First: The
reason for the Kurdish Struggle
The Kurds, who form the third largest ethnic group after the Arabs and the Turks in the Middle East, have been
arbitrarily divided amongst
several nations,
- The Kurds have their own homeland-Kurdistan.
- The Kurds have never sought more than what has been granted to many people less numerous and less educated: the right of Self Determination as presently expressed by their desire for Autonomy or Federalism.
- And yet, for daring to raise such a legitimate claim, they have been subjugated to aerial bombardment, arbitrary execution, imprisonment, torture, deportation, and even enslavement.
Second:
The Kurds are one of the largest ethnic minorities in the world without a country of their own.
Third: Do
the Kurds form a nation?
The geographically united homeland with common language, culture and aspiration, the Kurdish people exhibits all
the outward manifestations of Nationhood.
· Although
they do not possess their own state, legally and theoretically
· Today
most of the Kurds in each of the foregoing countries seek Autonomy or Federalism
instead of
Fourth: What do
the Kurds Seek?
The Kurds were promised a state of their own by the Treaty of Sevres following World War I. Instead, the
Kurds, together with their homeland, were divided
amongst
- The right of Self-Determination has become a universally recognized principle and has brought an end to colonialism.
- The Kurds justly believe that they, like all other nations, are entitled to Self-Determination right.
- However, because of economic ties between each part of
Kurdistan and the country it is today a part of, and also because of a long
fraternal association between the Kurds and other people they have shared the
country with, today most Kurds in each of the foregoing countries seek Autonomy
or Federalism instead of
- However, since dictatorial regimes tend to centralize power
and to deprive even the country’s majority of its rights. So, the Kurds who form
a minority in
- So the Kurdish struggle, for their national rights must be
accompanied by a joint struggle with other native democratic forces in each
country for the establishment of democratic rule for all, and the Autonomy or
Federalism for
Fifth: Can Kurdish Ideals be
achieved peacefully?
Since the end of World War I, the Kurds have revolted several times against the governments of Turkey, Iran and
Iraq, these revolts have occurred because the ruling regimes in each of these countries have systematically
attempted to destroy the Kurds’ political, cultural, economic and linguistic identity.
- These Governments have utilized a variety of methods against the Kurds to achieve their goals, ranging from military and police actions, to official government discriminatory policies, and regulations restricting the Kurdish people’s right of free association, speech, movement, as well as the choice of jobs and residence.
- In the absence of peaceful channels for resolving these injuries, the Kurds have had no choice but to resort to military defense tactics for the survival of their identity.
(Revolutions)
(Some of the modern Kurdish
Revolt or Revolutions, for
The following are some of the modern Kurdish Revolutions that have been waged in defense of the Kurds’ cultural,
political, economic, social and linguistic rights:
This is some of the Revolts
or Revolutions and the years of Revolts:
1.) Bader
Khan Revolt: 1853-1848
Bader Khan started the modern Kurdish struggle for the Kurdish legitimate Rights. In 1843, Bader Khan revolted
against the Ottoman Empire and
declared
2.) Izaddin
Yazdanshir: 1853-1855
His revolt occurred in Kurdistan of Turkey, within the Emirate of Butan and spread to Kurdistan of Iraq. His rule lasted
only until 1864.
3.) Sheikh
Obeidullah al-Nahri: 1878-1881
His revolt occurred in Kurdistan
of Turkey and spread to Kurdistan in
city of
4.) Sheihk
Mahmoud al-Hafeed: 1919-1924
His Revolution occurred in Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan of Iraq. In 1923, he declared himself as King of Kurdistan.
5.) Simko
Agha Shikak: 1918-1925
His Revolt occurred in north Kurdistan of Iran, and spread to Kurdistan of Turkey. He was killed in 1930 during a
meeting with the government of Shah Reza concerning the Kurdish rights after he was promised by the Shah to
discuss the Kurdish legitimate Rights.
6.) Kurdistan
of
There was several Revolts occurred in Kurdistan of Turkey between 1924-1938.
And these are some of them;
Sheikh
Saeed Piran Revolt: 1925
This revolt was led by Sheikh Saeed Piran, which started in the Diyar Bakir
Region, and
spread to other regions of Kurdistan and
The Darsim
Revolt: 1927
The Revolt was
led by Sayyed Reza, and started in the city of
Cities of
Erzinjan and Elazig, and spread to the Darsim region in
The Ararat
Revolt: 1927-1930
This revolt
was led by Ihsan Nuri Pasha, and started in the
Spread to other regions of Kurdistan of Turkey.
7.)
The
December 7 of 1946. Its leader was Qazi Mohammad, who became president of the republic on January 22, 1946.
8.) Barzan
Revolts: 1907-1945
There have been several Revolts that occurred in Kurdistan of Iraq during the Barzan Revolts. The following are
some of the Barzan revolts, which led by three brothers in different, time periods:
First:
Abdulsalam Barzani 1907-1914
He was the first revolutionary Kurdish leader from the Barzani region. He was the
brother of Sheikh Ahmed and Mustafa Barzani. He was also the spiritual leader of
the Barzan
region. He contacted various Kurdish leaders in
coordinate and struggle together for the Kurdish rights. In 1914, the
Ottoman rulers
hanged him in the city of
Second:
Sheikh Ahmed 1931-1932
He was the spiritual leader of Barzan; also he was revolutionary Kurdish Leader,
Who like his brother Abdulsalam, struggled for the Kurdish legitimate rights. He
Passed a way in 1968.
Third:
Mustafa Barzani 1943-1945
He is the founding father of the modern Kurdish
Struggle.
( The Reason behind the failure of the Kurdish Independence during the 1920 Sevres Peace Treaty after World WarI)
The 1920 Sevres Peace Treaty
between the west ( Britian,
new lands they occupied from
their defeated enemies the Germans and the
One of the 1920 Sevres Peace
Treaty decisions was giving
which was under the control of
the government of
But after the discovery of oil in
Kurdistan of Iraq, the West (
Independence of Kurdistan and
they reached a deal with the government of
negotiations.
The deal was that the west, take
control of Southern parts of Kurdistan which has the oil fields and became part
of
called Kurdistan of Turkey.
Some of the modern or recent Revolutions in Kurdistan of Iraq for Autonomy or federalism.
First: The September of 1961 Revolution in Kurdistan of Iraq was halted in 1975. This revolution was led by Mustafa
Barzani, who wanted Autonomy for
Kurdistan and Democracy for
Second: The May 26th of 1976 revolution in Kurdistan of Iraq that ended in 1991. This revolution was also lead by
Mustafa Barzani and ended with his son Masoud Barzani who became the president of the KDP of Iraqi Kurdistan.
After the 1979 KDP Congress, Masoud Barzani who assumed the leadership of the Kurdish struggle for their
legitimate rights continued leading the 1976 Revolution. The banner of this revolution was the same as the banner if
1961 revolution but later after the Kurdish uprising in Kurdistan of Iraq in 1991 after the Gulf War the Kurdish
national Assembly was established in Kurdistan and adopted Federalism for Kurdistan of Iraq.
The Kurdish Flag
The Kurdish flag has four colors: Red, White, Green, and Yellow.
The Kurdish Flag is made up of three rectangular colors, the red color is on top, the white is in the middle, the green
is at the bottom which leaves the yellow golden sun in the middle of the white rectangular strip. The sun has 21
rays shinning which represent March 21 of Nawrooz Feast and the beginning of the Kurdish calendar year.
Red: Means the struggle for freedom and right that came with blood shed
White: Means peaceful people
Green: Means the beautiful
land of the
Yellow: The yellow color comes from the color of the sun. The sun was the symbol of the ancient Kurds of the Zagros
Highlands, as the symbol of life or light.
History of the Flag:
The Kurdish national Flag was
made for the first time by a Kurdish party called the Khoyboun party or
party in Kurdistan of Turkey during World War I.
In 1920 they presented this Flag
to the International Peace Conference in
Independence as part of the
Treaty of Sevres with the
They also used this flag during
the Kurdish Revolts in Kurdistan of Turkey from 1927-1932. In 1946
the
the Kurdish national assembly in May of 1992 in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Nawrooz Feast:
1. Nawroz means “new day”, which the Kurds recognize as occurring on the first day if spring on March 21 of every year.
2. Nawroz began in 700 B.C. and continued up to the present. The year 2002 is equal to 2702 in the Kurdish calendar.
3. The
year 700 B.C. was chosen from the beginning of the
4. The Kurds and some other nations in the area have been celebrating the Feast of Nawroz.
5. The Nawroz feast started in the ancient times after the people of Zagros Highlands Revolted against their tyrant King called “Al Zahak”. The leader of the revolt against the tyrant king was Blacksmith named “Kawa”.
6. Also the people light fire on top of the high hills and mountains as a sign of freedom on this occasion.
The story of lighting the
fire on high places:
The People of the Zagros who revolted against the tyrant King used the fire on top of the high hills and mountains
as a secret signal to each other to coordinate the timing of the revolt together at the same time against the tyrant
king.
Kawa and the people began celebrating Nawroz every year by lighting fire on top of the hills and mountains as a
sign of victory and freedom on this occasion. Lighting the fire became one of the Symbols of the Feast of Nawroz.