KRG removes four clergy members spreading jihadism

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) recently removed four Muslim clergies from preaching in mosques on Fridays accusing them of encouraging youths to join jihadists.

Recently, the anti-jihadists committee of the KRG Ministry of Religious Affairs removed four Muslim clergies in mosques, abandoning them from preaching on Fridays due to their radical speeches in motivating youths to join jihadists. 

On Sunday, the spokesman of the KRG Ministry of Religious Affairs, Mariwan Naqshbandi, told K24 that the committee has started to implement the reform plan in the ministry. "The reform is in both administration and religious affairs [ideology]," he said.

He mentioned that the ministry formed an anti-jihadists committee and that the committee will observe all religious places, including mosques and churches, all over the Kurdistan Region that are under the responsibility of the Religious Affairs Ministry.

"We have stopped some of the members of the clergy to preach in the mosques and hold Friday prayer speeches as part of the reform. The reform process will continue," Naqshbandi stated.

"The clergies have been removed from mosques because we have noticed that their speeches are not in the interest of the peaceful coexistence of people living in the Kurdistan Region…Their words encouraged youths to join jihadist groups [Islamic State (IS)]," he added.

He pointed out that clergies who encourage people to join jihadists will be punished and removed from their posts.

"Our plan goes hand in hand with Peshmerga forces in fighting against Daesh [IS]. We see our Peshmerga and security forces are fighting jihadists, defending the Kurdistan Region 24/7," Naqshbandi said. "Peshmerga are sacrificing their lives and get martyred in the front lines…It is impossible to allow some people [clergies] in the Kurdistan Region to motivate youths through radical ideologies and stab Peshmerga in the back."

He also emphasized, "Peshmerga fights Daesh militarily, and we [KRG Religious Affairs Ministry] will fight Daesh ideologically."

One of the members removed from preaching in the mosque on Fridays is Kurdish clergy Salim Hamza Salih, known as Salim Shushkayi. Shsushkayi is a Kurdish member of the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad. Shushkayi told Kurdish local media that political interests are behind his removal rather than being part of a reform plan.

Naqshbandi rejected allegations of "political purposes" behind the reforms of the KRG Religious Affairs Ministry. He stated, besides Shushkayi's radical speeches in mosques, Shushkayi has violated the Iraqi law by working in two governmental places, and this is unacceptable. "Shushkayi is a member of the Iraqi parliament and member of the KRG Religious Affairs Ministry. According to the Iraqi law, nobody can work in two governmental posts at the same time," Naqshbandi explained.

Naqshbandi concluded by saying that, "The reforms that the committee implements now is what the people of the Kurdistan Region have asked the ministry years ago."