Al-Azhar University will open an Islamic Institute in Kurdistan

And finally they decided to open an Islamic Institute in the Kurdistan Region, it comes in PUK Media that:

The”Sawt al-Azhar” newspaper which is issued by al- Azhar University in Cairo, announced that, according to an agreement inked by the (KRG) Minister of Religious Affairs and the Azhar Representative Abdel Fatah Alam, an institute will be opened in Kurdistan region. It will be the first of its kind in Iraq.

The newspaper said that al-Azhar University will dispatch 3 specialists in religion and administration to Erbil in order to complete the preparations of opening the Institute.
Al-Azhar al-Shareef is the largest Islamic and Scientific Source in the world. More than one million students, among them 15 from Kurdistan region, study in the aforementioned university.

This is new for a hight Islamic source to announce such step, although they said that there was an Islamic Institute int the region in the early nineties, which last till the end of last decade, but later they closed, why, I don't know.

Let's see what will bring this step to our region and to our religions.

Kurdistan Region as a Model for Religious Coexistence and Tolerance

Kurdish people are well-known for their tolerance and their respect to the other religions other than they believe in. I've heard more than one time that in Akre and Amedi towns, which located on the Iraq - Turkey border and belongs to the Duhok Province, the Church is just beside the Mosque.

This is not only a talk, let's bring some proofs, on 3rd of March 2008, the news comes from PUK Media that Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani met a high ranking delegation from International Peace Messengers Union in Salah El-Din resort, Irbil Province, on the behalf that the Union has chosen Kurdistan Region as a model for religious and ethnic coexistence. The Union also introduced to President Barzani a certification for his role in achieving peace and joint coexistence.

President Barzani appreciated this step, and emphasized his support for the goals of the Union.

Here I am going to upload 3 pictures that proves that Kurdistan is a Model for Religious Coexistence and Tolerance.





This is a very nice shot, for the largest and the most well-decorated Mosque here in Kurdistan, Jaleel Khayat and his sons Mosque, located on the 60m St., just on the other side of Shorsh Overpass.

They spent more than 7 years to build this Mosque.






St. Joseph Church, this church is located on Erbi-Ainkawa main road. Ainkawa is a town near Hawler city, most of it's population are Christian, and after 1991 became a local site for all foreign NGO in the region.

St. Joseph Church is one of the eminent churches in Ainkawa subdistrict. Its total area is 10000 M2 of which the premises take up 950 M2.

In 1978, it was built according to the ancient Babylonian design.



Al-Sawwaf Mosque, one of the largest mosque here in Hawler, if not in the Kurdistan all it's located on the Thirty Meters St., next to the Kurdistan Region Bank, Hareem Bank.

It constructed in the year 2003 according to Islamic architecture. It combines between modernism an heritage.

It has very beautiful and amazing look, actually the process of building starts during 90ies of the past century, on a relatively large area. They said that the fund for building this mosque comes from an old Saudian Muslim widow, may Allah bless her.