Photos: Protecting worshippers as sanctuaries turn soft target for attacks

Updated On Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

From the Vatican's St. Peter's Square to the Great Synagogue of Sydney, armed guards provide earthly protection for worshippers as they seek out the divine. And still an unexpected noise can send a spasm of fear through a congregation. Synagogues, mosques, churches and other houses of worship are routinely at risk of attack in many parts of the world. There is a security checkpoint to reach the Western Wall, the holy site of prayer in Jerusalem's Old City. Shiite pilgrims in Iraq, whether on their way to Basra or performing rituals in Karbala, are surrounded by uniformed soldiers.

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An Indian police officer talks on a phone while standing guard outside the 16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Synagogues, mosques, churches and other houses of worship are routinely at risk of attack in many parts of the world. And so worshippers themselves often feel the need for visible, tangible protection even as they seek the divine. (Aijaz Rahi / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

An Indian police officer talks on a phone while standing guard outside the 16th-century Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Synagogues, mosques, churches and other houses of worship are routinely at risk of attack in many parts of the world. And so worshippers themselves often feel the need for visible, tangible protection even as they seek the divine. (Aijaz Rahi / AP)

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Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary policemen, patrol in St. Peter's Square as faithful line up to pass through security checks at the Vatican. From the Vatican to the Great Synagogue of Sydney, armed guards provide earthly protection for worshippers. And still an unexpected noise can send a spasm of fear through a congregation. (Gregorio Borgia / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary policemen, patrol in St. Peter's Square as faithful line up to pass through security checks at the Vatican. From the Vatican to the Great Synagogue of Sydney, armed guards provide earthly protection for worshippers. And still an unexpected noise can send a spasm of fear through a congregation. (Gregorio Borgia / AP)

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People go through a security check so they can enter the Western Wall. There is a security checkpoint to reach the Wall, the holy site of prayer in Jerusalem’s Old City. Shiite pilgrims in Iraq, whether on their way to Basra or performing rituals in Karbala, are surrounded by uniformed soldiers. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

People go through a security check so they can enter the Western Wall. There is a security checkpoint to reach the Wall, the holy site of prayer in Jerusalem’s Old City. Shiite pilgrims in Iraq, whether on their way to Basra or performing rituals in Karbala, are surrounded by uniformed soldiers. (Oded Balilty / AP)

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New York City police officers watch as rabbis gather for a group photo at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York. The NYPD has increased patrols at houses of worship in light of the recent fatal shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. At risk of attack in many parts of the world, even worshippers in America are not immune after the recent Pittsburg shooting. (Mark Lennihan / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

New York City police officers watch as rabbis gather for a group photo at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York. The NYPD has increased patrols at houses of worship in light of the recent fatal shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. At risk of attack in many parts of the world, even worshippers in America are not immune after the recent Pittsburg shooting. (Mark Lennihan / AP)

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Soldiers patrol at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France. Eleven people died in a Pittsburgh synagogue last month when an anti-Semitic gunman burst inside, raging against Jews. It ranked among the deadliest attacks on Jews in the United States, a country founded on religious tolerance and a spirit of welcome in houses of worship. (Michel Euler / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

Soldiers patrol at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France. Eleven people died in a Pittsburgh synagogue last month when an anti-Semitic gunman burst inside, raging against Jews. It ranked among the deadliest attacks on Jews in the United States, a country founded on religious tolerance and a spirit of welcome in houses of worship. (Michel Euler / AP)

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A Christian militiaman stands guard during Easter mass in Qaraqosh, Iraq. In Iraq, houses of worship have been favourite targets for the warring parties since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, unleashing a widespread violence and a sectarian war. Since then, Iraqis have welcomed the security blanketing mosques, churches and temples. (Maya Alleruzzo / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

A Christian militiaman stands guard during Easter mass in Qaraqosh, Iraq. In Iraq, houses of worship have been favourite targets for the warring parties since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, unleashing a widespread violence and a sectarian war. Since then, Iraqis have welcomed the security blanketing mosques, churches and temples. (Maya Alleruzzo / AP)

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Pakistani police officers stand guard outside Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Karachi, Pakistan. “I feel comfortable when I see security guards at the mosque gate and their presence brings tranquility while praying,” said Fadhil al-Kinani, a 45-year old owner of a construction materials shop in Baghdad’s eastern district of Sadr City, who performs the five daily prayer services in a nearby mosque. (Shakil Adil / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

Pakistani police officers stand guard outside Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Karachi, Pakistan. “I feel comfortable when I see security guards at the mosque gate and their presence brings tranquility while praying,” said Fadhil al-Kinani, a 45-year old owner of a construction materials shop in Baghdad’s eastern district of Sadr City, who performs the five daily prayer services in a nearby mosque. (Shakil Adil / AP)

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Afghan security guard the gate of the Karti Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan. In Denmark, a Jewish security guard protecting the main synagogue was shot to death in 2015 after blocking an Islamic extremist gunman trying to get inside. Guards are routinely posted outside services and rituals for a variety of religions in Afghanistan and Pakistan, yet still attackers find ways to kill. (Rahmat Gul / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

Afghan security guard the gate of the Karti Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan. In Denmark, a Jewish security guard protecting the main synagogue was shot to death in 2015 after blocking an Islamic extremist gunman trying to get inside. Guards are routinely posted outside services and rituals for a variety of religions in Afghanistan and Pakistan, yet still attackers find ways to kill. (Rahmat Gul / AP)

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Somali security forces patrol the Isbaheysiga mosque in the capital Mogadishu. Shiite cleric Mir Hussain Nasiri bemoans the cost ever-more-intrusive security has had on congregations. For most worshippers the peace that they once found in their mosques has been replaced by fear. “Even the sound of a tea cup dropping and breaking will frighten people. Immediately they think maybe it is an attack,” he said. (Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

Somali security forces patrol the Isbaheysiga mosque in the capital Mogadishu. Shiite cleric Mir Hussain Nasiri bemoans the cost ever-more-intrusive security has had on congregations. For most worshippers the peace that they once found in their mosques has been replaced by fear. “Even the sound of a tea cup dropping and breaking will frighten people. Immediately they think maybe it is an attack,” he said. (Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP)

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An Indian soldier guards a Hindu temple in Srinagar. Back in the day, the House of the Lord had 212 guards — or so the Old Testament book of Chronicles says — “toward the east, west, north and south.” “You must feel safe to pray,” said the Rev. Patrick Desbois, a French Holocaust researcher, priest and advocate for Yazidi people in Iraq. “If you are praying and you have an eye on the back door, it is very difficult.” (Dar Yasin / AP)

Updated on Nov 07, 2018 05:27 pm IST

An Indian soldier guards a Hindu temple in Srinagar. Back in the day, the House of the Lord had 212 guards — or so the Old Testament book of Chronicles says — “toward the east, west, north and south.” “You must feel safe to pray,” said the Rev. Patrick Desbois, a French Holocaust researcher, priest and advocate for Yazidi people in Iraq. “If you are praying and you have an eye on the back door, it is very difficult.” (Dar Yasin / AP)

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