With refugees on its border, Greece fears for its ancient sites

Asmaa al-Batakoshi

The flow of refugees to the Greek border raises from the entry into Europe of members of the Islamic State group.

This also raises fears from potential security problems as a result of the presence of these refugees on the Greek border.

There are fears in Greece for the safety of historical sites. These fears take into account the destruction by ISIS of historical sites in Iraq.

Greece bursts at the seams with historical sites. Most of these sites are registered as an international human heritage.

Destruction of Mosul

ISIS shocked the world on February 26, 2015, when posted a video showing the destruction of ancient sites in the southern part of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

The video showed ISIS terrorists destroying relics inside the museum of the city with hammers. Other organization terrorists opened their gunfire to destroy ancient pieces inside the museum.

ISIS overran Mosul in 2014 before it captured other areas in Iraq. The terrorist group demolished the homes of thousands of Christians. It also destroyed more than 120 sites in the city, including churches.

In some parts of the city, ISIS terrorists forced Christians to convert to Islam or pay a tax in return for keeping their faith.

About 1.5 million Christians lived in Iraq, especially in Baghdad, Erbil, Mosul, Kirkuk and Basra, in the 1980s, according to official statistics.

UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, described the destruction of ancient sites in Iraq by ISIS as a “cultural massacre”.

She launched a campaign for the protection of threatened sites.

Greece said it would not allow the refugees to enter it in an illegal manner.

The country’s prime minister said those who do not have the legal right to enter Greece would be deported to their country.

Those who will stay in Greece, he said, will lead a dignified life.