Religion

Demolition of ancient mosque minaret in Iraq sparks protests

The Al-Sarai Mosque is a Sunni mosque and one of the oldest historical mosques in Iraq. It was built in 1727 and was renovated in 1902 by Abdulwahab Pasha bin Ahmed al-Qurtas.

Kurdistan 24 2023/07/14 23:20

Al-Sarai Mosque minaret while demolishing by an Excavator. (Photo: screengrab from social media)

Iraq mosque Basra Al-Sarai Mosque Iraqi Sunni Endowment Office Ahmed Fakkak Al-Badrani Asad al-Edani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The demolishment of the Al-Sarai Mosque's minaret on Friday morning in Basra sparked protests amongst the Sunni community in Iraq.

The Al-Sarai Mosque is a Sunni mosque and is one of the oldest historical mosques in Iraq. It was built in 1727 and was renovated in 1902 by Abdulwahab Pasha bin Ahmed al-Qurtas.

The Governor of Basra Asad al-Edani announced that the demolition of the minaret was due to complaints from citizens that the minaret created obstacles to traffic and the implementation of a strategic road project in the city.

Al-Edani said they will build another minaret in the near future.

The governor also said that they informed the Iraqi Sunni Endowment Office of the minaret’s demolition and that both parties came to an agreement.

A minaret is the tower from which Islamic faithful are called to prayer five times each day by a muezzin, or announcer. Such a tower is connected with a mosque and has one or more balconies or open galleries. In the early periods of Islamic history, the call to prayer was alternatively made from the highest roof in the vicinity of the mosque, customarily in the home of an inclined worshipper.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Fakkak Al-Badrani said in a statement that he would take legal action against the minaret demolition.

Moreover, the Iraqi Sunni Endowment Office issued a statement saying that they spoke to the relevant authorities more than once on the issue and that they came to an agreement to not demolish the historical site of the minaret. Instead, according to the endowment office, the authorities were supposed to gently relocate the minaret to a safe location, but now they have demolished the minaret completely.

The country’s Sunni Endowment Office previously made headlines when in April 2023, its director visited the Rahman Mosque in Sinjar after it was allegedly desecrated. After the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement facilitated the return of 25 Sunni Arab families to the Sinjar district, a number of Sinjari residents demonstrated in protest, allegedly targeting the Rahman Mosque.