The Islamic State (Isis) terrorists have destroyed the 1,500-year-old Mar Elian Catholic monastery in Qaryatain. The terrorists also threw away the mortal remains of the popular saint, reports said.
The terror group has posted a series of images online showing its fighters razing the ancient Christian monastery to ground. In the pictures, the terrorists are seen digging up the remains of Saint Elian, the Roman saint after whom the monastery was named.
According to Express.co.uk, the images show the terrorists using an excavator to throw away the "sacred bones" of the saint. The church and the monastery were built on the spot where Saint Elian was killed by his father, a Roman officer, after he refused to denounce his Christian faith.
Earlier this month, Isis defeated the Syrian forces and captured Qaryatain. After taking over the Syrian city, the terrorist group abducted over 250 Christians, including women and children from the area. Father Jacques Mouraud, a senior priest from the Mar Elian Catholic monastery, is also among those abducted by Isis. Some fear that he may have been killed the terror group.
Isis, which is a Wahhabi group, considers all other religions as pagan practices opposed to the dictates of Allah. Several minority groups, including Shia Muslims and Yazidis, have been persecuted by the Isis.
