TheStateless Nation
The Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without a state. The term "Kurdistan" is widely used in Iraq and in Iran to refer to the Kurdish area of northwest Iraq.
Of the over 25 million Kurds, approximately 10 million live in Turkey, four million in Iraq, five million in Iran and a million in Syria, with the rest scattered throughout the rest of the world.
The Kurds are ethnically and culturally different from both the Turks and the Iraqis. They speak a different language, and while all three groups are muslim, they all practice different forms. The Kurds have used this cultural difference as a reason to establish a homeland.
The Kurdish Language
The Kurds are, together with the Arabs, Persians and Armenians, one of the most ancient people of the Near East. The Kurds have their own language, Kurdish, which is a member of the Indo-European family of languages; like Persian, Afghan and Beluchi, it is one of the Iranian languages but is unrelated to the Arabic and Turkish languages.
Over time, various dialects have arisen within the Kurdish language. The most widely disseminated dialect is Kurmanci. It is spoken by about 90% of the Kurds in Turkey, in Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan in the northern areas near the Turkish border, and by the Syrian Kurds - that is, by about 60% of all Kurds. The Sorani dialect is spoken by about 25% of the Kurds. This dialect is spoken in the middle and southern regions of Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan. Zazaki is a third dialect, which is spoken in certain regions of Turkish Kurdistan. In the southernmost parts of Kurdistan, Gorani and other dialects are spoken.
An Ancient Nation
The Kurdish nation is one that has existed for thousands of years, beginning in the "cradle of civilisation" bordering the Tigris and Euphates rivers. The earliest writings of the Kurds are found in 3000 B.C., by the Sumerians. At this time, the Kurds were unaffected by massive empire shifts around them.
The conversion to Islam came in the seventh centry A.D., when the Arabs conquered the area. The Kurdish area became the border between the Muslim Caliphate and the Christian Byzantine Empire.
A major figure in Kurdish history is Saladin, who during the Crusades re-conquered Jerusalem for Islam, and was dedicated the the spread of the Islamic faith.
Between the 13th and 15th centuries, Kurds were autonomous, though located both in the Ottaman and Persian empires.
Kurdish nationalism spread in the late 19th century, and the Kurds were promised a state from the Allied Powers after World War I. The original Treaty of Sevres acknowledged the Kurds but was erased with the later Treaty of Lausanne. Many discussions since the carving of the Middle East have broken down over issues of Kurdish independence, control of oil-rich areas and their militia.
Many Kurdish issues in the 20th century divert into larger state frameworks, such as Kurds in Iran, Turkey and Iraq. It can very generally be said that many Kurdish revolts in the 1930s were suppressed by the larger states, though in Iraq, not until the 1950s.
The Kurds had established a republic -- though for less than one year -- in 1946, called Mahabad. Both Mahabad and then leader, Qazi Muhammed, remain Kurdish icons today.
The two major political parties are the Kurdish Democratic Party and Kurdish Union of Kurdistan, which broke apart from the KDP about 20 years ago.
The Religion
In fact the history of religion in Kurdistan can be divided into two parts, we say pre-Islamic and post-Islamic. In the pre-Islamic period the Kurds followed various religions. For instance, the Kurds were Ezidis and Zoroastrians, and Judaism, Christianity also were very popular among the Kurds.
But when the Kurds were converted in 637, that is during the reign of the second Caliph of Islam, Caliph 'Umar, and then most of the Kurds became Muslims. The Kurds were forced to become Muslim.
There was a war for four years with the Kurds, and it was not easy to convert the Kurds, so the Arab Muslims tried very hard and after four years of war with the Kurds, then the Kurds surrendered and they generally became Sunni Muslims.
The Ezidism
But these Ezidis have remained as it is, they were not converted, and they kept their faith very secret. They had a very strong oral tradition in the region. They're mainly in northern Iraq, we don't say "northern Iran" we say: "southern Kurdistan!".
It is one of the ancient monotheistic religions, and their tradition was transmitted orally. The original document appeared in the 12th century with the spiritual leader, Shaykh Adi bin Musafir.
He was originally a Sufi, a Muslim Sufi, and he went to that region of Kurdistan and lived among the Ezidis, and he changed his faith, he was converted, and soon became one of the spiritual leaders of that religion. So he was the first one to write down as he did believe, some principles of that religion, and this spiritual leader died in 1166, that's the 12th century.
So the first document of this religion goes back to that date, and today that document is considered to be sacred for the followers of Ezidism. But we don't have any written document before that period. |
