ERBIL,— A well-known Kurdish Islamic preacher in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region is refusing to back down from comments he made about the exit of the region’s Jewish Kurdish population decades ago, calling their departure a positive event and linking them to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Haji Karwan, a preacher tied to the Kurdistan Islamic Union KIU, posted an old black-and-white video on Facebook Saturday showing Jewish residents dressed in traditional Kurdish clothing while carrying out religious customs.
In the caption, he wrote that he was thankful the Kurdistan region had been rid of what he called these “creatures.”
Speaking to Rudaw English TV on Sunday, Karwan said he had no regrets about the post. He added that his comments were not aimed at Jewish people broadly, but specifically at those he described as supporters of Zionism.
The post triggered backlash online. Numerous users accused the cleric of promoting hatred and extremist views.
One user, identified as Pola M Anwar, wrote that the preacher should be representing Islam’s message of compassion instead of praising the removal of a religious minority from the country, calling the sentiment out of step with Islamic values.
Roughly 120,000 Jews left Iraq, including areas now known as the Kurdistan Region, in the early 1950s.
Their exit followed the 1948 creation of Israel and a violent attack in Baghdad in April 1941 that killed close to 200 Jewish residents, an event that took place after a coup toppled a government aligned with the Axis powers.
Additional pressures, including seized property and arrests targeting the community, followed Israel’s founding and the loss suffered by Arab nations in the war that came after.
Eventually, Iraqi authorities passed legislation permitting Jewish residents to emigrate, on the condition that they give up their citizenship and hand over their assets to the state.
Karwan argued that the descendants of those who left are now responsible for harsh actions being taken against Palestinians in Gaza.
The Gaza conflict began on October 7, 2023, after militants from the Islamist extremist group Hamas crossed into southern Israel in an attack resembling those carried out by the Islamic State ISIS against non-Muslims and the Yazidis.
The attack killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, including children and elderly people, and resulted in the seizure of around 251 hostages. Hamas militants subjected hostages to torture and abuse, including sexual and psychological abuse.
Israel launched a large-scale military response afterward. Gaza’s health ministry reported Sunday that the death toll from the campaign has reached more than 73,651.
Ranjdar Cohen, who leads the Aramic Organization for the Development of Social Peace, a Jewish-led group based in Erbil, said Jewish families were pushed out of their homes in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and stressed that the region remains their homeland.
Cohen said close to 200 Jewish families currently live in the Kurdistan Region and that a 2007 regional law, Law No. 11, guarantees protections for religious and ethnic minorities.
He described Karwan’s remarks as a reaction to online content targeting him, which he attributed to fake accounts trying to stir up conflict.
Karwan has been a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and has helped organize aid shipments to residents there. In turn, some social media accounts claiming ties to Israel and the Jewish community have accused him of funding Hamas activities.
Cohen alleged that these accounts are run by intelligence agencies from countries hostile to the region, aiming to create division between Jewish and Muslim communities there.
Amir Osman Mawlud, who oversees coexistence affairs at the Kurdistan Regional Government’s endowment ministry, said the government remains committed to protecting all ethnic and religious communities equally.
Political analyst Henase Karim told iNews that Kurdistan cannot move forward as long as people who hold deep hatred toward Jews and non-Muslims remain present in the region.
She said this kind of hostility holds all countries back. Karim also said, according to her view, that Islam is a religion that teaches hatred, violence, and what she called a harmful mindset.
Karim also said Jewish Kurds hold significant influence in advocating for the Kurdish cause internationally, describing their lobbying efforts as powerful and their support as something Kurds should not overlook or abandon. She said Kurds owe a great deal of gratitude to Jewish Kurds for this backing.
More than 300,000 Jewish Kurds live in Israel today. Some analysts say their influence rivals that of the estimated three million or more Kurds living in the diaspora worldwide.
(With files from Rudaw | Agencie)
Copyright © 2026 iKurd.net. All rights reserved.
Related posts:
Internal Revolt Against Hamas in Gaza Was Already Underway
A Root Cause Review of the Israeli-Hamas Conflict
Kurds Must Stay Clear of Gaza Conflict and Hamas’s Anti-Jew Aims
The 12-Day War: A Tactical Failure, Yet a Strategic Win for Israel
Salafi leader in Iraqi Kurdistan blames Hamas for Gaza’s crisis
Hamas releases video of starving, skeletally thin Israeli hostage
Israel marks October 7 anniversary of Hamas deadly attack
Business with ISIS – Updated
Israel authorizes plan to control Gaza City
Israel kills Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the brutal October 7 attack
