Mosul: An organization, led by UNESCO, have joined hands to rebuild the Our Lady of the Hour Temple, known as “Al Sa”, which was destroyed by Islamic State militants in the Iraqi city of Mosul. It is noteworthy that Muslim brethren too, are a part of this group. Built-in the 19th century, the church is the headquarters of the Kurdistan Catholic Church in northern Iraq. In 2014-2016, many mosques were destroyed, including the Islamic State al-Sa’a, which was controlled by Mosul. The militants also included a convent under the shrine, which was destroyed by militants.
The restoration of the shrine is a joint partnership between UNESCO, the United Arab Emirates, and the Dominican Church under the Catholic Church as part of its “Mosul’s Spirit Recovery” project. The Dominican priest who oversees the rebuilding of the shrine, Fr. Said Olivier Pouillon. The UAE is giving more than $ 5 billion to the renovation of Mosul’s heritage symbols, the Al Sa’a Shrine and the Al Tahera Syriac Catholic Church.
The UAE was the first Arab country to undertake the renovation of Christian churches in Iraq. The UAE’s move is viewed as a model of mutual welfare commitment to peace restoration. Many Christians fled Mosul for fear of being attacked by Islamic State militants. UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Noura al-Kabi said the Christians who fled the country are expected to return to their homeland. Hungary, the European country, had come to the aid of the rebuilding of churches in Iraq.
