Unearthing new tensions?

Fears of sectarian violence rise in Syria after desecration of religious site.

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A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on April 30, 2013, shows smoke billowing from the site believed to be of a blast in the Marjeh district of Damascus. AFP PHOTO / SANA /HO

Death and destruction are commonplace in war-torn Syria, leaving many tragedies under-reported and unnoticed. But Thursday's desecration of a religious grave site, belonging to a companion of Prophet Muhammad, quickly caught the internet's attention.

View the story "Unearthing new tensions?" on StorifyUnearthing new tensions?Fears of sectarian violence rise in Syria after desecration of religious site.Storified by The Stream· Mon, May 06 2013 15:59:33#FSA demolished the mosque of Hajar Bin Uday, a friend of prophet Mohamad,&stole his body from the grave #FSACrimes http://pic.twitter.com/nY1Tu7ckCqG Hujr ibn Adi was burried in Marj Adra, Syria, which lies on the outskirts of Damascus. The tomb, was reportedly bombed and the body was subsequently stolen and moved to an undisclosed location. A group named Jubhat al-Nusra, or Al-Nusra Front, identified as a terrorist organization by the US, has been linked to the attack.Prior to the attack, the tomb looked like this: seekerofthesacredknowledge.wordpress.com

Some online blamed the attack on the Free Syrian Army (FSA) using the hashtag #FSAcrimes, even though FSA is a heterogeneous group and many of its leaders have distanced themselves from Al-Nusra front and its ideology.

#FSA demolished the mosque of Hajar Bin Uday, a friend of prophet Mohamad,&stole his body from the grave #FSACrimes http://pic.twitter.com/nY1Tu7ckCqG Because the shrine is particularly significant to Shia Muslims, many fear that the attack was an attempt at exacerbating sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shias.Others online also discussed the sectarian dimension of the incident.Hujr Ibn Adi was a companion of the Holy Prophet (s) just as much as Imam Ali (as). We will stand up against this #shiaoppressionSumayya Where can i read an authentic report about the grave of Hujr Ibn Adi (R) being demolished? No shia sources please, don't want fairytales..Ibn AliDON'T turn the desecration of Hujr Ibn Adi's grave into a shia/sunni issue. It's a crime against history&humanity. #UnitedAgainstExtremistsRida_ZehraOf course, religious sites have long been targets in the violence in Syria, including the destruction of the UNESCO-listed Umayyad mosque's minaret in Aleppo.Minaret of ancient Aleppo mosque destroyed http://aje.me/10BbZYBAl Jazeera EnglishOthers argued that the human toll of the war in Syria deserved more attention. A blogger named Dawud Walid wrote:Let’s also put things into perspective that Syrians being killed is far more reprehensible than the exhuming of this or any other gravedawudwalid.wordpress.com