The Islamic State’s execution of 13 Sunni Muslim clerics last month in Mosul was a move to silence moderate voices among Iraq’s Sunnis, and deserves greater attention, the top United Nations expert on religious freedom said.

“Here a Sunni movement is executing Sunni religious leaders. That should make us think,” said Heiner Bielefeldt, the UN’s special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. “It’s important to focus more attention on these particular killings, because here we are not talking about Sunnis versus [Shiites]. This is a very clear case of atrocities committed against their own people, against religious leaders from Sunni Islam who probably have a less simplistic understanding of what Islam means.”

The Islamic State’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, led prayers last Friday at Mosul’s Great Nur al-Din Mosque. One of the first clerics executed in Mosul, according to the UN, was that mosque’s imam, Muhammad al-Mansuri.

He was executed on June 12, the UN said, for failing to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, which released a 21-minute video on Saturday of Baghdadi preaching from the same minbar, or pulpit, that Mansuri once occupied.

Twelve other Sunni clerics were executed on June 14, the UN says.   »»» Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

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