{"id":2505767,"date":"2025-11-02T12:58:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T17:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-ancient-iraqi-churches-reopen-after-brutal-isis-attacks\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T12:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T17:59:12","slug":"two-ancient-iraqi-churches-reopen-after-brutal-isis-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-ancient-iraqi-churches-reopen-after-brutal-isis-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Ancient Iraqi Churches Reopen After Brutal ISIS Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftwo-ancient-iraqi-churches-reopen-after-brutal-isis-attacks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2505767&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports on the reopening of two historic Christian churches in Mosul, Iraq, a decade after they were destroyed by ISIS during their occupation of the region. The Mar Toma Syriac Orthodox Church,dating back to the 7th century,and the Chaldean Catholic Church of Al-Tahira were both heavily damaged by ISIS,which also used Mar Toma as a prison and destroyed meaningful religious artifacts like the 13th-century Door of the Twelve Apostles. Restoration efforts included removing mines and repairing architectural details. Church leaders emphasized the importance of these sites as symbols of faith, history, and community. Despite Mosul&#8217;s large population, only about 60 Christian families remain, reflecting the severe decline and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-parental-rights-group-files-complaint-against-illinois-school-for-racist-black-and-hispanic-only-programs\/\" title=\"Parental rights group files complaint against Illinois school for racially exclusive programs\">ongoing discrimination faced<\/a> by Christians in Iraq. the reopening of these churches marks a symbolic step toward preserving the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-pompeo-we-defended-israel-brought-iran-to-its-knees-biden-reversing-historic-progress\/\" title=\"Mike Pompeo: \u2018We Defended Israel\u2019, Brought Iran \u2018to Its Knees\u2019 \u2014 Biden Reversing \u2018Historic Progress\u2019\">christian heritage<\/a> and history in a city once declared ISIS&#8217;s capital.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>ISIS infamously destroyed many historic Christian sites in the Levant during their reign of terror in the region.<\/p>\n<p>That included several churches in Iraq, some of which have stood for centuries or even more than a millennium.<\/p>\n<p>Two of those churches were finally rebuilt a decade after they were destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>Mar Toma, a Syriac Orthodox church which dates to the seventh century, and the Chaldean Catholic Church of Al-Tahira were both reopened on Oct. 15, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/en\/church\/news\/2025-10\/mosul-inauguration-churches-isis-islamic-state-iraq-christian.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawNg-V1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFlaW85MDl0a1RPOUpKd1B0AR7kqcAHixOH0CQznZFe_ueH1UaYBKA6_wBZg9IFBVsAJNGO7AsD-UXCVFUZAw_aem_mA6qNl2b533FxOYlrP2Oqw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from Vatican News.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These churches are our roots, our history,&rdquo; Patriarch Louis Rapha&euml;l Sako, the head of Iraq&rsquo;s Chaldean Church, said in a statement to reporters.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> console.log(\"A\/B Test Video Player\"); \/\/ Helper function to set a cookie function setVideoCookie(name, value, days) {     var expires=\"\";     if (days) {         var date=new Date();         date.setTime(date.getTime() + (days*24*60*60*1000));         expires=\"; expires=\" + date.toUTCString();     }     document.cookie=name + \"=\" + (value || \"\")  + expires + \"; path=\/\"; }  \/\/ Helper function to get a cookie function getVideoCookie(name) {     var nameEQ=name + \"=\";     var ca=document.cookie.split(';');     for(var i=0; i <ca.length; i++) {         var c=ca[i];         while (c.charAt(0)==' ') c=c.substring(1,c.length);         if (c.indexOf(nameEQ)==0) return c.substring(nameEQ.length,c.length);     }     return null; }  \/\/ Function to determine or retrieve the split test group function assignSplitTestGroup() {     var group=getVideoCookie('splitTestGroup'); 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        observeElement(paragraphToObserve);     }); }  \/\/ stn function stnPlayer() {     \/\/ may want to pass in         document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() {         function loadScript(src) {             const script=document.createElement(\"script\");             script.src=src;             script.async=true;             document.body.appendChild(script);         }         function findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) {             const targetElement=document.querySelector(selector);             if (!targetElement) {                 console.warn(\"Target element not found.\");                 return null;             }              \/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document             let paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));              \/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element             let targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING); 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        }          \/\/ Add custom styles for STN player         const style=document.createElement('style');         style.textContent=`         #videoPlayer {             min-height: 460px;             margin-bottom: 10px;         }         @media only screen and (max-width: 780px) {             #videoPlayer {                 min-height: 200px;             }         }         `;         document.head.appendChild(style);          \/\/ Add needed div for STN player         const stnDiv=document.createElement(\"div\");         \/\/ add data-stn-player attribute         stnDiv.setAttribute(\"data-stn-player\", \"s28Az7AY\");         document.getElementById(\"videoPlayer\").appendChild(stnDiv);           \/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #videoPlayer and observe it         let paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#videoPlayer\", 2);         observeElement(paragraphToObserve);     }); }  \/\/ Assign user to a group window.adUserGroup=assignSplitTestGroup(); let isSubbed=getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ); 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They are the memory of faith, history, and community,&rdquo; Archbishop Najeeb Michael Moussa, the Chaldean bishop of Mosul, said during the reopening ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>Zenit added that teams had to remove mines and other explosives ISIS had left at the locations.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to restoring the Door of the Twelve Apostles, craftsmen fixed the geometric vaults of Al Tahira.<\/p>\n<p>Both churches are in Mosul, the major Iraqi city which ISIS had declared to be their capital.<\/p>\n<p>Mosul is built on the ruins of ancient Nineveh, the city where the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >violent pagan population<\/a> had repented after the preaching of Jonah, as recorded in the book of the Bible bearing the prophet&rsquo;s name.<\/p>\n<p>There are only 60 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/historian-dire-warning-west-islam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christian<\/a> families left in Mosul, which is a city of almost two million people.<\/p>\n<p>The overall Christian population in Iraq is a mere 0.4 percent, according to the ministry <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opendoorsuk.org\/persecution\/world-watch-list\/iraq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Open Doors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Different Christian denominations, such as the Assyrian and Chaldean churches, are all seriously affected by discrimination and violence from militant groups and government authorities,&rdquo; the organization said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In central and southern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dearborn-chief-brags-islamizing-police-force-slips-arabic-disturbing-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iraq<\/a>, many Christians avoid displaying religious symbols due to fear of harassment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISIS notoriously demolished numerous historic Christian landmarks across the Levant during their period of terror in the area. This destruction included several ancient churches in Iraq, some of which had existed for hundreds or even over a thousand years. A decade after their devastation, two of these churches were restored and reopened. Mar Toma, a Syriac Orthodox church dating back to the seventh century, along with the Chaldean Catholic Church of Al-Tahira, both held reopening ceremonies on October 15, as reported by Vatican News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2505769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Michael-Featured-Image-248.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[66337,66339,17259,66338,4546],"class_list":["post-2505767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ancient-churches","tag-heritage-restoration","tag-iraq","tag-isis-attacks","tag-reopening"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Michael-Featured-Image-248.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2505767"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2505772,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505767\/revisions\/2505772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2505769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2505767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2505767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2505767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}