Turkish president's visit to Iraq to have meaning for Muslims: Descendant of Iraqi Sufi leader

By Haydar Karaalp

BAGHDAD (AA) - A descendant of an Iraqi Sufi leader who lived nearly a millennium ago said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's upcoming visit to Iraq would have great meaning for local Muslims as well as for the mausoleum in Baghdad of Abdul-Qadir Gilani, who died in 1166 in the Iraqi capital.

Speaking to Anadolu, Sayyid Khalid Abdul Qadir Gilani said that under Erdogan's leadership, the Turkish development aid agency, the Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), has been caring for pieces of Ottoman legacy at the Gilani Mausoleum in Baghdad.

He added that the renovation of the minbar (imam’s pulpit) in the mosque and a clock tower built by the late-era Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II are both nearing completion.

On Erdogan's expected visit to Iraq, whose date has not yet been set, Gilani said: "We are awaiting this visit and wholeheartedly support those who are preparing for it. President Erdoğan's visit to Iraq will have a dimension for both Muslims and our followers of the Qadiriyya order.

"This visit by Erdogan will also convey the message that Iraq is a country that is open, safe, and stable for both political engagements and religious visits to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, Imam Hussein (Husayn Ibn Ali), Imam Azam, and Gilani."

Saying that they want Erdogan to visit the mausoleum, he added: "All Ottoman sultans have left some mark at the mausoleum. His Excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also leave a trace at the Gilani Mausoleum by inaugurating projects to be completed by TIKA."

Abdul Qadir Gilani was the Islamic philosopher, scholar, preacher, and Sufi leader who gave his name to the Qadiriyya, one of the oldest Sufi orders.

He was born in 1077 or 1078 in the town of Na'if, Rezvanshahr in Gilan, Persia, and died in 1166 in Baghdad.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul