The Islamic State’s Targeting of Christians and their Heritage: Genocide, Displacement and Reconciliation

The rapid advance of the ‘Islamic State’ (IS) across Syria and Iraq from 2013 had devastating consequences for the myriad peoples and heritage sites of the region. However, few studies have documented how those most affected perceive the destruction of their heritage, its complex relationship to their persecution and displacement, and the role they see for reconstruction in fostering peace. This paper addresses this lacuna by analysing interviews with Syrian and Iraqi Christians along three specific but inter-connected axes. First, in terms of genocide and belonging, respondents reported experiencing the destruction as a key component of the broader persecution, leading to a profound rupture of their sense of communal identity. Second, the axis of displacement and return reveals that the destruction was a key catalyst in their decision to flee, shaped their experiences of exile and attitudes to return. And finally, along the axis of reconstruction and reconciliation respondents held complex and divergent views on the extent to which rebuilding could play a role in fostering peace. The article concludes by noting that the insights gleaned from this case advances studies of heritage in conflict and that being sensitive to local sentiment could enhance projects to reconstruct heritage in conflict.