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Grand MuftiMahdi ibn Ahmad al-Sumaidaie
مهدي الصميدعي
Mahdi Al Sumaidaie on Iraqi television
Incumbent
Assumed office February 2014
Personal life
Nationality	Iraqi Arab
Religious life
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni
Institute	Mustansiriya University
Muslim leader
Post	Grand Mufti of Iraq

Mahdi ibn Ahmed Al-Sumaidaie (Arabic: مهدي بن أحمد الصميدعي, romanized: Mahdi Ibn Ahmad Al Sumaidaye) is the Grand Mufti of Iraq. He runs the Sunni Fatwa Council in Baghdad, at the Umm-al-Tubul mosque.

Since 2014 he has been recognized by the government of Nuri al-Maliki as Grand Mufti of the Sunnis of Iraq, the highest Iraqi Sunni religious authority.

He played an important political role in the events of Iraq, in an attempt to involve part of Salafi Islam in the fight against the Islamic State, alongside the Shiite forces. Despite this, he has close ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran. His role as mufti, however, is contested by some Iraqi Sunnis. The juridical council of the ulama is represented by Sheikh Abdul Waha al-Samarrai.

Biography

Religious activities

During the American occupation of Iraq, Sheikh Sumaidaie led an armed group, supporting the jihad against the occupation forces. In January 2004, he was arrested by American troops as he exited the mosque in Baghdad after a prayer. Later released, he played a mediating role between the government and Salafist resistance. Following the withdrawal of American troops in December 2011, Sumaidaie was co-opted by the government of Nuri al-Maliki to persuade Salafist Sunni preachers to participate in a unified legal council with the Shiites. The attempt, during a conference on the Iraqi resistance in February 2012, was not successful, moreover, due to his support for the Shiite government Sumaidaie suffered an attempted attack in August 2012.

Grand mufti

In February 2014 Sheikh Sumaidaie is recognized by the government of Nuri al-Maliki as a stranger to the Sunni uprising; the Iraqi government recognized him as the leader of a Sunni Fatwa Council (Dar al-Iftaa Ahl al-Sunna wa Jamaah) in the place of Grand Mufti of the Sunnis, with the aim of involving Sunni citizens in the fight against ISIS alongside the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces.

Declarations and fatwaas

• in June 2014 the Grand Mufti condemned the Islamic State, calling it a foreign project and inviting Iraqis to unite to fight it, joining the appeal of Shiite Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
• in January 2016 he attended the ceremony to promote 500 Sunni recruits of the Popular Mobilization Forces engaged in the war on ISIS.
• in June 2016, in the aftermath of the liberation of Fallujah from ISIS, the spokesman of the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Amer al-Bayati, declared that the liberation of the city by Iraqis of every ethnicity and religion belied the propaganda of ISIS, according to which the civil war is that of "one religious component against the other", joining the statements of the spokesman of the Shiite Ayatollah of Najaf Ali al-Sistani, Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, and of the president of the Shiite Waqf Office, sheikh Sami al-Masudi.
• in December 2016 following a fatwā, the Grand Mufti invited preachers and political leaders who had supported the Anbar Uprising and the Islamic State to leave Iraq, their attempt to obstruct the political process having failed.
• Following the assassination attempt targeted at al-Sumaidaie with a car bomb at the headquarters of the Sunni Dar al-Ifta on January 2, 2017, claimed by Daesh, the Grand Mufti accused Iraqi politicians in collusion with Western countries of being the cause of the continuous attacks in Iraq.
• In March 2017 spokesman al-Bayati declared that Iraqis, after defeating Israelis and Americans in Iraq (as occult supporters of ISIS), will have to go directly against Israel to clean Palestine from the occupiers.
• on March 28, 2017, at the end of an international interreligious conference, the Grand Mufti visited the shrine of Imam Husayn in Kerbela, inviting them to refuse the speeches of preachers and politicians trying to divide the Iraqi nation, while a delegation of Dar al-Ifta, led by Shaykh al-Bayati, visited Mustansiriyya University in Baghdad.
• in February 2018, Grand Mufti Sumaidaie praised the role of Iranian militias in the fight against ISIS, supporting the role of the Islamic Republic in Iraq.
• in August 2018 spokesman al-Bayati denounced the cooperation of some Islamic Gulf Countries such as Saudi Arabia in enforcing US sanctions against Iran and Turkey, declaring that for their collaboration these countries are placing themselves "outside Islam".
• in December 2018 the Grand Mufti obtained from the commander of the Iranian Armed Forces Qasem Soleimani, in the presence of the Deputy Commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an important honor for the "firm position in defense of Islam" and the "sincerity of sentiments and the drive towards the liberation of Palestine". According to Israeli sources, the formation of the new government was discussed in the meeting, which took place the day after the elections.
• In December 2018 following the Iraqi government's decision to include Christmas as a national holiday, the Grand Mufti issued a fatwā urging Sunni Muslims not to take part in the celebrations, as this would be tantamount to endorsing Christian belief. The fatwa sparked the protest of the Chaldean patriarch Louis Sako, who urged "peaceful coexistence" and "mutual respect" between religions, and called on the Iraqi government to oppose those who spread divisive ideas, "especially from an official platform". Many Muslims also distanced themselves from the fatwā, including the president of the Sunni Waqf Office al-Heymem, who highlighted that Christians are an "essential component" of the Iraqi nation with "deep roots" in the country's history. The president of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the autonomous region of Kurdistan, asked for legal action to be taken against the Grand Mufti.
• in June 2019 al-Sumaidaie asked for a ban on the sale of alcohol in Iraq, specifically bringing back a three-year bill that was no longer in the Iraqi law.
• In January 2020 following the American attack on the head of the Quds Forces in Iraq, General Qassem Suleimani, al-Sumaidaie spoke in one with the Iraqi authorities claiming Iraqi national sovereignty and joining the call for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.

References

• Mahdi al-Sumaidaie

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4. ^ "Iraq-Iran: generale Soleimani ricevuto a Baghdad dal Gran muftì dei sunniti al Sumaida'i". Agenzia Nova (in Italian). Retrieved 28 June 2022.
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v t e Popular Mobilization Forces
In Iraq
People	Ali al-Sistani Nouri al-Maliki General commanders Falih Alfayyadh Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis † Secondary commanders Hadi al-Amiri (Badr) Muqtada al-Sadr (Peace Companies) Jalal al-Din Ali al-Saghir (Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda) Former commanders Akram al-Kaabi (Harakat al-Nujaba) Qais Khazali (AAH)
Factions	Current Badr Organization Liwa al-Tafuf Liwa Ali al-Akbar Peace Companies Babylon Brigade Kata'ib al-Imam Ali Kataib Rouh Allah Issa Ibn Miriam Liwa al-Shabak Salah al-Din Brigade Jaysh al-Mu'ammal Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya Saraya Ansar al-Aqeeda Saraya al-Jihad Saraya al-Khorasani Sinjar Resistance Units Quwat al-Shaheed al-Sadr Former Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Kata'ib Hezbollah Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
Other personals	Abu Azrael Abu Tahsin al-Salhi Mohanad Najim Aleqabi Ahmed Al Asadi Um Hanadi
Media	Current Team Media War (general) Alghadeer TV (Badr) Former Alahad TV (AAH) Alnujaba TV (Nujaba) Aletejah TV (KH)
Military activities	Iraqi Civil War Syrian Civil War
Related	Fatah Alliance Private militias in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present) Holy Shrine Defender
Category

v t e Iraq War (2003–2011)
Beginning of the Iraqi conflict
Prelude Background Pre-1990 17 July Revolution Iranian Revolution 1979 Ba'ath Party Purge Iran–Iraq War British / U.S. support for Iraq Chemical attacks against Iran Anfal campaign Iran–Contra affair 1990–2003 Gulf War Invasion of Kuwait Nayirah testimony Sanctions against Iraq No-fly zones 1991 uprisings UNSCOM Arms-to-Iraq affair Oil-for-Food Programme Investigations September 11 attacks Aftermath War on terror 2001 anthrax attacks U.S. War in Afghanistan Invasion Rationale WMD claims Yellowcake uranium Aluminum tubes Biological weapons Chemical weapons "Curveball" Mobile weapon labs Saddam–al-Qaeda conspiracy theory Anthrax claims Prague Ricin claims Oil as a possible rationale Issues American imperialism Bush Doctrine Wolfowitz Doctrine Colin Powell's UN presentation Disarmament crisis UNMOVIC Failed peace initiatives Iraq resolution / UK parliament's support for invasion Iraqi–Kurdish conflict Legality Legitimacy of the invasion Media coverage Military analyst program Rapid response operation Saddam's alleged shredder Preemptive war Saddam Hussein and human rights Dossiers and memos Habbush letter Downing Street memo September Dossier Vilnius letter Letter of the eight Bush–Blair 2003 memo February Dossier Bush–Aznar memo
Overview Key events Invasion (2003) Occupation (2003–2011) Insurgency 2003–06 period Anbar campaign Fallujah Capture of Saddam Hussein Interrogation Trial Execution / Reactions 2006 al-Askari mosque bombing Civil war (2006–08) 2007 U.S. troop surge timeline U.S. withdrawal Status of forces agreement Invasion (2003) Timeline Preparations for invasion Multi-National Force Battle of Nasiriyah Fall of Baghdad Battle of Debecka Pass Firdos Square statue Mission Accomplished speech US public opinion Occupation (2003–2011) Occupation of Ramadi De-Ba'athification 100 Orders CPA Order 2 CPA Order 17 U.S. military bases Blackwater Reconstruction Development Fund Economic reform UNAMI Al Qa'qaa high explosives U.S. kill or capture strategy Replacement governments Coalition Provisional Authority Iraqi Governing Council Interim Government 2005 parliamentary elections Transitional Government Constitution Ratification
Participants Countries Australia Ba'athist Iraq Denmark Georgia Iran Italy Japan Poland South Korea Thailand Ukraine United Kingdom United States Insurgent groups Sunni groups Islamic Army in Iraq 1920 Revolution Brigades Jaish al-Rashideen Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance Hamas of Iraq Jeish Muhammad Mujahideen Shura Council Islamic State of Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan Black Banner Organization Wakefulness and Holy War Abu Theeb's group Abu Bakr Al-Salafi Army Mujahideen Army Shia groups Mahdi Army Abu Deraa's militia Badr Organization Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq Sheibani Network Soldiers of Heaven Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Promised Day Brigade Kata'ib Hezbollah Ba'ath loyalists Fedayeen Saddam Al-Awda Popular Army Al-Abud Network Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation
Battles and operations Operations 2003 Ancient Babylon Catalyst Desert Scorpion Desert Thrust Falconer Iron Hammer Iron Justice Ivy Blizzard Northern Delay Airborne Dragon Panther Squeeze Peninsula Strike Planet X Capture of Saddam Hussein (Red Dawn) Telic 2004 Baton Rouge Bulldog Mammoth Iron Saber New Dawn (Al Fajr) Phantom Fury Phantom Linebacker Plymouth Rock Vigilant Resolve Warrior's Rage 2005 Able Rising Force Able Warrior Cyclone Iron Hammer Matador New Market Spear (Romhe) Squeeze Play Steel Curtain 2006 Al Majid Gaugamela Guardian Tiger Iron Triangle River Falcon Sinbad Swarmer Together Forward 2007 Alljah Arbead II Ardennes Black Eagle Commando Eagle Forsythe Park Imposing Law Leyte Gulf Marne Avalanche Marne Torch Mawtini Phantom Strike Phantom Thunder Polar Tempest Purple Haze Saber Guardian Sledgehammer Stampede 3 Tiger Hammer Valiant Guardian (Harris Ba'sil) 2008 Defeat Al Qaeda in the North Augurs of Prosperity Phantom Phoenix 2009–2011 New Dawn Battles 2003 Invasion Umm Qasr Al Faw Basra I Nasiriyah Karbala I Haditha Dam Najaf I Samawah I Karbala II Al Kut Hillah Karbala Gap Debecka Pass Baghdad I Majar al-Kabir Ramadan Offensive 2004 Spring fighting Karbala City Hall Fallujah I Siege of Sadr City Ramadi I Good Friday ambush Baghdad International Airport Husaybah Danny Boy Najaf II CIMIC House Samarra Fallujah II Mosul 2005 Lake Tharthar Abu Ghraib Al-Qa'im Hit convoy Haditha Tal Afar 2006 Baghdad II Ramadi II Diwaniya Al Rumaythah Amarah Turki 2007 Haifa Street Karbala provincial HQ Najaf III Shurta Nasir Basra II Baqubah Route Bismarck Donkey Island Karbala III 2008 Spring fighting Iraqi Day of Ashura Nineveh Basra III Al-Qaeda offensive 2009–2011 Palm Grove (2010) Related events Turkish incursions into northern Iraq 2007 2008 Abu Kamal raid
War crimes Occupation forces Killings and massacres During the 2003 invasion U.S. killings of journalists Fallujah killings Killing of Nadhem Abdullah (2003) Murder of Muhamad Husain Kadir Mukaradeeb wedding party massacre (2004) Haifa Street helicopter incident (2005) Tal Afar shootings (2005) Basra prison incident (2005) Haditha massacre (2005) Mahmudiyah rape and killings (2006) Ishaqi massacre (2006) Baghdad detainee killings (2006) Hamdania incident (2006) Iraqi bodyguard killing (2006) Iron Triangle Murders (2006) Baghdad airstrike (2007) Nisour Square massacre (2007) Iraq War Logs (2010) Chemical weapons Use of white phosphorus by the United States (2004–05) Torture and abuse Abu Ghraib prison (2003–06) Camp Bucca (2003–09) Camp Nama (2003–04) Balad Air Base (2003–2011) Death of Nagem Hatab (2003) Killing of Baha Mousa (2003) Death of Abed Hamed Mowhoush (2003) Killing of Manadel al-Jamadi (2003) Death of Fashad Mohamed (2004) § Other killings and bombings 2003 Jordanian embassy Canal Hotel Imam Ali mosque bombing Baghdad October 2003 2004 Erbil 2004 Ashura massacre Basra 2004 Mosul 2004 2004 church bombings Baghdad bombings 14 September 30 September Karbala and Najaf bombings Baqubah 2004 Kufa mosque bombing 2005 Al Hillah 2005 Erbil 2005 Musayyib bombing Baghdad bombings August September Balad 2005 Khanaqin bombings 2006 Karbala and Ramadi Al-Askari mosque 2006 Buratha mosque bombing Sadr City bombings July November Hayy Al-Jihad massacre 2007 Mustansiriya University Baghdad bombings 22 January 3 February 12 February 18 February 29 March 18 April 26 July 1 August Al Hillah 2007 Tal Afar 2007 Iraqi Parliament 2007 Karbala mosque bombings Massacres of Yazidis April massacre Qahtaniyah bombings Makhmour Abu Sayda Al-Askari mosque 2007 Al-Khilani mosque bombing Amirli bombing Kirkuk 2007 Al Amarah bombings 2008 Bagdad bombings February March June Balad 2008 Karbala 2008 Al-Karmah Dujail bombing Balad Ruz bombing Attacks on Christians in Mosul 2009 Bagdad bombings March 6 April June August October December Baghdad–Miqdadiyah Taza bombing Kirkuk 2009 Tal Afar 2009 2010 Nationwide attacks 10 May 25 August Bagdad bombings January February April August September November Baqubah 2010 Baghdad church massacre 2011 Nationwide attacks January August Bagdad bombings January August October Arba'een bombings Tikrit assault Al Hillah 2011 Samarra bombing Al Diwaniyah bombing Taji bombings Karbala 2011 Basra 2011 Other war crimes Raid on Camp Ashraf (2011) Archaeological looting Chlorine bombings Torture by the Wolf Brigade (2004–2011) Prosecution United States and the International Criminal Court Hague Invasion Act Prosecution for the 2003 invasion Abtan v. Blackwater Hamdan v. Rumsfeld Saleh v. Bush Taguba Report § All attacks listed in this group were either committed by insurgents, or have unknown perpetrators
Impact General Casualties Iraq Body Count Iraq Family Health Survey Lancet surveys ORB survey Damage to Baghdad Al-Aimmah Bridge disaster Human rights Humanitarian crisis 2007 cholera outbreak Financial cost Refugees Iraqi Christians Mandaeans Violence against Iraqi academics Political controversies Post-invasion WMD conjecture Iraq scandal in Finland Dixie Chicks comments Plame affair Hood event Death of David Kelly Hutton Inquiry Kidnapping of Angelo dela Cruz 2004 document leak Al Jazeera bombing memo Scott Thomas Beauchamp controversy MoveOn.org ad controversy Six Days in Fallujah Role of Canada War resisters Investigations Senate Report on WMD Intelligence Duelfer Report Chilcot Inquiry Reactions Pre-war Pre-war international reactions Khuy Voyne! Saddam Hussein interview Views on the invasion U.S. public opinion Opposition Criticism United Nations Oprah's Anti-war series Iraqi map pendant Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan Photo Op A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq Bush shoe-throwing incident Protests Halloween 2002 February 15, 2003 March 20, 2003 Bring Them Home Now Tour January 20, 2005 September 24, 2005 January 27, 2007 March 17, 2007 2007 Port of Tacoma September 15, 2007 March 19, 2008 Aftermath in Iraq The rise of ISIL Insurgency (2011–13) War in Iraq (2013–17) War against ISIL (2014–present) U.S.-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021) Insurgency (2017–present)
Miscellaneous Terminology Axis of evil Outposts of tyranny "Baghdad Bob" "Chemical Ali" Coalition of the willing Dead checking Embedded journalism Freedom fries Friedman Unit "Mother of All Bombs" "Mrs. Anthrax" Old Europe and New Europe Regime change Shock and awe "Sixteen Words" "Smoking gun / mushroom cloud" Star Spangled Ice Cream Strategic reset "There are unknown unknowns" Triangle of Death "Yo, Blair" Critical Global arrogance Inverted totalitarianism "The wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time" Memorials Afghan–Iraqi Freedom Memorial (Salem, Oregon) Al-Shaheed Monument Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial (London) Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial Old North Memorial Garden Saving Iraqi Culture Lists Assassinations Aviation shootdowns and accidents Bombings Coalition military operations Documentaries Iraqi security forces fatality reports Most-wanted Iraqi playing cards Private contractor deaths Timeline 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Related Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty Chelsea Manning CIA black sites Efforts to impeach George W. Bush "Enhanced interrogation techniques" Torture in the United States Extraordinary rendition Green Zone Guantanamo Bay detention camp Gulf of Tonkin incident Resolution Military–industrial complex Neoconservatism Patriot Act Petrodollar warfare theory Post-9/11 Special Relationship The Iraq War: A Historiography of Misplaced Pages Changelogs Unilateralism Unitary executive theory U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East WikiLeaks Ba'ath Party archives
Outline / Category / Wikinews / Multimedia

• 21st-century imams
• People of the War in Iraq (2013–2017)
• Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)
• Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces
• Living people