[View the story "Unearthing new tensions?" on Storify ]Unearthing 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
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.
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 Ali
DON'T turn the desecration of Hujr Ibn Adi's grave into a shia/sunni issue. It's a crime against history&humanity. #UnitedAgainstExtremistsRida_Zehra
Of 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.
Others 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
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