Kurdish Peoples’ Struggles in Brief

By: Norhan Mahmoud

CAIRO, Jan. 19 (SEE)- Since U.S. President Donald Trump declared that his country’s troops will withdraw from Syria, political watchers have been keenly eyeing the developments, and what various headlines included is ‘Kurds’ questioning their stance, analyzing their demands and foreseeing their future. And that’s why the coming lines will not only explain their crisis but also give a brief on the minority.

First off, the Kurds are one of the largest middle eastern ethnicities without a nation as all of their attempts after World War One concluded in failure especially after the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne that favored Turkey and left them behind. Currently, most Kurdish people reside bordering areas across Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and some inhabit Armenia.

Despite being shattered, the Kurdish population, that is extrapolated of about 30-40 million persons, succeeded to preserve their own culture and language. Most of them are Sunni Muslims, yet others belong to various sects.

Interestingly, women in their community are not marginalized, yet incorporated in almost every societal and even front-line military roles.

Unfortunately, due to ISIS militias the Kurdish people found themselves facing a desperate reality that negatively impacted their status- which was already distressing.

In Iraq, the Kurds enjoy autonomous ruling in northern Kurdistan and they were moving towards independence, yet the global community did not support their 2017 referendum. Besides, neighboring the late Saddam Hussein was nothing but a nightmare- his regime used to bomb and nick their territory as they opposed his long-sought empire schemes. They longed for what most peoples of the world take for granted, a homeland.Later, as soon as ISIS annexed Iraq, the Kurdish Peshmerga Forces were pulled into the clash as the army did not stand for their area.

Syrian Kurds were unassailable up until the country’s civil war blazed. Thus, they resisted all the parties including President Bashar Al-Assad and opted to guard themselves. One of their core struggles is external specifically with the Turkish regime which panic that their advancement- backed by the U.S.- might trigger those in Turkey to follow in their footsteps, so they do all that can be done to halt any progress.

Turkey’s conflict with the Kurds is one of a kind. Historically, the Turkish regime harshly oppressed and brutally treated the Kurds, prohibiting them from mere rights including speaking their language. So, the PKK Party was formed to call for an independent state inside the Turkish borders. Slowly, justice somehow evolved and they regained some freedom, though in the mean time establishing their own nation is in the realm of fancy!