An open letter from the Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam,
As-salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah:

We regret to inform you of disturbing reports from Kurdistan of Iraq. Reports from the Hawraman area detailed the desecration of the graves, the destruction of centuries old shrines, and stealing the remains of the Naqshbandi saints in Biarah and Bakh Kon. It is particularly disturbing that this repugnant act was committed by a group that claims to be Islamic, calling itself Ansar al-Islam. This organization was created and is supported militarily and politically by the Islamic Republic of Iran and financially by the Saudi government. The three to four year history of this group reveals its agenda of prohibited acts of killing, violence, and terrorism against innocent Muslims in Kurdistan. The latest atrocity against the Naqshbandi shrines was an Iranian-Saudi joint venture. This criminal group fulfilled the anti-Sunni political agenda of the Iranian government by destroying Ahle Sunnah shrines and by destabilizing the successful democratic state in Iraqi Kurdistan. They also carried their mission of the destruction of Ahle Sunnah wal Jama'ah centers and shrines to please their Saudi masters and propagate Wahabbism.

It should not be surprising for us Ahle Sunnah wal Jama'ah that Naqshbandi shrines were the target of this group. The Naqshbandi tariqah has served Islam all over the world for many centuries. This tariqah with the spiritual leadership of Maulana Khalid Kurdi has been the most active and influential tariqah in Kurdistan of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. Maulana Khalid's khalifa, Shaykh Uthman Sirajuddin and his descendents have served Islam in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) by spreading and teaching the aqidah of Ahle Sunnah wal Jama'ah in Kurdistan. They cultivated Biarah (a village of Kurdistan of Iraq) into one of the greatest centers of Islamic education, which served in this capacity for centuries. The Biarah madrassa graduated thousands of scholars from different parts of the world. Among many famous graduates of that school is Mullah Abd al-Karim Mudarris who is currently the head of the Ulama of Iraq and one of the most well known Muslim scholars in the world. At the age of 101 he continues to serve Islam and guide Muslims at the shrine of Hazarat Shaykh Abd al-Qadir Gilani in Baghdad. Naqshbandi khanaqas in Kurdistan have served not only as a place of worship, dhikr, and teaching but also as sanctuaries for the sick and needy.

The burrial sites of Naqshbandi Shaykhs have been shrines of Ahle Sunnah wal Jama'ah and part of the rich religious and cultural heritage of the Kurdish people for centuries. Among the most prominent Naqshbandi Shaykhs whose tombs were defiled and remains were taken were Shaykh 'Umar Diya' ad-Din al-Naqshbandi, Shaykh Najmuddin al-Naqshbandi, Shaykh Hussam ad-Din al-Naqshbandi, and Shaykh Muhammad 'Ala' ad-Din al-Naqshbandi (May Allah be pleased with them all). The grandson of Hazarat Shaykh 'Umar Diya' ad-Din is Shaykh Muhammad Masum Naqshbandi who has spent over 80 years of his life teaching and spreading Islam. He is the present Shaykh of Naqshbandi-Khalidia tariqah, a well-known Islamic scholar of Ahle Sunnah wal Jama'ah, and spiritual guide of the Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE) in the United States.

It is clear to all Muslims that Islam teaches mercy, peace, and harmony and rejects violence and aggression. Thus, it is heartbreaking for any Muslim to see at this time that we have been wrongly portrayed by the Western media as followers of a religion that promotes violence due to the heinous crimes of groups like Ansar al-Islam. Since this incident, the evil actions of this group have been strongly condemned by the Kurdish political leaders Mr. Masud Barzani and Mr. Jalal Talabani. Also, thousands of people have attended demonstrations in Arbil and Suleimaniah to protest the un-islamic behavior and aggression of this misguided group.

Because the Ansar al-Islam is an Iranian venture and gets both weapons and training from Iran, Shaykh Masum Naqshbandi has sent a letter of protest (of which a copy is enclosed) to the Iranian Supreme Spiritual Leader, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei. We urge our Muslim sisters and brothers also to send strong letters of protest to the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran requesting them to condemn these crimes and withdraw all support from the responsible groups.Please contact :

His Excellency Hazarat Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei (Fax: Tehran - 01198216468543/Qum - 011982517742228)

President Sayyed Mohammad Khatami (Fax: 01198216495880)

Ayatollah Makaram Shirazi (Fax: 011982517743114)

In USA contact:

Embassy Of Pakistan, Interests Section Of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue,N.W.Washington, D.C.20007 Telephone: (202)9654990, Fax: (202)9651073/automated fax on demand after office hours:(202)9654990.

We all pray for unity of Muslim Ummah.

All praises are due to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet (SAW) and his family and companions.

Wa'l-salaamu alaikum wa-Rahmatullah,

Board of Directors, Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE)