Ali Bapir

Ali Bapir, A.K.A Mamosta Ali Bapir (Kurdish: عه‌لی باپیر) is a Kurdish Islamic scholar and politician in Iraqi Kurdistan. He is the founder and current president of the Kurdistan Justice Group (formerly known as the Islamic Group of Kurdistan).[1] He was born in 1961 in the Pshdar district, Iraqi Kurdistan. He has written over 150 books on politics, Islam, society, Kurds, and Kurdistan. He is the most popular politician with the Kurdish Islamism ideology.

Mamosta
Ali Bapir
عه‌لی باپیر
Founder and Leader of Kurdistan Justice Group
Assumed office
2001
Iraq Council of Representatives
In office
2009–2013
member of political bureau of Kurdistan Islamic Movement
In office
1991–2001
Personal details
Born1961 (age 60–61)
Pshdar district, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
Political partyKurdistan Justice Group
ChildrenSharif Ali Bapir
OccupationPolitical leader
ProfessionAuthor, Politician, and Islamic Scholar
Websitehttp://alibapir.net http://alibapir.com

In the 2009 Iraqi general elections for the Council of Representatives, he was one of the 10 candidates with the most votes in the country.

Bapir fought against Saddam Hussein’s regime in the 1980s as a Peshmerga fighter. After splitting from Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (IMK) in 2000 and establishing the Kurdistan Justice Group, he stayed in the Halabja area adjacent to the Iranian border where extremists had established an Islamic emirate.[2]

When the Americans attacked extremists of the Ansar al-Islam group in March 2003, approximately two dozen soldiers loyal to Bapir were killed as well.

Shortly after the emergence of ISIS, Bapir released a series of books named "Denunciation of Extremism and Refutation of Extremist Ideas" in which he wrote that the teachings of Quran encourage tolerance and coexistence.[3]

On April 5, 2014, the Garmian Center for Referendum awarded Bapir a medal for his efforts in promoting reform and re-conciliation between the political parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.[4]

A debate with the title “Kurdistan between Democracy and Secularism” was held on April 10, 2016 in Tawar Hall in the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah between Ali Bapir and Mala Bakhtiyar, the Chief of the Executive Body of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, under the supervision of the Department of Humanities of a French university. The debate was later printed as a book of the same title in 2016. It was translated and published in Arabic and English.[5] [6]

Ali Bapir is one of the first Kurdish politicians from Iraqi Kurdistan to speak against Turkey’s treatment of its Kurdish citizens while on an official visit to Turkey. In 2016, Bapir participated in a discussion panel in Turkey and stated that “Turkey must stop oppressing the Kurds in the North” and that “the issue of the Muslim world is that they have let go of Islam and tradition to play by the rules of the Sykes Picot agreement in 1916 which has divided the nations along illegitimate borders.”[7]

Literary career

In his initial writings Bapir has inspired the poet Khider Kosari.[8]

Criticism

In 2015, after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) made advances into the Kurdistan region, Bapir called for the defense of the Kurdish region and urged ISIL to not attack,[9]

Ali Bapir refused to stand to the Kurdish national anthem on numerous occasions, which caused fierce debate and criticism against him and the political fanction he represents.[10] While defending himself, he said in a statement that "nobody has the right to critisize us for not standing for the anthem, because we cannot respect an anthem which disrespects our religion", referring to part of the anthem which states: "our only religion is our nation."[10][11][12] This controversy led to a lawsuit against Ali Bapir's son-in-law, who was also a member of Kurdistan Justice Group.[13] However, this is not something unique to Islamists only as minority groups such as Christians and Yezidis in the Kurdistan Region have protested against the Kurdish National Anthem on the grounds that it is not inclusive enough for a proper national anthem.[14] [15]

References
  1. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/challenges-secular-reforms-kris-biggest-islamist-party
  2. Hawramy, Fazel. "Komal should 'shed' Islamic label: party leader". Rudaw. Archived from the original on 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  3. "Denunciation of ExtremismandRefutation of Extremist Ideas". الموقع الرسمي للشيخ علي باپير. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  4. "سه‌نته‌ری گه‌رمیان بۆ ڕاپرسی، خه‌ڵاتی كه‌سایه‌تیی ساڵی 2013 ده‌به‌خشێته‌ م. عه‌لی باپیر". YouTube.
  5. https://www.aa.com.tr/ks/%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%95%D8%AA/%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A8%DB%95%DB%8C%D8%AA%DB%8E%D9%83%DB%8C-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%88%DB%95%DB%8C-%D9%86%DB%8E%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B9%DB%95%D9%84%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D9%88-%D9%85%DB%95%D9%84%D8%A7-%D8%A8%DB%95%D8%AE%D8%AA%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B1/552757
  6. https://www.rudaw.net/sorani/kurdistan/2103201627-amp
  7. "عەلی باپیر لەتوركیا: پێویستە توركیا واز لە چەوساندنەوەی كورد بهێنێت".
  8. Mohammed, Fatih (2019-05-08). "Los Angeles Review of Books". Los Angeles Review of Books. Archived from the original on 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
  9. Wilgenburg, Wladimir van (2015-02-09). "Islamic State Threatens Kurdish Clerics". War Is Boring. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  10. "عەلی باپیر: ناتوانیین رێز لە ئەی رەقیب بگرین". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  11. "ئیسلامییەكان و سروودی نیشتمانی". www.rudaw.net (in Central Kurdish). Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  12. "كۆمەڵ و یەكگرتووی ئیسلامی دژی بەیاسایی كردنی سرودی(ئەی رەقیب)ن ‌". 20 May 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  13. "کامپینی ئێمە خاوەنی ئەی رەقیبین". kurdistannet.info. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  14. "یونادم کەنا: پـێویستە لە دەستوری هەرێم "ئەی ڕەقیب" سروودی نیشتمانی نەبێت هەروەها ئاڵای ئێستای کوردستانیش بگۆڕدرێت".
  15. https://www.rudaw.net/sorani/kurdistan/2311201314
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