Damascus: Over the span of eight years, more than 120 churches were destroyed in the civil war that ensued in Syria. According to a report compiled by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), such attacks were carried out on the Christian places of worship in order to create an atmosphere of fear and tension resulting in Christians departing from the conflicted place. The SNHR is a Britain based war surveillance organisation, affiliated to the opposition party in Syria; that keeps a record of the happenings in wartorn areas like Syria.
Unlike the demolition of St. Elian Monastery of the Holmes Province in 2015 by the ISIS, many churches were destroyed using shells and rockets. Before the war began, Syria housed an approximate of 10% Christians, out of its total population.
Aeons ago, the Islamists were tolerant of Christians residing in their region. Therefore, until the reign of King Bashar Al- Assad, complete freedom of worship was granted to the Catholics who lived in Syria.
