The fate of churches and synagogues, as that of Christians and Jews, varied from country and ruler to ruler. Some Muslim rulers were very tolerant, others extremely intolerant. In A.D. 722, for example, Usama b. Zaid, the surveyor of taxes in Egypt, attacked convents and destroyed churches. But the caliph Hisham told him to leave the Christians in peace. Some caliphs not only respected the rights of non-Muslims, but very generously paid for the repairs of any churches destroyed by mob violence. During the conquest of Spain the Muslim was much less tolerant. On one of his expeditions Usama bin Zaid destroyed every church and broke every bell. When Marida surrendered the Muslims took property of those killed in the ambush, of those who fled to Galacia, of the churches, and the church jewels.
Similarly, the caliph Marwan (ruled 744-750) looted and destroyed many monasteries in Egypt while fleeing the Abbasid army. He destroyed all the churches in Tana expect one, and he asked three thousand dinars as the price for sparing that.
In A.D. 853 the caliph Mutawakkil ordered all new churches to be destroyed. From an early date churches were liable to be razed to the ground for some caprice of the ruler. Often the Muslim mob took matters into its own hands. The following are examples of riots in which religious buildings were destroyed. In 884 the convent of Kalilshu in Baghdad was destroyed, the gold and silver vessels stolen, and all wood in the building sold. In 924 the church and convent of Mary in Damascus were burned and plundered, and other churches wrecked. Further destruction occurred in Ramleh, Ascalon, Tinnis , and in Egypt during the invasion by Asad ud Din Shirkuh.
The Muslim conquests of Central Asia also put an end to its Buddhist art. As early as the eighth century, the monasteries of Kizil were destroyed by the Muslim ruler of Kashgar. Between 1000 and 1200 Buddhism disappeared from India, through the combined effects of its own weaknesses, forced to either conversion or persecution.
Today Amnesty International describes the scene in Saudi Arabia as follows:
Hundreds of Christians, including women and children have been arrested and detained over the past three years, most without charge or trial, solely for the peaceful expression of their religious beliefs. Scores have been tortured, some by flogging, while in detention. . . . The possession of non-Islamic religious objects-including Bibles, rosary beads, crosses and pictures of Jesus Christ is prohibited and such items may be confiscated.