Barzani calls on Islamic scholars group to be more active in spreading tolerance
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani on Sunday congratulated Kurdistan’s Islamic Scholars Union (ISU) on their 49th anniversary.
The senior Kurdish leader visited the ISU headquarters in Erbil, where he held a press conference along with the union leader, Abdulla Said Waisy, to discuss the role of scholars and religious education in modern society.
Barzani said that Islamic clerics in Kurdistan could perform a larger role in educating society about Islam, which he described as “a religion of tolerance, love, peace, and brotherhood.” In this regard, he expressed support for such endeavors.
He called on the ISU to spread tolerance and acceptance in society and highlight the importance of respect for others. Barzani underlined that extremist groups had committed a “great betrayal” against the Islamic religion, by using its name to spread terror, death, and destruction.
From his end, ISU head Waisy said the role of religious scholars was and remains clear in defending the rights and aspirations of the Kurdish people.
He added that the Kurdistan Region needs to establish an Islamic university to carry out the tasks of spreading moderation and tolerance.
In mid-2018, the ISU participated in a three-day international conference on religious moderation, to relay the Kurdish experience in the fight against the so-called Islamic State’s terror ideology.
Read More: Int'l Conference on Moderation, Kurdistan reveals ways to weaken ISIS
Waisy told Kurdistan 24 then that they wanted to “clarify to the participants how the Kurds [historically] have been victims of radicalism.”
He also said they would lay out measures the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), aided by various religious entities, had taken to minimize effects of Islamic State tactics to recruit Kurdish youth.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
