Sunni Endowment Office

The Sunni Endowment Office, or Sunni Endowment Diwan (Arabic: ديوان الوقف السني, romanized: Diwan al-Waqf al-Suniyi), is an Iraqi agency created by the Iraqi Governing Council after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.[1][2][3] It was created from the dissolution of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs under former Ba'ath rule, separating from it the religious endowments (awqaf) of Shiite Islam and non-Islamic religions.

Its function is the administration of mosques and other endowments of Sunnis in Iraq.

Creation

The creation of the Office occurred through Resolution No. 29 of 30 August 2003, which ordered the dissolution of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs (Wizarat al-Awqaf) and the creation of three new endowment offices (Diwan al-Waqf) for the administration of the religious endowments of Sunnis, Shiites and other religions:[4]

The majority of the endowments of the former Ministry of Awqaf were of Sunni mosques, while the number of Shiite endowments was low, because under the previous government only Sunni Islam was protected by law.[5]

The President of the Office is chosen by the head of government. In October 2012 the Iraqi General Assembly, with the Laws No. 56 and 57, for the Sunni Waqf and the Shiite Waqf respectively,[6] stated that before appointment by the Iraqi Prime Minister, the President of the Office should be approved by the Fiqh Council of Senior Scholars for Preaching and Fatwas, as representative of the Sunnis, and the President of the Shiite Endowment Office by the Great Ayatollah, as representative of the Shiites.[7]

History

Abu Hanifa Mosque, in the Sunni-dominated neighborhood of Adhamiyah in Baghdad, headquarters of the Sunni Endowment Office

Since the separation of the holy places of Shiite Muslims and of other religions, the Sunni Endowment Office is responsible only for Sunni mosques and endowments.[8] The office has also a new section for cultural moderation.[8]

On 22 October 2003, the Iraqi Governing Council appointed Adnan al-Dulaimi as Office President.[9][10]

In July 2005, the Iraqi Islamic Party, only Sunni party to participate in the new Iraqi General Assembly, appointed its deputy Ahmad Abd al-Ghafur al-Samarrai as Office President.[8]

The minaret of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, 2013. The mosque was destroyed in 2017. Its reconstruction is planned within the next five years[when?] by the Sunni Endowment Office

In the following years, as soon as the Iraqi insurgency was defeated, the mosques administrated by the insurgents were transferred by the Iraqi Army to the Office.[11]

In November 2013, during a new escalation of Sunni insurgency, the Shiite prime minister Nouri al-Maliki suspended Office President Samarrai and appointed deputy Mahmud al-Sumaydai, considered[by whom?] a more moderate Muslim.[12]

In June 2015, new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, head of a broad government coalition, appointed Abd al-Latif al-Humaym as Office President,[13][14] despite the veto of the Fiqh Council of Sunni Ulema, of Islamist tendency,[7] and the opposition of the Sunni Iraqi Fatwa Council, linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces and to Shiite parties.[15]

As soon as the Iraqi Army recaptured areas from Daesh, Office President Humaym cooperated to rebuild places destroyed by the war, such as the town of Ramadi after its liberation in 2016,[7] and the Great Mosque of al-Nuri of Mosul in 2018.[16]

List of presidents

See also

References

  1. ^ "UNESCO and Sunni Endowment in Iraq strengthen cooperation for heritage preservation". UNESCO.org. UNESCO. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Sunni Endowment Diwan – Sunni Endowment head (Mahmoud Al-Sumaidai) received in his office the Turkish Ambassador in Baghdad". sunniaffairs.gov.iq. Iraq: Federal government of Iraq. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Iraq Troops Seize Powerful Sunni Office". foxnews.com. Fox News. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  4. ^ Resolution 29/2003 of the IGC: Dissolution of the Ministry of Awqaf and religious affairs and creation of administrative offices for the Awqaf of all religions and sects (30 August 2003), in: [1], p. 292
  5. ^ "Sunni Waqf in Iraq caught between devil and deep blue sea". The Baghdad Post. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  6. ^ Sunni Waqf Law No. 56/2012; Shiite Waqf Law No. 57/2012
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "The Sunni Religious Leadership in Iraq". 2 June 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "Endowment Rules". 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  9. ^ Resolution 68/2003 of the IGC: Appointment of the Presidents of the Sunni and Shiite Awqaf (22 October 2003), in: [1], p. 330
  10. ^ "Adnan al-Dulaimi, landmark Sunni figure, dies at 85 in Erbil". The Baghdad Post. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  11. ^ al-Husaini, Mudhafer (28 November 2008). "Today Was a Good Day..." At War Blog. The New York Times. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  12. ^ PM Al-Abadi met with head of the Sunni Endowment Sheikh Mahmud Al-Sumaydai and discussed combatting extremist thought, Twitter, 25 February 2015
  13. ^ "President of the Republic Receives the Head of the Sunni Endowment". Iraqi Presidency. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  14. ^ "The president of the Iraqi Sunni Endowment Dr. Abdul Latif Al Hemyem heads a meeting of Al Awqaf Al A'ala council". Sunni Affairs. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Sunni Fatwa Advisory Council refuses to appoint the head of Sunni Endowment away of legal entitlement of the Council. - Free Online Library". National Iraqi News Agency. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2024 – via The Free Library.
  16. ^ "Iraq Lays Cornerstone To Restore Al-Nuri Mosque, As Mosul Rebuilds". NPR. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  17. ^ Mahmoud, Sinan (20 April 2023). "Fugitive former Iraqi official dies shortly after his arrest". The National. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  18. ^ "The New Sunni Endowment Head officially took over responsibilities from Kambash". Shafaq News. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2024.

Works cited