You Kurds form an ethnic group composed of about 30 million people, are descendants of the Mesopotamian kingdom or Medo-Persian and inhabit a region located in six different countries: Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran and Syria. In general, Kurds profess the Islamic religion and claim the area they occupy in these countries for the creation of a state called Kurdistan. Nevertheless, the Kurdish question it is established in the fact that these people form the greatest nation without a territorial state.
Map with estimated region of Kurdish claim for the creation of Kurdistan
O Kurdish people, according to historical accounts, inhabits the region they call Kurdistan for about 2600 years. In the year 612 a. a., they would have conquered the city of Nínive, but they were defeated, later, by the Persian Empire in the year of 550 a. Ç. Later, possibly in the 7th century d. C, the Kurds converted en masse to Islam and began to be guided by the values and laws of the Koran.
Until World War II, the Kurds inhabited areas corresponding to what was the Turkish-Ottoman and Persian Empires, respectively. Currently, they inhabit the successor or heir countries of these empires, most notably Iraq and Turkey, where their cries for independence were harshly repressed. In Iraqi territory, the biggest wave of violence took place during the government of Saddam Husseim, which severely repressed any and all Kurdish activism, including the use of chemical weapons in the years 1990. In Turkey, even today, the Kurds are harshly repressed in their demonstrations by the state, and the commemoration of their national dates and the teaching of the Kurdish language - the
indoirani and some other dialects – in schools they are banned.In response to harsh repression, the Kurds organized themselves into various armed groups linked to the PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party), recognized as terrorists, who often act through the activation of car bombs and public attacks against governments, mainly in Turkey and, more recently, in the crisis of Syria. This instability and the harsh repression of the Turkish government against the Kurds are even one of the obstacles that the country has to gain entry into the European Union, which does not admit governments considered undemocratic and that violate rights humans.
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Photographic record of the PKK, Kurdish Workers Party, Iraq, 2013 *
Kurds are at the forefront of various geopolitical conflicts and territorial disputes in the Middle East. In Iraq, for example, they have been forming the main line of resistance that prevents the expansion of the Islamic State terrorist group, which intends to establish a state governed by sharia (Islamic law). In the Syrian civil war, although most of the Kurds opted for neutrality, some of them form groups that act against the government of Bashar al-Assad and also against some groups jihadists that try to seize power in the country, in a complex geopolitical dispute.
The actions of the Kurds in Iraq – first against Saddam Husseim and then against the Islamic State – were very useful in ensuring the they have a relative autonomy in the northern region of the country, but still far from the long-awaited independence and initial constitution of their territory. In that country, the majority of Kurds are Sunni (less radical) in orientation, who make up about 17% of the population of all of Iraq, while Shiite Kurds make up just 1%.
What is missing for the constitution of a Kurdish State?
Apparently, the Kurds are far from forming their own state. First, the role of the PKK group, considered a terrorist by many countries, makes it difficult to recognize the struggle of these people in the international context. Secondly, it should be noted that the claimed territory, in addition to being part of six countries, contains a series of natural resources and water sources, this in a region where this resource is extremely scarce, which makes the countries present a strong resistance. Finally, the lack of political influence of the Kurds and the disinterest of the Western powers put the Kurdish struggle on a secondary plane in the Middle East Geopolitics.
* Image credits: thomas koch / Shutterstock
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
