God Doesn’t Need This Prayer but the President Does

By Abdullah Abdulkhaleq- Activist

The God I believe in is a God of peace, justice, and equality — not a real estate agent. He does not prefer villas over villages, nor does He crown political dynasties in the name of faith. He makes no distinction between classes or tribes, and He certainly doesn’t endorse those who exploit religion to cling to power. But your god the one you parade in press conferences and national prayers seems to have different preferences. He likes marble floors, bulletproof cars, and red carpets rolled out in prayer halls. Your god wants power to stay in the family and justice to stay in the script.

Today, more than 400 foreign guests were flown into Erbil to attend your carefully choreographed national prayer breakfast. It was all lights, cameras, and carefully managed angles. Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, your fellow citizens can’t even afford a loaf of bread.

This isn’t worship it’s a show. A prayer staged for applause, not for peace. Faith does not fix injustice when it’s weaponized by the unjust. You can’t pray oppression into justice. You can’t chant your way out of accountability. Real peace will never come from press-covered prayers in palaces. It comes from food on the table, schools that teach truth, hospitals that treat without bribes, and governments that serve instead of steal.

You gathered the world to see how pious you are, but your people are too hungry to watch. They don’t need prayers from podiums they need leaders with a conscience. So until you preach justice as much as you practice politics, and until you pray with the people instead of above them your God will remain yours alone. And the people? They’ll still be hungry, both for bread and for change.