SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Union of Islamic Scholars in the Kurdistan Region on Friday called on a Kurdish singer to apologize to Muslims for “insulting” the religion of Islam.
In a video released on social media, Iranian Kurdish singer Naser Razazi criticized a mullah who spoke against him after he said he “is a Yarsan, not a Muslim”.
Naser Mohammed Salih, known as Naser Razazi, was born in Sanandaj in northwest Iran in June 1955. He is a well-known singer among Kurds.
Razazri asked in the video whether he cannot defend himself when such a mullah spoke against him.
“This is not Islam. Islam should reform itself,” he said. “If Islam doesn’t reform, worse will happen to it. Isn’t shame to say … the food of Yarsans is haram and they are atheist?”
“Alas! You even know nothing about Quran, because we have great mullahs.”
In a statement, the union of Islamic scholars in Kurdistan said the Kurdish singer’s speeches had “hurt Muslims’ feeling”.
“We condemn the insults and we believe such acts are an attempt to disrupt social peace and coexistence,” the union said.
“He needs to apologize to Muslims. People are free how they think, but they aren’t free to insult the religion of Islam,” it added.
“The coexistence which is presence cannot be allowed to be abolished and the social peace should not be disrupted.”
The Region’s union of Islamic scholars further said it was expecting the artists’ syndicate to condemn “such acts” of the singer, which has hurt Muslims’ feeling.
“At the same time, it is the duty of the public prosecutor to play their role and to do its duty in such cases,’ the union stated.
The Kurdistan artists’ syndicate expressed its support for the singer in a statement on Wednesday, calling on people to “carefully deal with speeches that target arts and artists”.
“Razazi, who is an artist, Peshmerga and patriot along with his Kurdistani political stance, is an experienced and generous artist, and he is one of the lawyers and supporters of music, melody and national anthems,” the syndicate said in a statement.
