Basra mosques closed
2006-06-18 21:49
Baghdad - A Sunni Muslim body said on
Sunday it would close until further notice all but one of
Basra's Sunni mosques in protest at the killing of a cleric in
the southern city.
The Sunni Endowment, which is in charge of Sunni mosques in
Iraq, issued a statement two days after the killing of the local
head of a Sunni religious group in the Shi'ite-dominated city.
Unknown gunmen shot dead Yusif al-Hassan near the mosque
where he led prayers in Basra, 550km south of
Baghdad, colleagues said.
He was the second Sunni religious
figure killed in Basra in less than two months.
"On this occasion we declare that we will close all the
(Sunni) mosques in Basra with the exception of the Grand Mosque
as a protest and condemnation of what is happening in that
city," the statement said.
The Grand Mosque is Basra's main Sunni mosque. The statement
did not say how many mosques would be affected.
The once dominant Sunni minority accuses pro-government
militias from the Shi'ite majority of targeting them and some
minority groups say violence is driving them out of Basra,
Iraq's second city and main centre for the oil-rich south.
Hassan was a senior member of the Muslim scholars
association, an influential Sunni group that is critical of the
US-backed political process.
Last month, gunmen shot dead senior cleric Khalil Jaber
after he left a mosque following Friday prayers.