The creation of the Office occurred through Resolution No. 29 of 30 August 2003, which ordered the dissolution of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs (Wizarat al-Awqaf) and the creation of three new endowment offices (Diwan al-Waqf) for the administration of the religious endowments of Sunnis, Shiites and other religions:[4]
The majority of the endowments of the former Ministry of Awqaf were of Sunni mosques, while the number of Shiite endowments was low, because under the previous government only Sunni Islam was protected by law.[5]
Since the separation of the holy places of Shiite Muslims and of other religions, the Sunni Endowment Office is responsible only for Sunni mosques and endowments.[8] The office has also a new section for cultural moderation.[8]
The minaret of the Great Mosque of al-NuriinMosul, 2013. The mosque was destroyed in 2017. Its reconstruction is planned within the next five years[when?] by the Sunni Endowment Office
In the following years, as soon as the Iraqi insurgency was defeated, the mosques administrated by the insurgents were transferred by the Iraqi Army to the Office.[11]
In June 2015, new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, head of a broad government coalition, appointed Abd al-Latif al-Humaym as Office President,[13][14] despite the veto of the Fiqh Council of Sunni Ulema, of Islamist tendency,[7] and the opposition of the Sunni Iraqi Fatwa Council, linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces and to Shiite parties.[15]
As soon as the Iraqi Army recaptured areas from Daesh, Office President Humaym cooperated to rebuild places destroyed by the war, such as the town of Ramadi after its liberation in 2016,[7] and the Great Mosque of al-NuriofMosul in 2018.[16]
^Resolution 29/2003 of the IGC: Dissolution of the Ministry of Awqaf and religious affairs and creation of administrative offices for the Awqaf of all religions and sects (30 August 2003), in: [1], p. 292
