Iraqi Kurdistan builds mosques as public education and health lag

Iraqi Kurdistan builds hundreds of mosques as education, health lag — Kurdish Muslims engage in prayer inside a mosque in Sulaimani city, Iraqi Kurdistan, February 28, 2025. Photo: Channel8.com

Iraqi Kurdistan has built 441 mosques since 2019, ministry says

ERBIL,— The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has constructed 441 mosques across Iraq’s Kurdistan Region since 2019, expanding its religious footprint even as investment in education and healthcare remains limited.

Nabaz Ismail, spokesperson for the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, told BasNews on Saturday — a media outlet affiliated with caretaker Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s administration — that the ninth cabinet, in office since 2019, facilitated mosque construction by providing land and logistical support.

“In the ninth cabinet, 441 mosques were built across Kurdistan, and another ten are currently under construction or renovation,” Ismail said.

In March 2023, Ismail revealed that the Kurdistan Region had 5,800 mosques, of which 3,200 regularly held Friday prayers. The same statement listed 145 churches and approximately 400 other religious facilities.

That month, Ismail also said the ministry operated 100 Quran memorization centers, 130 rooms for Islamic jurists, and 21 Islamic schools. The Kurdistan Institute for Training Speakers, constructed in 2016, also remains under the ministry’s oversight.

Religious infrastructure in the region has expanded steadily. In 2016, the ministry revealed a rise in mosques, growing from 5,010 in 2013 to 5,337—most of which were newly built in Erbil Province.

But that growth has not been matched in the fields of education or healthcare. According to official data from 2018, more than 99% of mosques in the Kurdistan Region were built by private donors, creating a backlog of permit requests that the Ministry of Religious Affairs has struggled to process.

In contrast, only 1% of the region’s over 7,000 schools have been built through philanthropic support.

Healthcare follows a similar pattern. In 2018, Dr. Khalis Qadir, then-chief of staff at the Ministry of Health, stated that only one hospital in the Kurdistan Region — the Nana Kali Hospital in Erbil, which treats blood diseases and cancer — had been constructed by a private donor.

He noted that while a few smaller health centers were also built by philanthropists, the bulk of medical facilities were funded and developed by the government.

The government reported that philanthropists have constructed just 28 schools across the region: 7 in Erbil, 7 in Sulaimani, 10 in Duhok, 3 in Halabja, and 1 in Germiyan.

Critics argue the region’s priorities reflect a broader strategy to encourage religious adherence while limiting intellectual and scientific advancement.

Political analyst Henase Karim sharply criticized the government’s priorities, arguing the numbers point to a deliberate strategy.

Speaking to iKurd News, Karim said the data reveals an intentional shift toward building a more compliant society.

“While the Kurdish administration has failed to pay salaries for public servants consistently since 2014, it still finds the money to build mosques,” Karim said.

She added that the ruling families aim to “build a dumb and obedient nation,” rather than an educated one.

“The people are being pushed to rely on prayer instead of productivity. The fewer questions the population asks, the easier it is to govern them without accountability.” she said.

“Our people are being pushed to rely on Allah instead of knowledge,” Karim said. “The government hasn’t built scientific centers, research labs, or even modern universities. From a Western perspective, their announcements are meaningless.”

She added that “There’s no real investment in scientific research, technological development, or modern education. Any so-called progress announced by the government has no substance in the eyes of serious international observers.”

Karim concluded, “This isn’t about religion. It’s about control. Prayer halls multiply, while minds stagnate. A poorly educated public is easier to manipulate — and that’s exactly what benefits the ruling families.”