Islam mandates the protection and respect of non-Muslim places of worship, a principle established by the Prophet Muhammad and upheld by his successors through various covenants and historical precedents. This is rooted in the Islamic principle of freedom of faith and the Quranic verse (22:40) which speaks of the need to defend all places where God is mentioned. 

Core Islamic Principles

• Freedom of Religion: The Quranic principle, “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256), means non-Muslims are guaranteed the security to practice their religious rites within Muslim countries without coercion to abandon their faith.
• Protection as a Duty: It is a core duty for Muslims to protect all places of worship, including churches, synagogues, and temples. The early Muslim general Abu Bakr instructed his army commanders not to demolish any church or cloister.
• Covenants and Treaties: The Prophet Muhammad established covenants, such as the Charter of Medina and the Covenant with the Monks of Mount Sinai, which explicitly granted protection to non-Muslim communities and their properties, including religious sites.
• Prohibition of Aggression: Islamic teachings unequivocally condemn all forms of violence and aggression against non-Muslims and their places of worship. Violating the protection granted to a non-Muslim community is considered a severe transgression. 

Historical Examples

• The Covenant of Umar: The second Caliph, Umar ibn Al-Khattab, granted the people of Jerusalem a famous covenant assuring safety for their lives, property, and churches. He notably refused to pray inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for fear that future Muslims would use his action as a pretext to seize the church and turn it into a mosque, thereby ensuring its preservation as a Christian site.
• Restoration of Churches: During the reign of Caliph Umar bin Abd al-Aziz, when a Christian community complained that the Umayyad ruler Walid b. Abd al-Malik had seized part of their church property to expand a mosque, the Caliph ordered the return of that portion to the Christians.
• Welfare and Assistance: Muslim rulers throughout history not only ensured the protection of existing non-Muslim places of worship but in some cases even authorized the construction or repair of new ones if needed, such as when ruler Abdul Aziz ibn Marwan authorized building a church in Helwan. 

In summary, the fundamental Islamic perspective is one of tolerance and the active protection of non-Muslim places of worship, viewing them as sites where God’s name is mentioned and which must be defended.