He participated in many Islamic conferences worldwide, including in Riyadh and Vienna, and has held many seminars in Europe and other parts of the world.
[4][5] Although he was a religious cleric, secular Kurds accepted him as their leader and saw him as being a national hero among the ranks of Sheikh Said, Mahmud Barzanji, and Mustafa Barzani.
"[8] He continued his activism until he was ambushed by the Syrian regime when he was returning home from his work at the Islamic Studies Center in Damascus, on May 10, 2005.
[9][7] On June 1, a man who claimed to be a government official approached Khaznawi's sons on the street and told them "you will hear happy news of your father."
His dead body was nearly unrecognisable, his thick beard had been ripped off, his teeth were broken, and his skin was badly burnt by acid.
"[7] Another of Khaznawi's sons, Mohammed al-Khaznawi, stated that "my father was subjected to a lot of harassment before his death because of his stands backing the Kurdish cause.