300-year-old mosque demolished for road widening in Iraq

Baghdad (Iraq) – The 300-year-old ‘Al Siraji’ mosque and its minaret were demolished in Basra, Iraq. It was obstructing the widening of an important road. According to local media, the Ministry of Culture of Iraq has opposed this action and will go to Court against it. The ministry said, ‘We support all kinds of development work; but it does not mean that religious buildings of archaeological importance can be destroyed’. Asaad al-Eidani, the governor of Basra city, however, claimed that the Sunni religious trust had been notified regarding the demolition.

The mosque is owned by the Sunni religious trust. The trust said that the local administration had taken its permission to demolish the mosque; but it was not decided to demolish the minaret made of earthen bricks.

Demolition of 300-year-old Iraq mosque minaret for road expansion enrages locals https://t.co/pcFFjgFvt3 pic.twitter.com/aX5XPN88bL

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Local citizens have reacted that, ‘Demolition of such historical buildings is a crime from the view point of preservation of national heritage. This is the second biggest loss to Iraq’s cultural heritage since the ISIS bombing on Al-Hadba minaret in Mosul, Iraq, in 2017.

Al Siraji Mosque was built in 1727. It was one of the major historical sites in Iraq.

Editorial Viewpoint

Not only in Iraq, but also in Saudi Arabia, which is the centre and birthplace of Islam, mosques coming in the way of development works are demolished. It is outrageous that in India, the administration does not dare to demolish even illegal mosques !