Mixed responses follow Iraqi Kurdistan's interfaith event at Erbil

An interfaith meeting held in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, has triggered mixed responses among the Iraqi public.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) hosted their first-ever National Prayer Breakfast on 23 April, gathering religious figures from Islam, Christianity, and Yezidism, alongside foreign diplomats.

KDP President Masoud Barzani and KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani used the event to call for greater "dialogue and unity" among faiths.

"Our vision for Kurdistan is clear: a region where people of all faiths and nationalities can live freely, contribute fully, and find hope in a shared future. We must see our differences not as divisions, but as the foundation of a rich, resilient, and compassionate society," said Masrour Barzani.

KRG Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs Pshtiwan Sadiq praised the event as a "significant step" towards religious inclusion, announcing the approval of a Hindu temple in Erbil following a request from the Indian Consulate.

But unconfirmed rumors swirled among certain Islamic scholars and observers, warning that  interfaith dialogue was a political cover for problematic stances. 

The Union of Islamic Scholars in Kurdistan dismissed accusations that the event promoted the so-called "Abrahamic religion," but anger and scepticism have continued to spread.

Abdullah Waisi, President of the Islamic Scholars Association in Kurdistan, told The New Arab: "Unfortunately, after the ceremony concluded, some individuals, lacking proper knowledge and driven by personal motives, engaged in gossip and unfounded commentary, falsely claiming that the event was intended to promote the establishment of an 'Abrahamic religion' in Kurdistan."

"No one can create a new religion, as the last divinely revealed religion is Islam," he added, citing verses from the Qur'an.

Waisi insisted that the event was designed only to "celebrate religious harmony" and not establish any new doctrine.

Despite these reassurances, religious scholars across the region remained deeply concerned. Some addressed a letter to Sheikh Hassan, head of the Higher Fatwa Council of Kurdistan, seeking clarification on his position.

Sheikh Hassan's response was firm: any attempt to promote a "Western ideology" through the Abrahamic Faiths project would be "forbidden and heretical".

"It is not permissible in Islamic lands to approach the ideology of polytheism," he declared. "The result of such a conflict will lead to disgrace in this world and the afterlife."

Mullah Kamaran Ali, a Sunni Kurdish cleric from Sulaimaniyah, echoed these fears, warning that the KDP’s language and actions reveal deeper intentions.

"What is seen in the statements of the KDP and the core of the meeting in Erbil are signs that there are attempts towards a possible move towards this debate," Ali told TNA.

He added that Sheikh Hassan's fatwa stands in stark contrast to the political rhetoric at the event, accusing the KRG ministry of making "a mistake by holding the event".

Mahmoud Yassin Kurdi, a Kurdish journalist and exiled opposition figure based in the United Kingdom, told TNA that the primary goal of the event was to bolster the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) campaign to nominate Masoud Barzani for the Nobel Peace Prize.

"The event was organised in an effort to secure the Nobel Peace Prize for Mr Barzani, with his sons actively working to achieve this by promoting messages of coexistence and interfaith dialogue," Kurdi said. He added that the event also marked a continuation of a broader, four-year lobbying campaign by the KDP targeting US Evangelical circles, which began with efforts to highlight the so-called Abrahamic faith initiative.

Kurdi noted that it remains unclear whether Iran or Iraqi Shia factions will remain silent about the effort or respond forcefully.

Separately, Rebaz Hamlan, an aide to Masrour Barzani, stated on Saturday that Masoud Barzani is "one of the world figures most deserving" of winning the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Editor's note: Allegations of the interfaith event's links to the Israeli normasation and the Abrahm Accords are unproven and lack credibility, and have been edited out of a previous version of this article.