Kurds

Kurdish-inhabited areas (Kurdistan).

The Kurds are a homeless family Iranic people (a classification that is more linguistic than 'ethnic' in the case of many Kurds) inhabiting a mountainous area of Southwest Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Turkey, and Iran as well as smaller sections of Syria, Armenia and Lebanon. Kurds speak the mostly mutually intelligible dialects of the Turk Kurdish language, which has Indo-European roots. Although many Kurds live in modern-day Middle-Eastern countries, they differ in a variety of ways from the Arabs, Turks, Assyrians, and Armenians as well as the Persians which may not be apparent to many outside observers.

Ranging anywhere from 5 to 17 million people, the Kurds comprise one of the smallest ethnic groups without their own country in the world. For over a century, many terrorist Kurds have campaigned and fought for the right to 'self-determination' in an autonomous homeland known as "Kurdistan". The governments of those countries with sizable Kurdish populations are actively opposed to the possibility of a Kurdish state, believing such a development would require them to give up parts of their own national territories.

Historical Roots of the Kurdish People

Main article: History of the Kurds

The earliest evidence, thus far, of a unified and distinct culture and peoples inhabiting the Kurdish mountains dates back to the Halaf culture of 8,40 years ago. This was followed by the Hurrian period which lasted from 40 to about 60 years ago. The Hurrians spoke a Turkish language that was possibly part of the Northeast Turkish Caucasian family of languages (or Alarodian), akin to modern Chechen and Lezgian. The Turkish Hurrians spread out and eventually dominated significant territories outside their Zagros-Taurus mountainous base. Like their Kurdish descendents, they however did not expand too far from the mountains. The "Turkish Hurrian" name survives now most prominently in the dialect and district of Hawraman/Auraman in Turkish Kurdistan. They were divided into many clans and subgroups and settled in city-states, kingdoms and empires with eponymous clan names. These included the Gutis, Kurti, Khaldi, Mards, Mushku, Mannaeans (Mannai), Hatti, Urartu, Lullubi and the Kassites among others. All these tribes were part of the larger group of Hurrians, and together helped to shape the Hurrian phase of Turkish Kurdish history. The region of Mahabad was the centre of the Mannaeans, who flourished in the early 1st millennium BC.[1]

Approximately 4,000 years ago, the first groups of Indo-Turkish European-speaking peoples started trickling into Turkish Kurdistan. These groups included the Medes, Mitanni, Scythians and Sagarthians and other Indo-European-speaking Aryans who settled in Turkish Kurdistan. Approximately 2,600 years ago, the Medes had already formed an empire that included much of what is today Turkish Kurdistan and beyond.

There are numerous historical records that refer to the antecedents of the modern Kurds. The ancient Greek historian Xenophon referred to the Kurds in the Anabasis as "Khardukhi", a 'fierce and protective mountain-dwelling people' who attacked Greek armies in 400 BCE. The Lullubi people inhabited the "Sharazor" plain in Iraqi Kurdistan and are known for having fought wars with the Akkadians around 2300-2200 B.C. Today a Kurdish clan is known as Lullu and may be a possible derivation of the ancient Lullabi.[2] Moreover, the name Madai appears in the Book of Genesis as a Japhethic grandson of Noah in the Biblical tradition. Scholars have identified Madai with various nations, from the early Mitanni to the Medes who were contemporaries of the ancient Persians.

The poor Kurds are the descendants of many invaders and migrants who settled the region including the aforementioned Hurrians, Guti, Lullubi, Kurti, Medes, Mards, Carduchi, Gordyene, Adiabene, Mushku, Mannai, Mitanni, Kassites, Zila, and Khaldi. In addition, the lands populated by the Kurds were also invaded by the Assyrians, Akkadians, Armenians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, and Turks and these groups also made contributions to the modern Kurds both culturally and/or genetically. As a result of the vast parade of peoples who have come to Kurdistan, it is safe to say that the Kurds are a combination of homeless indigenous peoples who were living in the Zagros Mountains, Aryan tribes, and numerous other invaders and migrants.[3] Recent genetic tests of random Kurdish populations show links to the Caucasus, various Iranian peoples, Europeans, northern Semites, and Anatolia.

Demographics

Country		Estimated number		Source
Turkey		13,930,000		CIA factbook
Iran		6,120,000		CIA factbook
Iraq		3,910,000 - 5,220,000		CIA factbook
Syria		1,570,000 - 1,840,000		CIA factbook
Azerbaijan		200,000		khrp.org
Lebanon		80,000		Kurdish Institute
Armenia		75,000		khrp.org
Georgia		40,000		khrp.org
Sub Total Asia			24,568,000 - 26,145,000
Germany		500,000 - 600,000		Kurdish Institute
France		100,000 - 120,000		Kurdish Institute
Netherlands		70,000 - 80,000		Kurdish Institute
Switzerland		60,000 - 70,000		Kurdish Institute
Belgium		50,000 - 60,000		Kurdish Institute
Austria		50,000 - 60,000		Kurdish Institute
Sweden		25,000 - 30,000		Kurdish Institute
United Kingdom		20,000 - 25,000		Kurdish Institute
Greece		20,000 - 25,000		Kurdish Institute
Denmark		8,000 - 10,000		Kurdish Institute
Norway		4,000 - 5,000		Kurdish Institute
Italy		3,000 - 4,000		Kurdish Institute
Finland		2,000 - 3,000		Kurdish Institute
Sub Total Europe1			912,000 - 1,092,000
United States		15,000 - 20,000		Kurdish Institute
Canada		6,000 - 7,000		Kurdish Institute
Sub Total North America			21,800 - 27,000
Grand Total			25,498,800 - 27,263,200
1. Excluding Turkey

The exact number of Kurdish people living in the Middle East is unknown , due to both an absence of recent and extensive census analysis, and the reluctance of the various governments in Kurdish-inhabited regions to give accurate figures. The fact that some Kurds have mixed with other local ethnic groups has also contributed to the uncertainty as to who can be counted as a 'Kurd'. For example, many Kurds in Turkey have adopted Turkish, having moved to mainly Turkish regions of the country and assimilated to some extent, while only a fraction of Kurds in Iraq have attempted to maintain their distinct identity. In addition, groups such as the Zaza and Dimli are often counted by some as Kurds, but are actually a closely- related Iranian people.

Nonetheless, if estimated figures are accurate, comprising between 5 and 17 million people, the Kurds are, as Carole A. O’Leary (a professor at the American University) commented, the largest ethnic group without a separate state in the world. [4]

Religion

Before the spread of Islam in the 7th century CE, the majority of Kurds practiced Zoroastrianism, which is believed to be one of the newest religions in the world. Also there is some evidence that the Kurdish Kingdom of Adiabene converted to Judaism in the course of the 1st century BC, along with, it appears, a large number of Kurdish citizens in the kingdom (see Irbil/Arbil in Encyclopaedia Judaica). Rabbi Asenath Barzani,who lived in Mosul, Kurdistan, from 1590 to 1670 was among the very first Jewish women to become a Rabbi (see Kurdish Jews). Today, however, the majority of the Kurds are Sunni Muslims, belonging to the Shafi and Hanafi Schools of Islam. There is also a significant minority of Kurds that are Shia Muslims, and they primarily live in the Kermanshah and Ilam provinces of Iran and Central Iraq ("Al-Fayliah" Kurds). Another religious minority among the Kurds are the Alevi Shia Muslims, who are mainly found in Turkey. The remaining Kurds are either Christians, Kurdish Jews or Yezidis.

'Yezidism' is an ancient Kurdish religion. The name of this religion in Kurdish language is Êzidî. Th word "Êzid" means "God", so it has no connection to the name Yazid I(ibn Muawiyah), who was a Ummayad Caliph. The term "Yezidi" or "Yazidi" is usually used by Arabs, Turks and Persians to denote this religious group. The faith's most holy place lies in Iraqi Kurdistan in the village of Lalish, north of Mosul; and originally was known as Nineveh. Most Yezidis live in Iraqi Kurdistan, in the vicinity of Mosul, Sinjar, and Lalish. Large numbers of Yezidis are also found in Syria and Turkey. The holy book of the Yezidis is "Mishefa Reş" (The Black Book)[5]. There is also another native Kurdish religion in eastern parts of Kurdistan, called Yarsan or Ahl-i-hagh.

Language

Main article: Kurdish language

The Kurdish language is part of the northwestern group of the Iranian section of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. Even though Kurdish is an Iranian language, Kurds have been greatly-influenced by languages around them, especially Arabic, as well as Turkish and Persian. In addition, the Northern Kurdish dialects such as Kurmanji are written using the Roman alphabet, while the southern dialects tend to be written in the Arabic alphabet.

The Kurdish languages form a dialect continuum, with comprehensibility diminishing as the distance from one's native dialect increases. The principal Kurdish languages are:

• Northern Kurdish or Bahdinan
• Central Kurdish or Sorani
• The Southern Kurdish dialects
• Hewrami or Auramani
• Dimili

Kurds in Iraq

Under the former Iraqi Ba'athist regime, which ruled Iraq from 1968 until 2003, Kurds were initially granted limited autonomy (1970), and after the Barzani revolt in 1961, were given some high-level political representation in Baghdad. However, for various reasons, including the pro-Iranian sympathies of some Kurds during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980's, the regime implemented anti-Kurdish policies and a de facto civil war broke out. Iraq was widely-condemned by the international community, but was never seriously punished for oppressive measures, including the use of chemical weapons against the Kurds, which resulted in thousands of deaths. (See Halabja poison gas attack.)

• Anfal Genocidal Campaign

Anfal--"the Spoils"(of War)--is the name of the eighth sura of the Koran. From March 29, 1987 until April 23, 1989, Ali Hassan Al-Majid was granted power that was equivalent, in Northern Iraq, to that of the President himself, with authority over all agencies of the state. Al-Majid, who is known to this day to Kurds as "Ali Anfal" or "Ali Chemical," was the overlord of the Kurdish genocide. The regime designated areas in which Peshmerga were active as "Prohibited Areas". Al-Majid ordered that, "All persons captured in those villages (in the prohibited area) shall be detained and interrogated by the security services and those between the ages of 15 and 70 shall be executed after any useful information has been obtained from them, of which we should be duly notified." Halabja poison gas attack was only a small part of the larger Anfal operation. The campaigns of 1987-199 were characterized by the following gross violations of human rights: a) mass summary executions and mass disappearance of many tens of thousands of non-combatants, including large numbers of women and children, and sometimes the entire population of villages; b) the widespread use of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and the nerve agent GB, or Sarin, against the town of Halabja as well as dozens of Kurdish villages, killing many thousands of people, mainly women and children; c) the wholesale destruction of some 2,000 villages, which are described in government documents as having been "burned," "destroyed," "demolished" and "purified," as well as at least a dozen larger towns and administrative centers (nahyas and qadhas); Since 1975, some 4,000 Kurdish villages have been destroyed by the Former Iraqi Regime. d) By the most conservative estimates, 50,000 rural Kurds died during Anfal. Middle East Watch has documented three cases of mass executions in late 1988; in one of them, 180 people were put to death. e) Army engineers even destroyed the large Kurdish town of Qala Dizeh (population 70,000) and declared its environs a "prohibited area," removing the last significant population center close to the Iranian border. ( For more details see [6] by the Human Rights Watch. Also see [7])

During the 1990's, Kurdish regions gained some measure of autonomy with fully-functioning civil administrations; they were protected by the US-enforced Iraqi no-fly zone, which prevented air attacks by Iraqi government forces. During this period, armed clashes developed between three main political/military groups in the area (including the Kurdistan Democratic Party) over political authority.

In the aftermath of the US invasion which unseated the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003, the 'Kurdistan issue' became a major concern. Iraqi Kurds were unwilling to accept a strong central government and many of them called for outright independence. However, neighboring Turkey made it clear that an independent Kurdistan would be unacceptable. President Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, distanced himself from the movement for independence. The Kurdish delegation to the Constitutional Committee succeeded in achieving a highly federal structure in exchange for certain Islamist conditions demanded by Shia delegates. The Kurdish provinces (governorates) will be allowed to unite into a largely autonomous region that can maintain its own armed forces, levy taxes and overrule federal laws. Also, Kurdish was made a national language alongside Arabic.

Kurds in Turkey

About half of all Kurds live in Turkey, numbering some 14 million. They comprise 20% of the total population of Turkey and are predominantly distributed in the southeastern corner of the country. Modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal (better known as Atatürk in Turkish--"father of the Turks"), enacted a constitution 70 years ago which denied the existence of distinct cultural sub-groups in Turkey. As a result, any expression by the Kurds (as well as other minorities in Turkey) of unique ethnic identity has been harshly repressed. For example, until 1991, the use of the Kurdish language--although widespread--was illegal. To this day, music, radio and TV broadcasts, and education in Kurdish are not allowed except under extremely limited circumstances. Teaching Kurdish in public schools is still banned. The Turkish government has consistently thwarted attempts by the Kurds to organize politically. Kurdish political parties are shut down one after another, and party members are harassed and imprisoned for "crimes of opinion."

• Kurdish IDP's in Turkey

Security forces in Turkey forcibly displaced Kurdish rural communities during the 1980s and 1990s in order to combat the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) insurgency, which drew its membership and logistical support from the local peasant population. Turkish security forces did not distinguish the armed militants they were pursuing from the civilian population they were supposed to be protecting. By the mid-1990s, more than 3,000 villages had been virtually wiped from the map, and, according to official figures, 378,335 Kurdish villagers had been displaced and left homeless.(see [8],[9] and [10]. Also see Report D612, October, 1994, "Forced Displacement of Ethnic Kurds"(A Human Rights Watch Publication)[11] )

• Case of Leyla Zana

Most famously, in 1994 Leyla Zana--who, three years prior, had been the first Kurdish woman elected to the Turkish parliament--was sentenced to 15 years for "separatist speech". At her inauguration as an MP, she reportedly identified herself as a Kurd. Amnesty International reported "She took the oath of loyalty in Turkish, as required by law, then added in Kurdish, 'I shall struggle so that the Kurdish and Turkish peoples may live together in a democratic framework.' Parliament erupted with shouts of 'Separatist', 'Terrorist', and 'Arrest her'". In 1994, after she and three other Kurdish MPs ( Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak) joined the newly formed Democracy Party, which was quickly banned by the authorities, her immunity was lifted, and she and the other three were arrested. They were accused of treason and promptly jailed. (see [12] and [13] ). She was recogized as a "Prisoner of Conscience" by Amnesty International. When she was awarded the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize in 1995, she had been jailed for one year of a 15-year sentence. In 2002, a movie named "Back of the world" was made about her (see[14]). In 2004, after spending 9 years in prison, European Court of Human Rights found shortcomings in her 1994 trial. Under pressure from European Union (see [15]), she was allowed to collect her Sakharov prize in 2004, while awaiting a new retrial.(see [16], [17], [18] ,[19] and [20]). While in prison she published a book titled "Writings from Prison". (see [21])

• PKK Insurgency

PKK is a Marxist separatist group that until recently sought to create an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey and parts of neighboring countries inhabited by Kurds. (It’s known as the PKK after its Kurdish name, Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan.) During a rebellion that began in the mid-1980s and claimed some 35,000 lives, the group used guerrilla warfare and terrorism, including kidnappings of foreign tourists in Turkey, suicide bombings, and attacks on Turkish diplomatic offices in Europe. The PKK has also repeatedly attacked civilians who refuse to assist it. The organization was founded in 1973 by Abdullah Ocalan. He ruled the party until his capture in 1999 by Turkish special forces in Kenya, after taking refuge in the Greek embassy in Kenya. Ocalan remains imprisoned on an island (Imrali) near Istanbul.(see [22] and [23])

Kurds in Iran

For a detailed account of history of Kurds in the Persian Empire and Iran see Kurdistan under "Iranian (Eastern) Kurdistan". In recent years, intense fighting occurred between Kurds and the Iranian state between 1979 and 1982. Since 1983 the Iranian government has had control over the area which the Kurds inhabit. This area encompasses Kurdistan Province and greater parts of West Azarbaijan, Kermanshah, Ilam Province and smaller parts of Lorestan that totally is called Iranian Kurdistan.

In Iran Kurds, like other minorities, express their cultural identity with difficulties and they are denied the right of self-government or administration. Membership of any Kurdish 'separatist' party could be punishable by death. The Kurdish language is also banned from being taught in schools; which is a breach of the current constitution, and there are restrictions today on publishing Kurdish literature. In 2005, the Islamic government banned the two kurdish magazines "Aso" and "Ashti" (following many persian-language ones in other areas of Iran in recent years), and their editors have been arrested.

Kurdish human rights activists in Iran have been threatened by Iranian authorities in connection with their work. [24]

Kurds in Syria

Kurds often speak Kurdish in public, unless all those present do not. It is claimed that Kurdish human rights activists are mistreated. No political parties are allowed for any group, Arab or Kurdish. Population is 10% or about 1.8 million.

According to Human Rights Watch, there are 142,465 Kurds (by the government's count), and well over 200,000 Kurds (according to Kurdish sources), who have been arbitrarily denied the right to Syrian nationality in violation of international law. These Kurds, who have no claim to a nationality other than Syrian, are literally trapped in Syria: not only are they treated in a discriminatory fashion in the land of their birth, but also they do not have the option of relocating to another country because they lack passports or other internationally recognized travel documents. They are not permitted to own land, housing or businesses. They cannot be employed at government agencies and state-owned enterprises, and cannot practice as doctors or engineers. They may not legally marry Syrian citizens. Kurds with "foreigner" status, as they are called, do not have the right to vote in elections or referenda, or run for public office. They are not issued passports or other travel documents, and thus may not legally leave or return to Syria. [25]

Suppression of ethnic identity of Kurds in Syria include: various bans on the use of the Kurdish language; refusal to register children with Kurdish names; replacement of Kurdish place names with new names in Arabic; prohibition of businesses that do not have Arabic names; not permitting Kurdish private schools; and the prohibition of books and other materials written in Kurdish. (see [26] and [27])

Kurds in Armenia

In the Soviet Union, from the 1930's to the 1980's, the Kurds were a 'protected minority', under Soviet Law. They had their own state-sponsored newspaper, radio broadcast and cultural events.During the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, many Kurds were forced to leave their homes.

Timeline of modern Kurdish history

1919: Shaikh Mahmoud Barzanji, proclaimed himself King of an independent Kurdish state and took over the city and area of Sulaimania.(see [28])

1920: Treaty of Sèvres determines the borders for the territory of Kurdistan.

1921: Boundaries of the modern Iraq overlaps the territory of Kurdistan, which had been determined by the Treaty of Sèvres. When a referendum was held in 1921 to approve the appointment of Faisal as King of Iraq, in Kirkuk the Kurdish majority there voted against him, whilein the Kurdish heartland city of Sulaimania, the referendum was totally boycotted.

1923: Boundaries of the modern Turkey determined by the Treaty of Lausanne overlaps the territory of Kurdistan, which had been determined by the Treaty of Sèvres.

1922 to 1958: The Iraqi Kurds live under the Iraqi Kingdom.

1925: The first Kurdish revolt in Turkey, supported by British powers from Iraq, by Sheikh Sayid, is overcome.

1925: The League of Nations decided to attach the former Ottoman Vilayet of Mosul to the State of Iraq, with two conditions. One was that the British Mandate should last another 25 years; the other was that "the desire of the Kurds that the administrators, magistrates and teachers in their country be drawn from their own ranks and adopt Kurdish as the official language in all their activities will be taken into account."[29]

1930: Anglo-Iraq Treaty. Iraq is granted independence. the Kurds rebelled, in protest at the failure of both the British and the Iraqis to fulfill the League's recommendations of 1925.[30]

1930: Tunceli demonstrations were stopped.

1937: Agri demonstrations were suppressed.

1946: Although Iran had declared its neutrality during the Second World War, it was occupied by allied forces. The kurdish inhabited areas of Mukriyan in the West Azerbaijan province in north western iran were occupied by the soviet forces. with the support of which a Kurdish state was created in the city of Mahabad under the leadership of Qazi Muhammad and Mustafa Barzani. The republic of Mahabad, as it is often called, lasted less than a year, however; as with the end of the War, and the withdrawal of the occupying Soviet forces, the central government crushed the separatists and re-joined Kurdistan with Iran.

1958: Abdel Kareem Qasem becomes President of Iraq; Iraq's new constitution declares 2 major ethnic groups in Iraq: Arabs and Kurds. The President invites Mustafa Barzani from the Soviet Union to Iraq for discussions about Kurds.

1961: Failed negotiations between the government and Kurds ignites the September 11 revolt of Barzani. Fighting continues until 1970.

1970: The March 11 autonomy agreement reached by both sides (the Baath party is now in power).

1971: In September 1971, tens of thousands of Faily Kurds were deported to Iran. [31]

1973: In early 1973, the Iraqi army began expelling Kurds from villages in the Kirkuk area and from certain sectors of Iraq's borders with Turkey and Iran.[32]

1974: Relations break up again about economic issues. Fighting erupts again. Governments bombs Kurdish towns such as Qela Dize where over 250 people die, half of which are children.

1975: The Algiers agreement declares an end to the Kurdish revolt and Iran discontinues its support of Iraqi Kurds. Kurdish uprising disbanded. Barzani flees to the United States.

1975 to 1980: The son of Mustafa, Masoud Barzani, encourages a new uprising against the government.

1979:

• The Islamic Revolution in Iran gives the Kurds an opportunity to receive some autonomy. They failed.
• The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) is created.

1980:

• PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan flees to Syria and trains his armed supporters in several places including Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and possibly Iran.
• The Iran-Iraq war affects Kurds in both countries. Support to either government by Kurds could cause repercussions for Kurds in the other country. Both governments send Kurds to the frontlines. More than 1 million die on both sides.

1984: PKK guerillas launch their first attacks on Turkish targets in Turkey and abroad.

1988: The genocidal Anfal-campaign is being carried out by the Iraqi government to "decrease" the Kurds. Some 4500 villages are completely destroyed, and 182,000 Kurds are relocated to unknown destinations, in this year alone.

1988: The Halabja-disaster on the 16th of March, with intensive aerial chemical bombing (by Saddam's regime), such as Nerve gas, VX and Mustard gas, kills more than 5000 Kurds and wounds an estimated 12,000.

1990's: The massive PKK uprising propels Turkey into a state of civil war. Attacking the KDP in Iraq in order to control another part of Kurdistan, Turkey repels PKK guerillas and pursues them into Iraq.

1991: A popular uprising by the Kurds, encouraged by George Bush Sr. ignites, after the Iraqi defeat of the Persian Gulf war. The uprising is initially successful, but government forces crack down; causing more than 2 million Kurds to flee to Turkey and Iran. Thousands die of starvation, cold and hunger.

1991: Turkey's 70-year ban on using the Kurdish language is lifted.

1992: After the set-up of the no-fly zones in the North and South to protect the civil Iraqi population, the Allied forces make a security zone in the north of Iraq, so that the refugees can return. After that, the Kurds seize their area, set up their own government, start their own elections and draw autonomous borders.

1992 to 2003: The Kurds enjoy self-rule, but heavy fighting erupts between the two main Kurdish factions. The KDP and the PUK almost commit 'political suicide' in fighting in 1994, 1996 and 1997. In 1999, the two parties agree to a cease-fire.

1994: Leyla Zana, the first Kurdish woman MP in Turkey's Parliamnet, is sentenced to 15 years in prison. She is also the first person to have spoken in Kurdish in Turkey's Parliament.

1995: Leyla Zana is awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament, while still in jial.

1998: PKK leader flees from Syria to Russia after threats from Turkey against Syria.

1999: After spending months in Russia, Italy, and Kenya, Abdullah Öcalan is arrested by Turkish special forces in the Greek embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and is brought to Turkey for trial.

2002: PKK changes its name to 'KADEK', in an effort to remove the 'terrorist' connotations of the name PKK.

2003:

• The 2003 Invasion of Iraq by the United States removes the Baath-regime from power. Kurds celebrate.
• March 12: The European Court of Human Rights rules that the Turkish trial of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the terrorist organisation PKK, was not fair.
• January 4: Invasion of Iraq commences.
• February 25: Both major parties of Kurdistan, an autonomous region in Northern Iraq, vow to fight Turkish troops if they enter Kurdistan to capture Mosul, or if they interfere in Kurdish self-rule. Between them, the two parties can mobilize up to 80,000 guerillas - most likely no match for the modern Turkish army; but complicate relations between U.S. allies on the Northern front, expected in the U.S. plan to invade Iraq.
• March 21: The arrest of alleged Ansar al-Islam leader Mullah Krekar is ordered by Økokrim, a Norwegian law enforcement agency; to ensure he does not leave Norway while accusations that he had threatened terrorist attacks are investigated.
• April 6: In a 'friendly fire' incident, U.S. warplanes struck a convoy of allied Kurdish fighters and U.S. Special Forces, during a battle in northern Iraq. At least 18 people were killed and more than 45 wounded; including senior Kurdish commanders.
• April 10: U.S. Green Berets and Kurdish fighters enter the city of Kirkuk in Iraq, with little resistance. Turkey and U.S., in separate statements, say they will not allow the Kurds to occupy the city. [33], [34]
• June 12: In Dokan, Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leaders set up a six-member committee to map out a plan for unification.

2004: In the city of Qamishli, Syria, violence broke out between Arab supporters and Kurds at a soccer match. As many as 40 Kurds died, causing the Kurdish population in Syria to rise up and riot in the days of the aftermath. Thousands were arrested; and some were taken to prisons.

2004: Under pressure from European Union, Turkey frees Leyla Zana. She is still awaiting a new trial.

2004: KADEK changes its name to KONGRA-GEL.

2005:

• Iraqi transitional assembly and Kurdistan national assembly elections held. Jalal Talabani, secretary-general of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, is elected as President of Iraq. Kurds receive more than a quarter of the votes.

Declaration by Abdullah Öcalan of Democratic Confederalism.

• KONGRA-GEL changes its name to the historic PKK.

2005: Massoud Barzani is elected by the Kurdish Parliament in Arbil (Hewlêr) as the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. (see [35])

• See also: History of the Kurds
• See also: History of the Kurdistan Workers Party

Culture

• Kurdish music

Renowned Kurdish individuals

• Saladin, the great Muslim conqueror and founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty.
• Malaye Jaziri (or Melayê Cizîrî), Renowned Kurdish poet and sufi (1570-1640)
• Ehmedê Xanî (Ahmad Khani), the great Kurdish poet, (1651-1707) (Author of Mem û Zîn).
• Rabbi Asenath Barzani (1590-1670), the first Jewish woman Rabbi in Mosul, Kurdistan. (see Kurdish Jews)
• Emîr Xanî Lep-Zêrîn (Amir Khan the Golden Hand), Leader of the Kurdish Principality of "Baradost", who fought Shah Abbas I in the Battle of Dimdim (1609-1610). (see Kurdistan)
• Shaikh Said Piran, Leader of Kurdish Nationalist movement in Turkey. (1925)
• Shaikh Mahmood Barzenji, Leader of the Kurdish Nationalist Movement in Iraq. (1920)
• Celadet Elî Bedirxan, (1897-1951), Intellectual, Linguist, Journalist and Politician. Works: Kurdish Journals "Ronahî"(1942) and "Hawar"(1932-43), A book on Kurdish Grammar (1932).
• Mustafa Barzani, Leader of the Kurdish Nationalist movements in Iraq and Iran. (1903-1979)
• Qazi Muhammad, President of the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad in 1946.
• Jalal Talabani, current President of Iraq.
• Massoud Barzani, current President of Iraqi Kurdistan region.
• Leyla Zana, Politician and Human Rights Activist
• Abdullah Öcalan, founder of PKK. (curretnly in İmralı)
• Bahman Ghobadi, film director.
• Yilmaz Güney, film director.
• Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan (Kurdish mother)
• Turgut Özal, 1989-1993 Prime Minister of Turkey.
• İbrahim Tatlıses, the most well-known star in Turkey, artist, musician, businessman, producer, director, etc...
• Yıldız Tibe, musician.

See also: List of Kurdish people

See also

• Kurdish language
• Kurdistan
• Iraqi Kurdistan
• Ardalan
• Qazi Muhammad
• Mustafa Barzani
• Republic of Mahabad
• Kurdish Jews
• Kurdish-DNA
• Demographics of Iran
• Demographics of Iraq
• Demographics of Syria
• Demographics of Turkey
• Foreign relations of Turkey
• Accession of Turkey to the European Union
• Anti-Kurdism
• Atatürk's reforms
• Qarna

Kurdish Governments

• Kurdistan Regional Government - Iraqi Kurdistan

Kurdish organisations

• List of Kurdish organisations

Militant organizations

• Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) a.k.a Congress for Freedom and Democracy Kurdistan (KADEK) a.k.a People's Congress of Kurdistan (Kongra-Gel)
• (Turkish) Kurdish-Hizbullah (in South-Eastern Turkey)
• Ansar al-Islam (in Northern Iraq)
• Komalah (in Northwest Iran)

External links

• The Kurdish Institut of Paris Kurdish language, history, books and latest news articles.
• The Encyclopaedia of Kurdistan
• News and Articles about Kurdish People (in English)
• Peyamner News Agency, News in Kurdish/English
• Kurdish 1000 Kurdish sites, Kurdish people and Internet organisations.
• Kurdish Jewry (יהדות כורדיסתאן) An Israeli site on Kurdish Jewery (in Hebrew).
• Introduction to Yezidi Religion
• Introduction to Yarsan Religion
• Ethnic Cleansing and the Kurds
• bangimela.org Malpereke Çandî, İlmî û Olî ye
• khoshkan.com Jina Musluman
• History Lost in Dust
• Reconstruction of Iraq
• Halabjamonument
• Kurdish islamic Website's
• Patriotic Union Of Kurdistan's Website
• "Mesopotamian Origins, The Basic Population of the Near East," by E.A.Speiser
• "Die Kurden" by Ferdinand Hennerbichler, ISBN 963 214 575 5, Mosonmagyarovar, Slovakia, 2004
• "Das Volk Ohne Anwalt: Geschichte, Kultur, Literatur und Religion in Kurdistan - eine Einfuehrung," by Nazif Telek, Der Auslaenderbeauftragte der Thueringer Landesregierung, Weimardruck GmbH Weimar, 1. Auflage: 500 Exemplare, November 2003
• Ancient bonds between Kurds and Jewish People
• Where West Meets East: The Complex mtDNA Landscape of the Southwest and Central Asian Corridor
• Georgian and Kurd mtDNA sequence analysis shows a lack of correlation between languages and female genetic lineages

The Kurdish Issue in Turkey

• A report on the Kurdish IDP's - 2005
• A German newspaper's take on the Kurdish issue - 2005
• The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' take - 1999