Two Qurban sect leaders sentenced in Najaf for coercing suicides
Shafaq News- Najaf
A Najaf criminal court sentenced two leaders of Al-Qurban group to six years in prison for forcing members to commit suicide through a ritual known as the candle draw, a security source told Shafaq News on Monday.
The two were convicted of “coercing individuals to offer themselves as sacrifices to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib by committing suicide through strangulation.” According to the source, the ruling was issued under Article 408 of Iraq’s amended Penal Code No. 111 of 1969.
The candle draw ritual involves each participant lighting a candle during group gatherings, with the person whose candle goes out first allegedly being chosen to commit suicide.
Also known as “Ali-Allahiya,” Al-Qurban is a banned sect that promotes the deification of the first Shia Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib and encourages self-sacrifice as an act of devotion. Iraqi authorities have arrested dozens of its followers in Wasit, Basra, Al-Muthanna, Dhi Qar, and Al-Diwaniyah.
