Press Release
Disasters and Tragedies are a Natural Result of the Absence of a Caring State
In a series of repeated incidents and horrific fires, most notably the wedding hall fire in Nineveh in 2023, which killed more than 120 people and injured 200, and the fire at Al-Hussein Hospital in Dhi Qar in 2021, which killed more than 92 people, and the fire at the Corona isolation center in Ibn Al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad in 2021, which left 82 victims, a horrific tragedy comes as a result of a massive fire in Hypermarket Al-Kut on the evening of Wednesday, July 16, 2025 AD. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior confirmed that the fire that broke out inside a commercial building consisting of five floors in the center of the city of Kut killed 61 people, including 14 charred bodies that have not yet been identified, and that most of the victims died of suffocation as a result of the smoke. The ministry added in a statement that the building, which includes a restaurant and a shopping center, had only been open for seven days.
The repetition of these incidents and the mere formation of investigation committees while announcing mourning without identifying their causes and limiting their spread is the greatest betrayal of the nation, with everyone knowing that the most important causes are the corruption that is undermining the state, the multiple poles of political decision-making, and the politicians abandoning the care of the people and focusing on stealing money and preserving positions. There are no necessary capabilities for the concerned authorities to remedy the fire, and to rescue the families trapped inside for several hours, in addition to the building and construction approvals that were granted without complying with safety and security requirements. Rather, the greatest disaster is that most buildings are built without approvals, and there are no fire fighting systems in most state buildings, and if they exist, they are often out of order or inactive. It is natural to witness such an escalation in fires, and therefore it results from financial corruption, mismanagement, negligence, laxity, and the absence of a caring state.
O Muslims: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock; the ruler who is over the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock..." Agreed upon. And from the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say in my house: "O Allah, whoever takes charge of any affair of my Ummah and is harsh on them, be harsh on him, and whoever takes charge of any affair of my Ummah and is kind to them, be kind to him," narrated by Muslim. This is a supplication from the Prophet ﷺ against whoever takes over the affairs of Muslims, private and public, and that kindness is to treat people according to the command of Allah and His Messenger, and whoever treats people without the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ has made things difficult for them.
Imamate and taking care of people is a heavy burden and a trust for which Allah will hold one accountable. This was the answer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in what Abu Dharr narrated: I said: O Messenger of Allah, will you not appoint me? He said: Then he struck my shoulder with his hand, then said: "O Abu Dharr, you are weak, and it is a trust, and it will be a disgrace and regret on the Day of Resurrection, except for the one who takes it with its right and fulfills what is due on him in it," narrated by Muslim.
O Muslims: These incidents and many others are a natural result of the absence of genuine care for the affairs of the people, and the rule of a rotten system formulated by the occupying infidel and established its rules, and enabled its corrupt guards to control the people.
The treatment of these tragedies is not through statements of sadness and condolences and the declaration of mourning, while the origin of the disease and the basis of the affliction remain, which is this corrupt system that is the natural product of these crises. Rather, the treatment is through serious work to remove it, and establish a system that rules by the law of Allah and cares for the affairs of the people according to its rulings, and pledge allegiance to a just Imam who strikes with an iron fist all types of corruption, drying up its sources and cutting off its roots, his ultimate goal in all of that is the pleasure of Allah Almighty.
﴿And say, "Do [righteous] deeds, and Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do."﴾
The Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Wilayah Iraq