

"I share the strong condemnation of the desecration of these holy sites, these were terrible acts tantamount to a vandalism of the Islamic faith - the perpetrators of these acts evidently have no regard for our shared culture and heritage and I hope that all people of all faiths will condemn these abhorrent actions."

"I call on UNESCO and the UN to take immediate action to halt the destruction of sites of religious and cultural sites in Syria."