The head of a state body that runs Iraq's Sunni Muslim religious sites has said he was fired for criticising the government.
Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al-Samarrai said by telephone from Jordan on Wednesday that he believed he was fired because of his frequent criticism of the government.
The Iraqi government had said al-Samarrai would be replaced as the head of the Sunni Endowment, a public institution similar to a ministry which manages Sunni mosques and other sites.
A government statement said the decision had been taken "according to the authority given to the prime minister".
The statement gave no reason for the decision, which comes at a time of heightened sectarian tension and violence between majority Shia and Sunni Arabs.
"I think it is because I'm always rejecting most of the decisions made by this government," al-Samarrai said.
"Also we kept on rejecting the role of the militias and their role in killing Iraqis. We hold the government and the prime minister responsible for all these actions but he seems to be unable to take responsibility."