The Islamic State Destroys Palmyra Temple

ISIS militants have decided to destroy a temple that was dedicated to Baal more than 1500 years ago.
ISIS took over the ancient site of Palmyra in late May the city is located between Damascus and the Euphrates River. ISIS had for a long time refrained from causing major damage to the site but this month changed their plan by murdering the Head of Antiquities of the site along with more than twenty others.

That was within a week before they had destroyed buildings that had remained through the Byzantium era and the Arab conquest as well as the Crusades.

In Christian Fundamentalism pagan temples do not need to be destroyed by human efforts* (especially when no one is worshiping a pagan god there.) However, many Islamic fundamentalists see thing differently: They view any image of a creature as something that should be destroyed--it doesn't have to be worshiped by anyone.

Palmyra (Image from BBC)

Like in Christianity and Judaism the worship of physical idols has always been condemned. In Islam one example can be found in Surah 29:17:

"You worship only idols instead of God, and thus you invent a mere falsehood. Surely those that you worship instead of God do not have power to provide for you; so seek all your provision from God, and worship Him and be thankful to Him. To Him you are being brought back. "

*: To be clear Christian Fundamentalism insists that Pagan practice to wiped out but necessarily not the physical building or all the images in it--so long as they're not worshiped.