Feylis

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Feyli Kurds (Kurdish: فه یلی /Feylî/Pehlî) are largely a Shi'a community living in Baghdad and the Diyala Province of Iraq around Khanaqin and Mandali. They are an estimated 2-3 million Feylis living in Iraq. Also in Iran, mainly in Ilam and Kermanshah as well as due to migration, to cities such as Tabriz, Tehran and Hamadan.

Feyli speak Feyli, a dialect of the Pahlawani. The roots of the Feyli go back to the Aryan immigrants of the first millennium BC, and more specifically, the Parthian/Pahlawi/Pahlawanid settlements of the 2nd century BD. They embraced Islam in the early stages of the Islamic conquest and colonisation of Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Iran, though archaeological evidence from the Ilam Province in Iran indicates that significant proportions of Feyli were Nestorian Christians until the 18th Century. When the Safavid dynasty (1507-1721) held sway over Persia, Feyli Kurds switched to the Shiite Gafarean doctrine under Persian influence.

In modern times the Feylis have been subject to state persecutions.^[1][2] They are considered as a stateless people, with both Iran and Iraq claiming they are citizens of the other country^[3]. In the mid 1970s, Iraq expelled around 40,000 Shia Feyli Kurds who had lived for generations near Baghdad and Khanaqin, alleging that they were Iranian nationals^[4].

Contents 1 Etymology of the name 2 Feyli' homeland 3 Tribes and clans 4 The Feyli Kurds in the Iraqi society 4.1 Political role 4.2 Social role 4.3 Deportation from Iraq during the Saddam era 5 References

[edit] Etymology of the name

The origins and linguistic history of the Feyli have been investigated by several notable western scholars, such as Sir John Malcolm, Brown, Laurie, Hassle and Henry Field. Several imaginative, if apocryphal, etymologies for the word "Feyli" have been espoused. In the 13th century, Yaqout al-Hamawi mentions in his book The lexicon of countries (Ar. معجم البلدان Mujam al-Buldan) that the Feylis are those who reside the mountains separating Iran and Iraq. He attributes their name to their size, claiming that they are as huge as "elephants"; the word fil (فيل) means "elephant" in Arabic. Others have claimed that the name goes back to an ancient ruler of the territory. Feyli's have a large population within Baghdad due to disruption among the area. The numbers go from 500,000 to 1,300,000 people. Many people believe that this gives the Kurds the right to press claims on Baghdad and divide the city with Shias and Sunnis if a 3 states solution is created

However, more likely is the explanation given by M.R. Izady.^[5] He claims that the Arabic Feyli is a corruption of Pahla, meaning Parthia, a kingdom based in modern day Iran, contemporaneous with the Roman Empire. The change occurred because Arabic lacks a p (this sound change can also be seen in Palestine/Philistin فلسطين and Persian/Farsi فارسي). Early Arabic texts recorded the name as Fahla or Bahla, the former of which became the more common, corrupting eventually to Faila, of which the adjective is Faili or Feyli.

[edit] Feyli' homeland

Since ancient times, the Feylis have lived in the border area between Iraq and Iran, which consists of the Zagros Mountains and cliffs. They live on the two sides of this mountain in Iran and Iraq and they call it Kabir Kuh, "the great mountain".

The areas on the Iraqi side from north to south are the following: Khanaqin, Shahraban (now called Al-Meqdadia), Mandali, Badrah, Zorbateyah, Jassan, Al–Kut and Al-Azizyah. They also reside in a number of cities in the area of Shaikh Sa’ad, Ali Sharqi, Ali Gharbi and Al–Kofah, which is 170 kilometres (105 miles) south of Baghdad.

However, as early as the first decade of the 20th century, many Feylis moved to Baghdad and lived in its center. Consequently, there are some areas which are named after them, such as the Kurdish quarter, the Kurdish alley, and the Kurdish Street.

On the Iranian side, the Feyli Kurds live in the following areas, from north to south: Qasre Shirin, Kermanshah, Karand, Islam Abad e Gharb (former Shah Abad), Sarpoli Zohab, Gilan e Gharb, Ilam, Saleh Abad, Moseyan, Badrah, Dehloran, and Andimeshk.

The basic activities of the people of the border area are agriculture and sheep herding. They plant corn, barley, wheat, and summer vegetables as well as fruits on the mountains or on the flats. There are also some natural resources in the area such as oil (petroleum) at Naft Khanah (Iraq), Naft-Shahr, Dehluran (Ilam province,Iran)and natural gas at Tange Bidjar (Ilam province, Iran).

In the northern area, people use the Alvand River, which flows out of the Harunabad & Gelan regions (Iran) towards Khanaqin before joining the Diyala River, which pours into the Tigris River. There are also a few channels, wells, and springs that help with irrigation and domestic water use.

As for the weather, it is dry in summer but the mountains are usually covered with lays of snow, which melts in summer to irrigate the lands. In summer, many people move with their sheep to the tops of the mountains because there are wide areas of grass; when the winter comes, they go back to their villages. Some Kurds work in trade and goods exchange and other free works (urban professions).

The Kurdish people have proved to be so persistent and civilized as they studied hard to join the universities of the main cities and got good jobs. In his book "Ameroir of Baghdad" issued by Al-Rais publishing house, Cyprus 1993 the ex minister Mosa Al-Shabandar describes the life of the Feyli Kurds. It is very difficult to give an accurate estimate of the Faili Kurds' population, as many of them in Iraq have been deported and ethnically cleansed; however, some estimate that about 2.5 millions lived in Iraq and 3 million in Iran. The Iraqi Minorities Council and Minority Rights Group International estimate that prior to the current war there were 1,000,000 Failis in Iraq ^[6]

[edit] Tribes and clans

Feyli Kurds consist of many tribes and clans. Their names are sometimes based on the name of their tribal leader or where they live but sometimes they take vocational names. Here are listed some of them: Ali Sherwan (he was from the Kurdish tribe of Sanjabi and established Beyrey tribe) tribe and his four sons Cheragh, Safar, Heydar or Hiar, and Dara—each one of these four established a tribe in his name like Cheragh Wandi, Safar Wandi, Hiar Wandi, and Dara Wandi) Malek Shahi tribe Jamal Vandi tribe Ansari tribe Kalhur tribe Zouri or Zhohairi clan Qaitoli clan Khezell or Khaza`al clan Shuhan clan Mousi clan

[edit] The Feyli Kurds in the Iraqi society

The existence of the Feyli Kurds in Iraq has never been marginal. On the contrary, they have participated in all political, social, cultural, and economical activities.

[edit] Political role

The Feyli Kurds suffered severe oppression under Saddam Hussein and his Baathist government. They joined others in opposing the dictatorial government in Iraq and fighting alongside other Iraqis and also joined national Iraqi parties such as the Iraqi Communist Party, the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and the National Kurdish Association.

Many Feyli Kurds became active cadres in organizations like the Al-Da’awa Islamic Party, the Islamic Action Organisation, and other Islamic and secular parties. Others were involved in the ruling Baath party, though most of those were subsequently removed by Saddam Hussein.

[edit] Social role

The Feyli Kurds have had a very effective role in social life as they have established social centers, clubs, and youth and women associations. That has been made possible due to the presence of many famous Feyli Kurds in different fields. They have also taken part in the establishment of many religious institutions and in the spread of religious awareness. Feyli Kurds have also shown great interest in studying religion and science.

[edit] Deportation from Iraq during the Saddam era

During the 80s a large segment of the Feyli Kurd population in Baghdad were forcibly deported to the Iranian border by Iraqi police and intelligence units on the order of the authorities. Their properties seized as well as being stripped of their legal documents and citizenship, the Feyli Kurds were effectively rendered into rightless foreigners. Most of the targeted families were of significant influence on a large spectrum of Iraqi society. Having a high level of education, commercial success and ranking positions in the military. The Baathist regime fearing potenial dissedency and opposition, implemented deportation policies against Feyli Kurds. The official claim was that Feyli Kurds were Iranian nationals.

Adult males between the ages of 18-55 were detained and sent to various prison complexes in the country, with no legal producures such as trails being taken before incarceration. It is estimated that between 13000-30000 Feyli Kurds died under the conditions of capitivity and systematical murder by the Baathist intelligence apparatus. These human right violations were only recognized after the fall of the regime, when access to documents and testimonies of former inmates and personnal became available. The underlying pretext for this act, was that Shiaate Feyli Kurds would become potenial recruits for the Iranian government, post-deportation.

[edit] References