The Kurds
The Beliefs, Political and Social Organizations of the Kurds and the Dream of Kurdistan ANT 101
August 6, 2012
No one knows exactly where the Kurds originate from but today they are the largest ethnic minority in the world without a homeland. The Kurds also make up the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East which numbers approximately twenty-five million. These people are spread out over a quasi state sometimes called Kurdistan (“Land of the Kurds”) which geographically is spread out four countries; Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran that encompasses an area about the size of France (Refugees, 2005). There are also small groups located in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Western Europe, and Lebanon (Kurds, 2005). Due to economic and ethnic and other disparages Kurdish people continue to migrate further going as far as Germany and France into other Western European countries (Refugees, 2005). After World War I the Ottoman Empire dissolved and under the Treaty of Sevres, a new Kurdish state was to be created (as Israel would later be created in 1948). Instead the Empire was divided up by France and Britain with the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) where Iraq, Turkey, and Syria retained the remaining pieces (Broadway, Hamil, 2006). The Kurds have remained minorities in these countries ever since. They are mostly a pastoral society but newly created borders have forced them to shift the traditional ways to a more permanent establishments to include urban areas (Kurds, 2005). Conflicts of the past (like the 1991 Gulf War) and present have also forced numbers of Kurds into urban areas (Gunter, 2011). The Kurds are a tenaciously independent people who see themselves only as Kurds who have a rich history and culture (Kurds, 2005). They have systematically refuse to assimilate into the culture of the majority and have mercilessly been tormented for it over countless years. They have also routinely been the victims of genocide on
August 6, 2012
No one knows exactly where the Kurds originate from but today they are the largest ethnic minority in the world without a homeland. The Kurds also make up the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East which numbers approximately twenty-five million. These people are spread out over a quasi state sometimes called Kurdistan (“Land of the Kurds”) which geographically is spread out four countries; Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran that encompasses an area about the size of France (Refugees, 2005). There are also small groups located in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Western Europe, and Lebanon (Kurds, 2005). Due to economic and ethnic and other disparages Kurdish people continue to migrate further going as far as Germany and France into other Western European countries (Refugees, 2005). After World War I the Ottoman Empire dissolved and under the Treaty of Sevres, a new Kurdish state was to be created (as Israel would later be created in 1948). Instead the Empire was divided up by France and Britain with the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) where Iraq, Turkey, and Syria retained the remaining pieces (Broadway, Hamil, 2006). The Kurds have remained minorities in these countries ever since. They are mostly a pastoral society but newly created borders have forced them to shift the traditional ways to a more permanent establishments to include urban areas (Kurds, 2005). Conflicts of the past (like the 1991 Gulf War) and present have also forced numbers of Kurds into urban areas (Gunter, 2011). The Kurds are a tenaciously independent people who see themselves only as Kurds who have a rich history and culture (Kurds, 2005). They have systematically refuse to assimilate into the culture of the majority and have mercilessly been tormented for it over countless years. They have also routinely been the victims of genocide on
References: AP (2008). Thousands of Kurds Celebrate New Kurdish New Year Newroz in Southeastern Turkey retrieved from http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2008/3/turkeykurdistan1755.htm Barkey, H Broadway, E.,Hamil, H.(2006). Desription of Culture. Retrieved from http://www.cwti.org/RR/Kurdish.pdf Berkeley, B Dahlmann, C. (2002).The Political Geography of Kurdistan. Retrieved from http://people.cas.sc.edu/dahlmanc/Dahlman%202002%20Political%20Geography%20of %20Kurdistan.pdf Gunter, M. (2011). Historical dictionary of the Kurds. Scarecrow Press. United States. Kurdish Refugees. (2005). In Immigration and Asylum from 1900 to Present. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/abcmigrate/kurdish_refugees KURDS Sairany, H. (2007). Kurdish Culture and Bridging the Gap. The Rise of Kurdish Nationalism. (2005). In Iran 's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/abciran/the_rise_of_kurdish_nationalis