Iraq's Sunni Endowments Office condemns slogans it calls sectarian incitement

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Sunni Endowments Office has condemned statements it described as "sedition and sectarian incitement," targeting remarks attributed to a person identified only as "Seyyid Farık." In a written statement, the office said the individual used language insulting the Prophet's companions and wives, and warned that such rhetoric threatens social peace. The office said insults directed at Islamic symbols and sacred values, including the Prophet's companions and the Mothers of the Believers, are rejected and condemned. It added that legal action had been initiated against the person through the Iraqi judiciary. The Endowments Office said further legal proceedings will be pursued against anyone who insults the Prophet's companions, wives or the Mothers of the Believers, or who engages in speech likely to disrupt social cohesion. It called on Iraqis to act with a sense of responsibility and to avoid rhetoric that fuels hatred and division. The statement concluded that respect for sacred values and religious symbols is a shared duty and that the judiciary has a decisive role in countering incitement to sedition. No further details on the case were immediately available.