Poor, Edmund W stated for the record:
What is the stance of the Islamic community on
militants taking refuge
inside a mosque? Are they permitted to use mosques as military bases?
What is the stance of the Islamic community on armies attacking
militants who take refuge inside mosques?
Who is the desecrator:
* the armed men who take refuge inside the mosque and use it as a base
to attack enemies; or,
* those who attack the armed men inside the mosque?
I've heard that in international law, both sides to a conflict should
avoid damaging holy places. But I've also heard that if soldiers from
one side occupy a "holy place", then the other side is no longer bound
by international law. That is, the holy place loses its protected status
and becomes a legitimate target.
Where in the Wikipedia can I find information about these matters?
Ed Poor
The Hague Convention Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land,
Annex to the Convention, Article 27 (signed 1907) provides:
"In sieges and bombardments all necessary steps must be taken to spare,
as far as possible, buildings dedicated to religions, art, science, or
charitable purposes, historic monument, hospitals, and places where the
sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not being used at the
time for military purposes.
"It is the dury of the besieged to indicate the presence of such
buildings or places by distinctive and visible signs, which shall be
notified to the enemy beforehand."
Similar clauses can be found in numerous later conventions and treaties.
Now go thou and Wikipediate.
--
Sean Barrett | I got the white stars you wanted, but
sean(a)epoptic.com | I couldn't find any red hearts, yellow
| moons, or green clovers. --Betsy Ross