08-05-2025
Sunni clerics cancel Mosul demonstration after political assurances
Shafaq News/ A planned protest by Sunni clerics in Mosul against alleged political interference in the leadership of the Sunni Endowment in Nineveh was abruptly canceled late Wednesday, with no official reason disclosed, according to religious sources familiar with the matter.
'The demonstration was scheduled for 10:00 p.m. at the historic Nabi Sheet Mosque in western Mosul,' the sources told Shafaq News, pointing out that organizers intended to denounce what they described as 'growing attempts by influential political factions to exert control over the Endowment's leadership' ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections, set for November 11, 2025.
Sources also noted that media access was barred at the mosque, and several clerics exited the site quietly and discreetly, explaining that the protest's sudden cancellation followed private assurances offered to the religious leadership that the Endowment's autonomy and spiritual role in Nineveh would be preserved.
The identities of those who provided the guarantees were not disclosed.
They claimed that certain political blocs have been pressuring to replace current Sunni Endowment director Youssef al-Abed Rabbo with politically aligned candidates—an effort that has met firm resistance from moderate Sunni religious figures. 'Al-Abed Rabbo had formally submitted his resignation to the central leadership of the Endowment, but it was rejected.'
