Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of ISIS: Eid-el-Fitri not part of Islam

The militant muslim group declared its position while announcing a ban on the celebration in the Iraqi town of Mosul, which it occupied since last year.

Local reports quoting a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official Ismat Rajab said that the militant group claims the practice was not “originally an Islamic practice” and was not followed by ancient Muslims.

ISIS issued a warning to all the residents to refrain from prayers on the day, Kurdish news source Rudaw reported.

Mosul was captured by ISIS last year, and reports from the occupied city suggest that the militant group has taken to ruling the majority-Sunni city with an iron fist, burning libraries and books, destroying ancient artefacts and executing hundreds of mostly Shiite Muslims, whom the group considers apostates.

Local security forces and militia troops are planning a major offensive to retake the city, but the Iraqi army’s recent difficulties in other parts of the country have raised questions over the efficacy of their operations. The offensive has been delayed indefinitely.

*Let’s share your view on this declaration on Eid-el-Fitri by the Islamic State