Prophet Jonah’s burial site destroyed by militants

Tuesday, July 29th, 2014

Islamic militants have blown up a shrine traditionally regarded as the burial place of the Old Testament prophet Jonah.

ISIS militants ordered everyone out of the mosque of the Prophet Younis (Jonah) in Mosul in Iraq on July 24, before blowing it up.

The mosque was built on an archaeological site dating back to the eighth century BC and is said to be the burial place of the prophet, who in stories from both the Bible and Qur’an is swallowed by a sea creature.

It was a popular destination for religious pilgrims from around the world.

The militants claimed the mosque had become a place for apostasy, not prayer.

Additional reading

News category: News Shorts.

Tags: Bible, Islam, Mosul, Prophet Jonah, Terrorism, Younis

The optimism of Timothy Radcliffe

Fr Timothy Radcliffe, the Dominican friar, was chosen by Pope Francis to lead the three-day retreat for all participants prior to the first assembly last October of the Synod on Synodality. This was a position of great trust given the Read more

Theologian: The future of the church is local

In Europe, the number of church members is declining – but Christianity remains strong worldwide. However, the structures do not remain stable, but are constantly changing. Thomas Schlag is Professor of Practical Theology at the University of Zurich, where he Read more

The perils and necessities of saying ‘I don’t know’

When I was studying political science in graduate school, I was surrounded by students who were much smarter than me. Most of my fellow students at the University of California Berkeley went to Ivy League schools as undergraduates. They were Read more

Survey: New priests are young and involved in their community

The incoming class of seminarians who will be ordained in 2024 is young and involved in their community, an annual survey released April 15 found. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commissioned the Center for Applied Research (CARA) at Georgetown Read more

CathNews New Zealand