The 2011 Duhok riots refers to riots which began on December 2, 2011, in the

Duhok Governorate Duhok Governorate (, , ) is a governorate in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Its capital is the city of Duhok. It includes Zakho, near the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Şırnak Province, Turkey. It borders the Al-Hasakah Gove ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. They were instigated by

Friday prayers Friday prayer, or congregational prayer (), is the meeting together of Muslims for communal prayer and service at midday every Friday. In Islam, the day itself is called ''Yawm al-Jum'ah'' (shortened to ''Jum'ah''), which translated from Arabic me ...

' sermons by Ismail Osman Sindai, a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

, calling for attacks against stores selling alcohol and massage parlours in

Zakho Zakho, also spelled Zaxo (, , , , ) is a city in the Kurdistan Region, at the centre of the Zakho District of the Dohuk Governorate, located a few kilometers from the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing. Zakho is known for its celebrations of Newr ...

. The riots soon developed into the looting and burning down of Assyrian- and

Yazidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

-owned properties in other towns in the governorate, causing four million dollars of damage. The riots ended after

Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...

security forces intervened and began a massive crackdown on demonstrators. As a result of the riots, a group of secular Kurds attacked a number of buildings belonging to the

Kurdistan Islamic Union Kurdistan Islamic Union (), colloquially referred to as Yekgirtû, is a Kurdish Islamist party in Iraqi Kurdistan. Leadership and supporters Salahaddin Bahaaddin cofounded the Kurdistan Islamic Union on February 6, 1994. In the first General C ...

party.

Background

Assyrian personalities in the region had been wary of the changes of the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring () was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings, and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began Tunisian revolution, in Tunisia ...

, particularity the rise of radical Islamism. The riots started in

, the northernmost town of

, located close to the

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

border. The town has a majority

population with a sizeable Assyrian and

minority.

Friday events

The small riots were instigated by Friday sermons in the northern city of

after Muslim clerics called for the destruction of stores that sold alcohol in the city on December 2, 2011. Angry youth mobs attacked Assyrian- and

-owned businesses such as stores, hotels, casinos, and massage parlors in the northern town of

. The violence spilled into nearby towns of

Duhok Duhok (; ; , ) is a city in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. It is the capital city of Duhok Governorate. Name The city of Duhok received its name from the Kurdish words ’du’ (two) and ’hok’ (lump) as a tax payment of two lumps from the baske ...

and Semel. Many Assyrian social clubs and homes were also attacked throughout the province. Angry Kurdish pro-government supporters that belonged to the

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK; ) is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the Disputed territories of Northern Iraq, disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK describes its goals as self-determination, human rights, democracy a ...

and

Kurdistan Democratic Party The Kurdistan Democratic Party (), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the ruling Political party, party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. ...

suspected

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...

-inspired

(KIU)

clerics Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

to be behind the violence and attacked offices of the Islamic party in Duhok and

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

overnight. However, in an official statement, the KIU denied any connections to the riots. The riots ended three days later with the strong response from the

Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

Regional Government.

Aftermath

On December 3, the Kurdish intelligence agency Asaish arrested 20 KIU members of parliament and high officials within the party.قوات الاسايش تعتقل قيادات في الاتحاد الاسلامي ومنهم النائب نجيب عبدالله
/ref> The

President of Iraqi Kurdistan The president of Kurdistan Region is the head of Autonomous administrative division, semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. They are part of the Kurdistan Presidency Council. The current president of Kurdistan Region is Nechirvan Bar ...

Masoud Barzani Masoud Barzani (; born 16 August 1946) is a Kurdish politician who has been leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) since 1979, and was President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 2005 to 2017. Early life and career Barzani was bo ...

ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the event. In an official press release, he stated: "I condemn both these unlawful acts. I call on the people of the Kurdistan Region to preserve our traditions of ethnic and religious co-existence. I have ordered the formation of a committee to look into these disturbances and bring to justice those responsible."

References

External links

Video of the Riots — Burning and destruction of places selling drinks and massageVideo of the Riots 2 — Clashes between youths and security forces in ZakhoVideo of the Riots 3 — Zakho after demonstrations and vandalism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duhok Riots Riots and civil disorder in Iraq 2011 in Iraqi Kurdistan History of Duhok History of Zakho 2011 riots 2011 Iraqi protests Politics of the Iraq War Persecution of Yazidis in Iraq Persecution of Assyrians in Iraq Kurdistan Region in the Iraq War December 2011 in Iraq Ethnic riots 2011 crimes in Iraq Looting in Iraq Arson in Iraq Arson in 2011 Marketplace attacks in Iraq Attacks on hotels in Iraq Attacks on office buildings in Iraq Attacks on buildings and structures in 2011 2011 fires in Asia December 2011 crimes in Asia Attacks on buildings and structures in Kurdistan Region (Iraq) Building and structure arson attacks in Asia