Shafaq News – Baghdad

The death of Sheikh Abdul Sattar al-Qurghuli, imam and preacher of Karim al-Nasir Mosque in Baghdad’s Dora district, has drawn attention to tensions within the mosque community over rival religious affiliations.

The Sunni Endowment (Diwan al-Waqf al-Sunni), which oversees mosques in Iraq, had recently arranged for two clerics to alternate in leading Friday prayers at Karim al-Nasir: one linked to Salafi circles and the other, Sheikh al-Qurghuli, who was not affiliated with the Salafi current.

According to Shafaq News sources, during last Friday’s prayers, al-Qurghuli entered into a heated exchange with worshippers aligned with the other imam. The dispute escalated into a loud argument. Al-Qurghuli, who suffered from chronic heart disease, collapsed during the altercation and died shortly afterward.

The Sunni Endowment condemned the incident as a “cowardly criminal act” and said several individuals had been arrested in coordination with security forces. It pledged that those involved would face justice and emphasized that clerics and mosques must be safeguarded from intimidation.

In the wake of the controversy, Iraq’s Salafi Movement issued a statement distancing itself from the killing. It denounced the “Madkhali” current — a hardline faction within Salafism — as “deviant and extremist,” and insisted that mainstream Salafism should not be associated with such groups.

The statement described al-Qurghuli as a moderate preacher who opposed radical ideas and urged political and security leaders to curb extremist influences in Iraqi mosques.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has ordered an investigative committee led by Baghdad Operations Command with participation from the Interior Ministry and the National Security Service, stressing the importance of “promoting tolerance and avoiding sectarian incitement.”

While some politicians accused the Sunni Endowment’s leadership of mismanagement, the official cause of al-Qurghuli’s death remains under investigation, with authorities confirming that several people connected to the mosque dispute are being held in custody.