The Kurds
The Kurds are a people inhabiting the mountainous region that overlaps parts of Iraq, Turkey and Iraq. Numbering over 20 million, the Kurds are a people whose struggle for an independent homeland has been in the international news in recent years. The Kurds speak Kurdish which is a language belonging to the Indo-European Family. The Kurds were originally pastoralists who led a nomadic life in the mountainous region that is today known as Kurdistan. Saladin, the military leader who defeated the Crusaders was a Kurd as is the current President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani.
The Kurds have been described by some as a people without a nation. Scattered over many countries, the history of the Kurds is one of subjugation and resistance. Historically, the Kurds have been identified with the Karduchi, an ancient mountainous people. In the 7th century the Kurds were conquered by the Arabs which resulted in the adoption of Sunni Islam. Later, the Kurds would be under the sway of the Seljuk Turks, the Mongols and finally under the Ottoman Turkish Empire.
Following the defeat of the Ottoman Turkish Empire in the First World War and its subsequent dismemberment, the Kurds sought to establish an independent homeland. However, the dream would not materialise owing to a resurgent Turkey under Kemal Ataturk and lack of interest amongst the victorious powers. Consequently, Kurdistan or the land of the Kurds was divided between Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Subsequent struggles for autonomy and independence was brutally suppressed in all three countries.
While the principal religion of the Kurds is Sunni Islam, there are significant Shiite, Christian and Jewish minorities. Yazidism or the “cult of the angels” is also a minor faith.
The Kurds speak a language that belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European Language. As a symbol of Kurdish identity, the language has been vigorously suppressed in almost all the countries the Kurds live in. Restrictions relating to its use and radio and TV broadcasting exist in almost all these countries. However today, in Iraq, under the new constitution, the language has been granted official status.
The Kurdish language has numerous dialects, each of which has individual names. There is no universal script for the Kurdish language. The script in use depends on the geographic location. In Iran and Iraq, for instance, the language is written using a modified Arabic script, while, in Turkey and Syria, the Latin script is used. In the erstwhile Soviet Union, Kurdish was written using the Cyrillic alphabet. Efforts are on to develop an internationally acceptable system of writing to represent the Kurdish Language.
Over the centuries, the Kurds have developed their own distinct music and dance forms. The Kurdish dance form is a circular form of dancing in which the dancers hold each others hands forming a circle. Newroz, the Kurdish New Year is an important festival that is celebrated with great fervour, coinciding with the spring solstice which falls generally on March 21st.
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