Al Azhar al Sharif said on Monday that it rejected growing demands for the separation of Iraq's northern areas, asserting its keenness to maintain the unity of Iraqi territories.

In a statement, al Azhar noted that calls for separation and division in addition to the recent independent referendum that has just been held in Iraq are all refused by the international community and the Arab countries in particular.

Such calls lead to more divisions among the Arab and Islamic nations and achieve colonial schemes that aim to divide countries according to sectarian and ethnic criteria, al Azhar pointed out.

Al Azhar expressed regret over reports fanned in media and social media networks saying that flags of the Zionist entity have been raised during the independence celebrations, revealing that some hidden bodies have driven such separation.

Al Azhar called on Iraqi people including various factions to stand united to maintain the unity of Iraq that have been always a model of peaceful coexistence.

Source : Mena