The United States is worried about reports that Iran may destroy the tomb some believe holds the remains of the biblical figures Esther and Mordechai.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said Wednesday that it “is troubled by reported threats to the tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamedan, Iran, and emphasizes the Iranian government’s responsibility to protect religious sites.”
The statement comes after the Alliance for Rights of All Minorities in Iran said that the potential destruction was in retaliation for President Trump’s proposed peace plan that would give Palestinians a state and would freeze settlement construction for a period of four years. Palestinians have firmly rejected the proposal as being too favorable to Israel.
ARAM, a group that promotes human rights in Iran, tweeted on Sunday, “According to covering reports, members of Iranian #Basij attempted to raid the historic site yesterday in an act of revenge against the Israelis Palestinian peace plan by President Trump.”
According to covering reports, members of Iranian #Basij attempted to raid the historic site yesterday in an act of revenge against the Israelis Palestinian peace plan by President Trump. #dealofcentury. #EsterandMordechai pic.twitter.com/TspHom7VWM
— ARAM Iran (@ARAMalliance) February 16, 2020
The Basij is an Iranian paramilitary organization that operates under the auspices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Erasure of ancient religious sites in the Middle East is not new. The Islamic State released a video in 2014 showing the destruction of a Sunni mosque in Iraq known as Nabi Yunus, which is purported to be the burial place of the biblical prophet Jonah.
