Çil Agha imams: Exploiting religious pulpits to incite discord contradicts Islam

Calls to confront incitement and attempts to stir up discord continue across Hasakah Governorate, amid warnings against using mosques after Friday prayers to spread sectarian slogans or promote hatred in ways that threaten relations among the region’s communities.

In this context, ANHA agency spoke with several imams and preachers at the Derik Religious Endowments Division’s Çil Agha branch, which falls under the Hasakah Directorate of Religious Endowments, about the dangers of exploiting religion and places of worship to fuel divisions and the need to uphold Islamic values that promote tolerance and coexistence.

Islam Calls for Mutual Understanding and Brotherhood Among Peoples and Communities

Adnan Farhan, imam of the mosque in Kafri Dana village in the Aliyan area of the Çil Agha countryside, explained that Islam has called for cooperation, tolerance and mutual understanding among people since its emergence. He stressed that religious or ethnic differences do not justify hostility, citing the Quranic verse: “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.”

He added that diversity among peoples is not a source of conflict but an opportunity for mutual understanding and dialogue, noting that righteousness and good deeds, rather than ethnic or religious affiliation, are the criteria by which people are distinguished.

Farhan pointed out that Islam calls for justice and benevolence even toward those who hold different beliefs. He stressed that the incitement and attempts to stir up discord witnessed in Hasakah contradict Quranic teachings that call for justice, protecting relations among communities and preserving civil peace.

Mosques Are Pulpits for Love and Tolerance, Not Incitement

Farhan rejected the use of religious pulpits to direct accusations of disbelief and incitement against other communities, describing the use of religious discourse to spread hatred and provoke discord as incompatible with Islamic values based on wisdom, good counsel and respect for human dignity.

He emphasized that religious discourse should serve as a means of reform and bringing different viewpoints closer together, rather than inciting hostility or deepening divisions. He stressed that issuing calls for incitement from religious pulpits is unacceptable.

He called on imams and preachers to fulfill their role in raising awareness, promoting tolerance and strengthening coexistence, while preserving mosques as places of worship and piety where moral values are promoted, free from hate speech and discord. He also urged the region’s communities to stand together and reject divisions that threaten civil peace.

Warning Against Exploiting Religion for Political Interests

For his part, Mullah Abdul Qahhar Ahmad, imam of the mosque in the town of Kishik in the Çil Agha countryside, warned against attempts to fuel tensions in Hasakah. He noted that inflammatory rhetoric targeting communities and sowing mistrust and hostility between Kurds and Arabs serves efforts to undermine stability.

He stressed the need to distinguish between authentic Islamic teachings and rhetoric that uses religion as a pretext for mobilization and incitement. He noted that history has witnessed instances in which Islam was used to justify conflicts and political expansion, adding that raising religious slogans or chanting “Allahu Akbar” is not, in itself, sufficient evidence of adherence to Islamic values and principles.

Mullah Abdul Qahhar cited the Quranic verse: “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.” He stressed that preserving social unity and cohesion is a shared responsibility and that disagreements must not become grounds for hostility or threats to the security of the region and its communities.

He also cited a saying of the Prophet Muhammad: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand people are safe.” He explained that this principle underscores every individual's responsibility to refrain from harming others or inciting hostility against them, noting that safeguarding people's dignity and security is among the fundamental values of Islam.

Promoting Coexistence Is a Shared Responsibility in Protecting Civil Peace

The imams and preachers called for confronting hate speech and attempts to stir up discord through awareness, dialogue and tolerance, while working to strengthen fraternal relations among the region’s various communities and preserving mosques as platforms for promoting religious and humanitarian values that unite people rather than divide them.

They emphasized that ensuring stability in Hasakah and protecting its social fabric require rejecting incitement and intolerance and confronting any attempts to exploit religious sentiments to fuel conflicts. They stressed that coexistence, respect for diversity and the preservation of human dignity are fundamental pillars of a safe and stable society.

They concluded by reaffirming that Islam calls for compassion, justice, peace and reconciliation among people. They stressed that confronting rhetoric that fuels hatred and provokes discord requires a firm commitment to tolerance and brotherhood, helping protect civil peace and strengthen stability across the region.

A-H 

ANHA