2011 Duhok riots

2011 Duhok riots
Shops in Zakho after the riots
DateDecember 2–5, 2011
Location
 Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Caused byIslamic sermons[1]
GoalsTo destroy massage parlors and alcohol shops
MethodsArson, coercion
Resulted inWidespread property damage, arrest of KIU members

The 2011 Duhok riots refers to riots which began on December 2, 2011 in the Duhok Governorate, Iraq. They were instigated by Friday prayers' sermons by Ismail Osman Sindai,[2] a Kurdish imam, calling for attacks against stores selling alcohol and massage parlours in Zakho. The riots soon developed into the looting and burning down of properties in other towns in the governorate, causing four million dollars of damage.[3]

The riots ended after Kurdistan Regional Government security forces intervened and began a massive crackdown on demonstrators. As a result of the riots, a group of secular Kurds attacked a number of buildings belonging to the Kurdistan Islamic Union party.[4]

Background

Many of the businesses targeted were owned by non-Muslim minority groups, including Christian Assyrians and Yezidis.[5] Christian leaders in the region had been concerned about the impact of the Arab Spring, particularity the rise of radical Islamism.[6] The riots started in Zakho, the northernmost town of Iraq, located close to the Turkish border.

Friday events

The small riots were instigated by Friday sermons in the northern city of Zakho after Muslim clerics called for the destruction of stores that sold alcohol in the city on December 2, 2011.[6] Angry youth mobs attacked businesses such as stores, hotels, casinos, and massage parlors in the northern town of Zakho.[1][7] The violence spilled into nearby towns of Duhok and Semel. Many social clubs and homes were also attacked throughout the province. Angry Kurdish pro-government supporters that belonged to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Democratic Party suspected Muslim Brotherhood-inspired Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) clerics to be behind the violence and attacked offices of the Islamic party in Duhok and Erbil overnight. However, in an official statement, the KIU denied any connections to the riots.[8]

The riots ended three days later with the strong response from the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Aftermath

On December 3, the Kurdish intelligence agency Asaish arrested 20 KIU members of parliament and high officials within the party.[9] The President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the event.[10] In an official press release, he stated: "I condemn both these unlawful acts. I call on the people of the Kurdistan Region to preserve our traditions of ethnic and religious co-existence. I have ordered the formation of a committee to look into these disturbances and bring to justice those responsible."[11]

References

  1. ^ a b "Sermons spark riots in Iraqi Kurdish city". USA Today. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  2. ^ "Ankawa: Mullah Denies Responsibility for Kurdish Riots". Archived from the original on 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  3. ^ Ankawa: مصدر: نحو 4 ملايين دولار حجم الخسائر الناجمة عن إحراق الأماكن السياحية في أحداث دهوك Archived 2019-07-12 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic)
  4. ^ Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) (December 5, 2011). "Christians Attacked in Iraq by Kurdish Extremists". Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Mullah Denies Responsibility for Kurdish Riots in North Iraq". Assyrian International News Agency. 2011-12-05.
  6. ^ a b "Zakho, Iraqi Islamic extremists attack Christian-owned shops and properties". AsiaNews.it. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  7. ^ كردستانية - بارزاني: الحفاظ على التعايش السلمي ليس واجب حكومة الاقليم فحسب بل واجب كل اهالي كردستان. peyamner (in Arabic). 3 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  8. ^ "KIU Politburo Statement on Bahdinan Riots". Kurdish Islamic Union. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  9. ^ قوات الاسايش تعتقل قيادات في الاتحاد الاسلامي ومنهم النائب نجيب عبدالله
  10. ^ "Rioters Attack Liquor Stores, Offices of Local Islamic Party". 3 December 2011. Archived from the original on 5 December 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  11. ^ "National - President Barzani Condemns Violence in Duhok, Calls for Calm". peyamner. 3 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2011.