President Masoud Barzani condemns insult against Shia religious authorities

"The tradition of Kurdistan is rich in the culture of coexistence and religious tolerance."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/03/28 14:12

President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani. (Photo: KDP)

Kurdistan Masoud Barzani Shia Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Kurdistan Democratic Party

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani unequivocally condemned the insult towards the Shia religious authorities in Iraq on social media in a statement on Monday.

"Abuse of the sanctities and supreme symbols cannot be accepted in any way, and it is a transgression of red lines, stressing that such behaviors have no place in the culture and principles of the people of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party," read the statement. "The tradition of Kurdistan is rich in the culture of coexistence and religious tolerance, and abuse of religious symbols and references had no place in the behavior of the people of Kurdistan."

"The people of Kurdistan strongly appreciate and respect religious symbols and the ancient history of friendship and respect between the immortal Mullah Mustafa Barzani, Ayatollah al-Hakim and the martyr al-Sadr is the best proof of that," it added.

"The person who committed the offense to the religious symbols has been arrested and will be tried. He will receive his just punishment."

President Barzani also condemned Sunday's attack on his party's office.

"At the same time, we strongly condemn the burning of the office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Baghdad, which was repeated for the second time by a group of intruders and losers who could not but commit acts of sabotage, which indicates a state of tension, instability and chaos," his statement read.

The KDP's office in Iraq's capital Baghdad was attacked again on Sunday by hundreds of supporters of Iran-aligned armed groups.

The office was attacked after an individual named Dr. Nayif Kurdistani allegedly insulted the Shia religious authorities in Iraq on social media.

His tweet was seen as an insult to Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shia cleric.

The Kurdistan Region's Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Dr. Kurdistani on Monday for insulting "religious and national symbols."