Kurdish refugees
Encyclopedia
The problem of Kurdish refugees and displaced has been created over the 20th century in the Middle East
, and continues to loom today. Displacements of Kurds had already been happening within the Ottoman Empire
, on pretext of local rebellion
s' suppression, over the period of its domination of the northern Fertile Crescent
and the adjacent areas of Zagros and Taurus mauntains a.k.a. as Kurdistan, were the Kurdish population originates. In the early 20th century, massive desplacements were forced upon Christian minorities of the Ottoman Empire (especially during the First World War and the Turkish War of Independence
), but many of the Kurds, as well, suffered similar attitude as some of their tribal confederations cooperated with Ottomans, while others were opposing it and revolted in several areas. The situation for Kurds in the newborn nation of Turkey
turned disastrous on the course of the 1920s and 1930s, when large scale Kurdish rebellions
, resulted in massive massacres and expulsion of hundreds of thousands. Since the 1970s, renewed violence of the Turkish-Kurdish confict
created about 3,000,000 displaced, many of which remain unsettled.
In Iraq, the Kurdish strive for autonomy and independence loomed into armed conflicts since the 1919 Mahmud Barzanji
revolt. The displacement however became most significant during the Iraqi-Kurdish conflict and parallel active Arabizations programs of the Ba'athist regime, which looked to cleanse northern Iraq of its Kurdish majority. Tens of thousands of Kurds turned displaced and fled the war zones following First
and Second Kurdish Iraqi War
s in 1960s and 1970s. The Iran–Iraq War, which spanned from 1980 to 1988, the first Gulf War
and subsequent rebellions all together generated several millions of primarily Kurdish refugees, who mostly found refuge in Iran, while others dispersed into Kurdish diaspora in Europe and the Americas. Iran alone provided asylum for 1,400,000 Iraqi refugees, mostly Kurds, who had been uprooted as a result of the Persian Gulf War (1990–91) and the subsequent rebellions.
Today, a large portion of the Kurdish population is composed of Kurdish refugees and displaced and their descendants. Refugees themselves still comprise a significant proportion of Iranian and Syrian Kurds. Recently, the Syrian Kurdish community was declaired to be granted civil rights as part of the reforms by Bashar al-Assad
, as an attempt to pacify the 2011 Syrian uprising
. However, human rights groups said only 3,000 out of some 200,000 stateless Kurds were given an official status in Syria.
' northern Iraq. Sunni Arabs have driven out at least 70,000 Kurds from the Mosul
’s western half. Nowadays, eastern Mosul is Kurdish and western Mosul is Sunni Arab.
by KDP
and PUK
after 2003 tried to reverse the previous trend of Arabization, with non-Kurds being pressured to move, in particular Assyrian Christians
and Iraqi Turkmen
, which have prompted serious inter-ethnic problems.
, an estimated 1,000,000 of which were still internally dispalced as of 2009.
and in some northern areas of London
), which has sometimes caused media controversy over their right to remain. There have been tensions between Kurds and the established Muslim community in Dewsbury, which is home to very traditional mosques such as the Markazi
.
There was substantial immigration of Kurds into North America, who are mainly political refugees and immigrants seeking economic opportunity. An estimated 100,000 Kurds are known to live in the United States
, with 50,000 in Canada
and less than 15,000 in Australia
.
, later incorporated into development towns. Today they and their descendants are a major part of the 150,000-200,000 strong Kurdish Jewish community in Israel.
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and continues to loom today. Displacements of Kurds had already been happening within the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, on pretext of local rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
s' suppression, over the period of its domination of the northern Fertile Crescent
Fertile Crescent
The Fertile Crescent, nicknamed "The Cradle of Civilization" for the fact the first civilizations started there, is a crescent-shaped region containing the comparatively moist and fertile land of otherwise arid and semi-arid Western Asia. The term was first used by University of Chicago...
and the adjacent areas of Zagros and Taurus mauntains a.k.a. as Kurdistan, were the Kurdish population originates. In the early 20th century, massive desplacements were forced upon Christian minorities of the Ottoman Empire (especially during the First World War and the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
), but many of the Kurds, as well, suffered similar attitude as some of their tribal confederations cooperated with Ottomans, while others were opposing it and revolted in several areas. The situation for Kurds in the newborn nation of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
turned disastrous on the course of the 1920s and 1930s, when large scale Kurdish rebellions
Kurdish rebellions
According to Turkish military records, Kurdish rebellions have been taking place in Anatolia for over two centuries.-Koçkiri rebellion, 1920:...
, resulted in massive massacres and expulsion of hundreds of thousands. Since the 1970s, renewed violence of the Turkish-Kurdish confict
Turkey-PKK conflict
The Turkey – Kurdistan Workers' Party conflict, also referred to as the Kurdish Conflict in Turkey, the Kurdish Conflict, the Kurdish insurgency, the Kurdish rebellion or PKK-terrorism and has also been described as the latest Kurdish uprising or as a civil war, is an armed conflict between the...
created about 3,000,000 displaced, many of which remain unsettled.
In Iraq, the Kurdish strive for autonomy and independence loomed into armed conflicts since the 1919 Mahmud Barzanji
Mahmud Barzanji
Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji or Mahmud Berzenji was the leader of several Kurdish uprisings against the British Mandate of Iraq. He was sheikh of a Qadiriyah Sufi family from the city of Sulaymaniyah, which is now in Iraqi Kurdistan...
revolt. The displacement however became most significant during the Iraqi-Kurdish conflict and parallel active Arabizations programs of the Ba'athist regime, which looked to cleanse northern Iraq of its Kurdish majority. Tens of thousands of Kurds turned displaced and fled the war zones following First
First Kurdish Iraqi War
First Kurdish Iraqi War was a tribal Kurdish uprising, led by Mustafa Barzani, in an attempt to establish independent Kurdish state in north Iraq. Throughout the 1960s, the uprising escalated into a long war, which failed to resolve despite internal power changes in Iraq...
and Second Kurdish Iraqi War
Second Kurdish Iraqi War
Second Kurdish Iraqi War was an offensive, led by Iraqi forces against rebel KDP troops of Mustafa Barzani during 1974-1975. The war came in the aftermath of the First Kurdish Iraqi War , as the 1970 peace plan for Kurdish autonomy had failed....
s in 1960s and 1970s. The Iran–Iraq War, which spanned from 1980 to 1988, the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and subsequent rebellions all together generated several millions of primarily Kurdish refugees, who mostly found refuge in Iran, while others dispersed into Kurdish diaspora in Europe and the Americas. Iran alone provided asylum for 1,400,000 Iraqi refugees, mostly Kurds, who had been uprooted as a result of the Persian Gulf War (1990–91) and the subsequent rebellions.
Today, a large portion of the Kurdish population is composed of Kurdish refugees and displaced and their descendants. Refugees themselves still comprise a significant proportion of Iranian and Syrian Kurds. Recently, the Syrian Kurdish community was declaired to be granted civil rights as part of the reforms by Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
, as an attempt to pacify the 2011 Syrian uprising
2011 Syrian uprising
The 2011 Syrian uprising is an ongoing internal conflict occurring in Syria. Protests started on 26 January 2011, and escalated into an uprising by 15 March 2011...
. However, human rights groups said only 3,000 out of some 200,000 stateless Kurds were given an official status in Syria.
Demographic catastrophe of the Kurdish rebellions against Turkey
Second Kurdish Iraqi War and the Arabization campaign in North Iraq
For decades, Saddam Hussein 'ArabizedArabization
Arabization or Arabisation describes a growing cultural influence on a non-Arab area that gradually changes into one that speaks Arabic and/or incorporates Arab culture...
' northern Iraq. Sunni Arabs have driven out at least 70,000 Kurds from the Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
’s western half. Nowadays, eastern Mosul is Kurdish and western Mosul is Sunni Arab.
Since 2003 Iraq War
The policies of KurdificationKurdification
Kurdification is a term used to describe a cultural change in which something ethnically non-Kurdish is made to become Kurdish, usually in contexts of post-Saddam Iraq, in particular in relation to Assyrian Christians, Shabaks and Iraqi Turkmen.- See also :...
by KDP
KDP
KDP may refer to:*Kurdistan Democratic Party of South Kurdistan*Kurdistan Democratic Party of East Kurdistan*Korea Democratic Party*Khmer Democratic Party*Communist Party of Germany *Kappa Delta Pi...
and PUK
PUK
PUK may stand for:* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan * Partia e Unitetit Kombėtar * Pin Unlock Key used in GSM mobile phones* Prefectural University of KumamotoPuk may refer to:...
after 2003 tried to reverse the previous trend of Arabization, with non-Kurds being pressured to move, in particular Assyrian Christians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
and Iraqi Turkmen
Iraqi Turkmen
The Iraqi Turkmen are an ethnic group who mainly reside in northern Iraq. Estimates of their numbers vary dramatically, in accordance with Iraq's assimilation policies no realistic and independent census results have been revealed regarding the Iraqi Turkmen population...
, which have prompted serious inter-ethnic problems.
Displacement in Turkey-PKK conflict
In total up to 3,000,000 people (mainly Kurds) have been displaced in the Turkey-PKK conflictTurkey-PKK conflict
The Turkey – Kurdistan Workers' Party conflict, also referred to as the Kurdish Conflict in Turkey, the Kurdish Conflict, the Kurdish insurgency, the Kurdish rebellion or PKK-terrorism and has also been described as the latest Kurdish uprising or as a civil war, is an armed conflict between the...
, an estimated 1,000,000 of which were still internally dispalced as of 2009.
Kurdish diaspora out of Middle East
In recent years, many Kurdish asylum seekers from both Iran and Iraq have settled in the United Kingdom (especially in the town of DewsburyDewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
and in some northern areas of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
), which has sometimes caused media controversy over their right to remain. There have been tensions between Kurds and the established Muslim community in Dewsbury, which is home to very traditional mosques such as the Markazi
Markazi mosque
The Markazi Masjid , also known as the Dewsbury Markaz or Dar ul Ulum , is a mosque in the Savile Town area of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Accommodating up to 4,000 worshippers, it is one of the largest mosques in the United Kingdom and among the biggest purpose-built mosques in Europe...
.
There was substantial immigration of Kurds into North America, who are mainly political refugees and immigrants seeking economic opportunity. An estimated 100,000 Kurds are known to live in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with 50,000 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and less than 15,000 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Kurdish Jews
Almost all of the Kurdish Jews of north Iraq, who were numbered around 30,000 in 1950, were evacuated to Israel during operation Ezra and Nehemiah. A significant portion of those Jews self-identified as part of the Kurdish nation, despite their Jewish ethnicity and religion, and some still consider themselves as Kurds. All together 150,000 Iraqi and Kurdish Jews were encouraged to leave in 1950 by the Iraqi Government, which had eventually ordered in 1951 "the expulsion of Jews who refused to sign a statement of anti-Zionism." Significant number of Kurdish Jews composed the exodus wave of Jews from from Iran in the 1950s, with only tiny communities remaining today in Sanandaj and Mahabad. Most of the newly arriving Kurdish Jews were housed in Israeli transition camps, known as MaabarotMaabarot
Ma'abarot is a kibbutz in Israel. Founded in 1932, today it has a population of approximately 850 people, and is under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council.-Beginnings :...
, later incorporated into development towns. Today they and their descendants are a major part of the 150,000-200,000 strong Kurdish Jewish community in Israel.