The so-called Islamic State terror group has banned traditional Tarawih prayers in Mosul during the holy month of Ramadan, it was reported Friday.
Tarawih prayers are extra prayers practiced voluntarily by Sunni Muslim worshipers at night during Ramadan.
According to Kurdish news site, IS has declared Tarawih prayers to be "heresy," straying from the true path of Islam. The group reportedly threatened to "lash" residents of Mosul who attended mosques for the prayer.
The report quoted an Imam from the Nineveh governorate identified as Saadon Nuemi, who confirmed that an IS legislation department had decided to ban Tarawih prayers in all Mosul mosques.
The decision, he said, was based on an ISIS belief that "Tarawih prayer is a heresy made up by clerics in Saudi Arabia and so it shouldn’t be performed."
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