2011 Duhok riots
| 2011 Duhok riots | |
|---|---|
Shops in Zakho after the riots | |
| Date | December 2–5, 2011 |
| Location | |
| Caused by | Islamic sermons |
| Goals | To destroy massage parlors and alcohol shops |
| Methods | Arson, coercion |
| Resulted in | Widespread property damage, arrest of KIU members |
The 2011 Duhok riots refers to riots which began on December 2, 2011, in the Duhok Governorate, Iraq. They were instigated by Friday prayers' sermons by Ismail Osman Sindai, a Kurdish imam, calling for attacks against stores selling alcohol and massage parlours in Zakho. The riots soon developed into the looting and burning down of Assyrian- and Yazidi-owned properties in other towns in the governorate, causing four million dollars of damage.
The riots ended after Kurdistan Regional Government 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 party.