On 27 november 1978, the group adopted the name kurdistan workers party. Ethnically close to iran, kurdish once a dialect of iranian religion. Radical democracy and the right to selfdetermination beyond the nation. The party members mentioned that christians view a future with the kurds, and other ethnic and religious groups in the kurdistan region as only in kurdistan are the rights of ethnic and religious minority groups protected, according to the statement. Lingering animosities between the erbilbased kurdish political party kurdish democratic party and the sulaymaniyahbased kurdish political party patriotic union of kurdistan in kirkuks governmental institutions have led to poor governance and service delivery. The encyclopaedia of kurdistan, kurdistanica is a digital information and database focusing on the kurdish people. The group operates in kurdish inhabited areas and advocates for the autonomy and the rights of kurdish people. According to one estimation, there would be about 3040 million kurds. Following major social changes associated with the commercialization of agriculture since the 1950s, there were outbreaks of violence in kurdistan during the 1970s, generally linked with the activities of the revolutionary left. Ethnic religious groups iraqi kurds 1520% seminomadic. A religion that is practiced only in kurdistan is yazidism, which has tens of thousands of adherents.
Only in kurdistan are rights of ethnic, religious groups. Revolutionary party of kurdistan, known as kurdistan devrim partisi in turkish and partiya soresa kurdistan psk in kurdish is an illegal political party active in turkey. However, what i want to focus on here is the uncertain attitude of the kurdish islamic parties and their serious lack of trail to deconstruct the futile. The contributors to the kurdish question revisited offer insights into how this once seemingly intractable.
Geography, politics and history have conspired to render 30 million kurds the. Akp justice and development party cbm con dencebuilding measure dtp democratic society party eu european union icg international crisis group isci islamic supreme council of iraq itf iraqi turkmen front kdp kurdistan democratic party kdpi kurdistan democratic party iran krg kurdistan regional government nato north atlantic treaty organization. On 21 september 2016, the first official zoroastrian fire temple of. With the kurdistan regional governments referendum on independence less than a week away neighbors are scrambling to prevent the vote even as others increase their economic ties to the kurds. After a long time peace, organisation declared to start armed struggle again in 2017. The project is designed to transform the party into a non religious political party, meaning the separation of politics from religious activities. The river drains the combined waters of the euphrates and tigris rivers of iraq, and the karun river of iran. There are also multiple christian sects practicing within the region, including syrian catholic, syrian orthodox, assyrian church of the east, armenian, and catholic chaldean. Iraqs observance of arms restrictions became the subject of. Islam, christianity, zoroastrianism, yarsanism, yazidism, alevism, and judaism. It has since been a matter of contention between the kurds and the states they inhabit. The majority of kurdish muslims across turkish, syrian and iraqi kurdistan are sunni muslims, while the kurds who practice shiite islam are prevalent mainly in iran. Under the millet system, kurds primary form of identification was religious with sunni islam being the top in the hierarchy milleti hakimiye. The encyclopaedia of kurdistan network kurdistanica is a virtual organization in the form of a global academicprofessional open network for the creation and development of a multilingual kurdish encyclopaedia on the world wide web.
It was founded in 1946 in mahabad in iranian kurdista n. Kurdish democratic party of iran kdpi, aka pdki and dpki 15. Regional implications of an independent kurdistan rand. Kurdistan workers party pkk signs and symbols of cults. Main religions that currently exist in kurdistan are as follows. Followers of this believe go on pilgrimage to lalish, a holy place situated in the shekhan district in the nineveh province. Library of congress federal research division country profile. The most widely practiced kurdish religion is islam. In early 1514 sultan selim dispatches idris bitlisi, a religious scholar with intimate knowledge of kurdish affairs, to kurdistan with the objective of bringing the kurds under the ottoman banner.
In fact adherence to this religion was also a resistance against the invasion of arabic culture. Kurdistan, broadly defined geographic region traditionally inhabited mainly by kurds. Kurdistan democratic party 6 the political manifesto of the kurdistan democratic party chapter one. When the iraqi army withdrew from most parts of the disputed areas in mid2014 because of the isil offensive in northern iraq.
Estimates of the size of the sabeanmandean community vary. The islamic party turned quite active in the sunni populated areas of iraq, including kurdistan. Kurd, member of an ethnic group concentrated in a contiguous area including southeastern turkey, northeastern syria, northern iraq, and northwestern iran. Yazidism, which is unique to kurdistan, has tens of thousands of followers and is predominantly practiced in duhok.
With the dissolution of the ottoman empire after world war i, many kurds hoped for the establishment of an independent state in kurdistan. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The official english page of kurdistan freedom party in reestablishing an independent republic of kurdistan. Kurdistan isci partis i is a kurdis h militant and political organization based in the kurdis h regions of turkey and iraq. The first and main religion of the kurds was yarsany or ahle haqq, ritual with mystical rites. It is made up of representatives from the various parties, lists or slates that are elected every four years by the inhabitants of.
Our progress over the past several years has been astounding by any measure. In 1978, the kurdistan workers party pkk was founded, based on marxistleninist ideas of national liberation. The kurdistan free life party pjak is a kurdish political and militant group founded in 2004 in iraq. Kurdish democratic party of iran, kurdish democratic party iran, komala parties komala skhk, komala kzk and komala party of iranian kurdistan and party of free life for kurdistan pjak in the country information section. But while the kurds are a crucial part of iraqs political makeup, they are an ethnic group, not a distinct religious sect within islam. Though the kurds have long been one of the largest ethnic groups in the region and command some level of autonomy, they have never had a nationstate of their own. Kurdish democratic party of iran kdpi, aka pdki and dpki.
Mar 21, 20 founding the kurdistan workers party pkk was founded in 1978 as a hybrid movement drawing on revolutionary socialism and kurdish nationalism, with the aim of uniting the kurdish people. In this episode, kawa talks to representatives from the. Free life party of kurdistan party for free life in kurdistan pjak, though somewhat more commmonly pejak is based in the kurdish region of iraq, a few miles from the iranian border. The kurdistan workers party pkk is a leftwing organization. In the continuing conflict in iraq, kurds frequently are mentioned alongside iraqs sunni and shia muslim populations as one of the key groups involved in power struggles for which sharp religious divides have played a major part. Name of the party kurdistan democratic party article 2.
The group tried to assassinate the kurdish tribal leader mehmet celal bucak in july 1979. Currently, zoroastrianism is an officially recognized religion in iraqi kurdistan and iran. Kurdish nationalism and the false conflation of the yezidi and zoroastrian traditions article pdf available in journal of persianate studies 101. Iraqs observance of arms restrictions became the subject of international controversy in the 1990s and early 2000s. In turkey, the authorities have for long tried to portray the kurdistan workers party pkk as nonmuslims in order to delegitimize their movement among muslim kurds and turks. Kurdistan workers party pkk counter extremism project. Scholars believe that kurdish history can be traced back as far as 50,000 years but it. Religion unbelievable kurdistan official tourism site of. After the gulf war ended in february 1991, parliamentary elections were held to elect a kurdistan national assembly on may 19, 1992. The public security situation also worsened, notably in the kurdish provinces of the southeast. The kurdistan workers party pkk is a kurdish military and political organization formed in turkey in 1974. The party of kurdistans third revolution komun academy.
History of the kurds the kurdistan memory programme. It was founded in 1946 in mahabad in iranian kurdistan. Today we flew from beirut, lebanon to erbil, iraq which is in the kurdistan region of the country. A syncretistic form of religion found only among the kurds is the yezidi sect. The reason why the brotherhood ideology proved so attractive was because the communists turned viscerally against religion. The kurdistan workers party is designated as a terrorist organization by turkey, the united states, the european union, australia and japan.
But the kurdistan region depends on support, guidance, and participation from its citizens. Although baath party founder michel aflaq called for equal rights for all ethnic and religious minorities. The aim of the party is to create an independent state for kurdish people based on marxistleninist principles. Kurdistan is the mountainous area where the borders of iraq, iran, and turkey meet. It was also involved in armed conflict against the democratic party of iranian kurdistan kdpi during the 1980s and early 1990s. The alawites alevis of northwestern kurdistan also practice an unorthodox form of shiism. Hizbi komonisti krekari kurdistan is a marxist political party in iraqi kurdistan. Apr 25, 2019 iraq is a country we never thought wed visit, but here we are. Krg andor a particular kurdish political party or group because of the.
The kdp encourages citizens throughout the region, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or party affiliation, to be active members of society. During the 1980s and 1990s the pkk rose up against the turkish state, calling for independence. Religious diversity has been a feature of kurdistan for many centuries. Aug 18, 2014 kurds make up about 10% of the population in syria, 19% of the population of turkey, 1520% of the population of iraq and are the second largest ethnicity in iran. Islamic parties in the kurdistan region medya magazine.
March 6, 1975 algeria iraqi president saddam hussein and shah mohammed reza pahlavi of iran sign a treaty. The ottomans also sent loyal kurdish families to modernday syria and lebanon, where they got administrative roles. The average altitude is 6,000 feet 1,950 meters and much of the land is inaccessible difficult to reach. The pkk began an armed struggle, with the aim of achieving an independent kurdistan. The kdp is an iraqi kurdistan based political party, however it attracts followers and sympathizers from the other parts of kurdistan.
Kurdistan and the challenge of islamism by rebaz ali. Party of free life of kurdistan pjak terrorist groups trac. Espousing a marxist ideology, the group took part in violent conflicts with rightwing entities as a part of the political chaos in turkey at the time. Originally nomadic herders, now semi nomadic tribal. In recent times, the middle east has not been known as a region where freedom of religion is allowed to flourish. The kurdistan region parliament is situated in erbil, which is the largest kurdish city in iraq, but the kurdish constitution declares the disputed city of kirkuk to be the capital of kurdistan. While the ottoman empire embarked on a modernization and centralization campaign known as the tanzimat 18291879, kurdish regions retained much of their autonomy and tribal chiefs their power. This needs a more accurate research so that we would be able to know the causes, their spread, and solutions. Idris bitlisis mission is successful and some 20 kurdish emirs agree to support the ottomans.
Most kurds in lebanon have come in recent decades, but the kurdish community of lebanon dates back to the 12th century, when lebanon was ruled by the kurdish ayyubid dynasty. The party claims it exists to combine democratic values and social. The majority of the muslim population of kurdistan lives in turkey, another part in iran, and the smallest part in iraq. Live in tribes near dahuk, mosul, kirkuk and sulaimaniyah culture. The result of the election was that the two major political parties, the kurdish democratic party kdp and the patriotic union of kurdistan puk, virtually tied in terms of seats won, and agreed to form a. It is worth noting that parties with similar name exist in iran, where it is known as kdpi for iran as well as in syria, where it is known kdp rojawa, or west for the western part of kurdistan. Kurds introduction, location, language, folklore, religion. So the islamic movement in kurdistan was part of iraqs muslim brotherhood activities. In turn, these are strongly influenced by its history, both recent and more distant. Other prominent names of the organisation include hamit turgut deceased, osman caner and sukuti evcim. The kurdistan democratic party kdp is a largely tribal party based in the northern governerates of dohuk and arbil. Sunni muslims comprise the majority of the islamic faith between 85% and 90%.
They follow a marxistcommunist ideology, and with forces. The kurdistan democratic party kdp is founded by iraqi kurd mustafa barzani, and is dedicated to the creation of an independent kurdistan. While the pkks manifesto explicitly called for the creation of an independent kurdish state, the group embraced marxism to justify its kurdishseparatist war as part of a global class struggle and revolution. Between 25 and 35 million kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of turkey, iraq, syria, iran and armenia. Kurdish is recognized as an official language, and an amendment to the constitution states. According to a 2011 study conducted by the pew research center, nearly all 98% kurds in iraq identified as sunni muslim, while the other 2% identified as shiite muslims. The radical kurdistan workers party pkk encourages freedom for women.
Kurdistan workers party pkk, kurdish partiya karkeren kurdistan, also called congress for freedom and democracy in kurdistan, kurdish kongreya azadi u demokrasiya kurdistan kadek, or kurdistan peoples congress, kurdish kongra gele kurdistan kongragel, militant kurdish nationalist organization founded by. Kurdish rebellions in turkey refer to kurdish nationalist uprisings in turkey. Political party that organized 1945 1946 revolt to form an autonomous republic for kurds in iran the democratic party of kurdistan, iran kdp, was formed in 1945 by kurdish nationalists in mahabad, a predominently kurdish town in west azerbaijan province, a region that came under soviet military occupation following the joint anglosoviet. Zoroastrianism was one of the dominant religions in kurdistan before the islamic era.
In contrast, the jews of kurdistan until their great exodus in 195051 lived mainly in the iraqi region 146 communities, some in the iranian region 19 communities, and only a few in turkey 11 communities. International religious freedom report for 2018 united states department of state bureau of democracy, human rights, and labor yezidi leaders report most of the 400,000 to 500,000 yezidis in the country reside in the north, and approximately 360,000 remain displaced. The following muslim religious holidays occur on variable. The violence of some groups of islamic extremists has become an observable reality, for example in syria and tunisia. Kurds have almost never had a country of their own. Kurdish family culture and customs phdtuija saarinen introduction estimations of the number of the kurds vary. Pdf the religion of the yezidi kurds, which has often been inaccurately. The group first engaged in violent activities in 1984. Abdullah ocalan founded the kurdistan workers party pkk in turkey in 1978. The kurds as parties to and victims of conflicts in iraq icrc. The difference of the kurdistan revolution is that, whether in northern kurdistan bakur or in western kurdistan rojava, not a spontaneous creation of councils is at hand.
According to another estimation, there might be even 5570 million kurds. Kurdistan 7 essentials demographics the kurdistan region is composed of an ethnically diverse populace that includes kurds, arabs, assyrians, chaldeans, turkmen, and armenians. The party was established in march 2008 when the kurdistan branch of the workercommunist party of iraq was formed into. The nonjihadi faction of the movement launched a moderate political party, the kurdistan islamic union kiu. Clan chieftains resist subjugation by other nations, strong political unity of tribe. The strategic objective the strategic objective of kdp is the right of selfdetermination for the kurdish nation of eastern kurdistan within a democratic and federal iran in the form of. Party of free life of kurdistan pjak is a militant kurdish nationalist group with bases in the mountainous regions of northern iraq that has perpetrated numerous attacks in western iran, southern turkey and the northeastern parts of syria where the kurdish populations live. The kurdistan democratic party usually abbreviated as kdp or pdk, is one of the main kurdish. The population of the kurdistan region is skewed young, with 36% aged 014 years and only 4% aged over 63. The majority of alawites are turks, but many are kurds, some of whom speak the zaza dialect. Between naqshbandi sufism and is salafism michiel leezenberg university of amsterdam. Mission statement the kdp is a patriotic and democratic party based on a fundamental commitment to human rights, individual freedom, and national rights for the kurds and other nations as regards selfdetermination. Charging the peace and democracy party bdp and the pkk with promoting zoroastrianism is yet another campaign by turkey against the kurdish rebel group. Despite of other radical islamists, kurds believe that all.
Kurds today account for nearly 40 million living person, the majority of kurds live in kurdistan, which is today a contiguous area scattered in 4 countries iran, iraq, turkey, and syria, and was historically ruled by the persian and ottoman empire. Middle east, turkey, kurds, kurdistan workers party, syrian conflict introduction the kurds are an ethnic group in the middle east plagued by a history of repression and injustice. Other articles where patriotic union of kurdistan is discussed. Patriotic union of kurdistan political party, kurdistan. Today, sunni islam is the most adhered religion in kurdistan.
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