Aykazian told how“KurdistanKurdistanKurdistan or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural historical region wherein the Kurdish people form a prominent majority population and Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. Kurdistan roughly encompasses the northwestern Zagros and the …en.wikipedia.orgbecame a safe haven for Christians,” and “the [regional] government is building churches, schools, community centers for them.” He reported that “Christians today feel very comfortable” in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Are the Kurds an ethnic or religious group?
Kurds are an ethnic group. However they are not united within a single region like most other ethnicities and instead live among various nations separately. In terms of religion Kurds are mostly Sunni Muslims but do follow other religions like Christianity, Judaism, etc.
Are Kurds mostly Sunni Muslims?
Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims who adhere to the Shafi?i school, while a significant minority adhere to the Hanafi school. Moreover, many Shafi’i Kurds adhere to either one of the two Sufi orders Naqshbandi and Qadiriyya. Beside Sunni Islam, Alevism and Shia Islam also have millions of Kurdish followers.
Are Kurdish Christians ethnically Kurd?
Kurdish Christians ( Kurdish: Kurdn Mesh or Kurdn Xirstiyan) are Kurds who follow Christianity. Though the majority of Kurds due to the spread of Islam in the 7th century were converted, there still remained Kurds who had adopted Christianity.
What country has Kurds Sunnis and Shiites?
“The idea, as in Bosnia, is to maintain a united Iraq by decentralizing it, giving each ethno-religious group — Kurd, Sunni Arab and Shiite Arab — room to run its own affairs, while leaving the central government in charge of common interests.”
What happened to Mosul in Iraq?
According to the Assyrian International News Agency, when Mosul fell to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on June 11, Arab members of the Iraqi police stationed in Assyrian villages throughout north Iraq abandoned their positions, leaving only the Kurds and the few Assyrians to protect the villages against ISIS. The Kurds seized the opportunity to begin the Kurdification of all areas where minorities lived. They took control of Christian Assyrian villages, as well as the villages of Yezidis and Shabaks, raising Kurdish flags on government buildings and checkpoints in the Christian Assyrian villages of Alqosh, Qaraqosh, Bartella, Karemlesh, Baashiqa, Tel Keppeh, Telsqop, Batnaya, Baghdeda, Ainsifneh/Shekhan, Sharafya, Dashqutan, Karanjo and Pirozawa.
What is the Kurdification of Iraq?
Kurdification is a cultural change in which something ethnically non- Kurdish is forced to become Kurdish. It is sort of like when Germans started the process of Nazification of Germany, Kurdification is usually used in contexts of post-Saddam Iraq, particularly in relation to Assyrian Christians , Iraqi Turkmen and the Shabak people.
What is the YPG?
The YPG (People’s Protection Units Kurdish : Yekîneyên Parastina Gel ?) are the main armed service of the Kurdish Supreme Committee in the government of Syrian Kurdistan ( Rojava ). The YPG are primarily Kurdish, but also uses Arabs, Turks, and even Assyrian Christian units integrated into its command structure and is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and NATO.
How many hits does Kurds get on Google?
If one searches “kurds” on Google there is over eight million hits ranging from Kurdish rights for self-autonomy, how they have been betrayed, and how we should all work with them for the sake of bettering humanity, including destroying ISIS. But when on searches for the word “ kurdification ” in Google, it becomes surprising to find a miserable six thousand hits.
What are the consequences of Assyrian Christians not following Islamic values?
Assyrian Christians who were not complying with strict Islamic values and traditions have been subjected to discrimination, threats, kidnappings, mutilations and killings. Those who have been victimized include women who fail to dress appropriately, drive cars or work outside the home; men who shave their beards, wear shorts or have long hair or wear “inappropriate” clothing.
What is a DP in kurdification?
Kurdification also involves a labeling process. The Assyrians, regardless that they are internal refugees they are called displaced people (DP) in government offices and in schools. Entire families are made to feel discriminated and twice humiliated after leaving everything behind to escape from ISIS. In school students want to know why teachers do a roll call only for them by calling on displaced people to identify themselves.
How many churches have been destroyed in Syria?
80 per cent of the Assyrian nation in Syria and Iraq has been displaced and more than 60 churches have been demolished with cries of “Allahu Akbar”.
What is the Assyrian religion?
The Assyrians are a “passionate” sect within regional Christianity, Burns wrote in an analysis for Providence, a Christian foreign policy journal. They trace their ancestry to the biblical Assyrian Empire, and their faith to the preaching of Thomas and Thaddeus, Jesus’ disciples.
Why did Erdogan invade Syria?
One source said the real reason behind the Syria incursion is Erdogan’s recent electoral setbacks and the declining economy. Another said that “killing Kurds” helps Erdogan’s nationalist agenda. And the other called it an “invasion” that will result in suffering for many innocent lives.
What does the third sentence say about prisons in Turkey?
The third put it plainly: “The prisons of Turkey are filled with authors and reporters who have written down their opinions freely. If my answers are revealed to be my own opinions, my imprisonment without trial or inquiry will be a certain future.”
What is the name of the terrorist group that seized Christians?
They have kidnapped Christians and seized their lands, says Messo. And by provoking Turkey, they are bringing additional suffering upon all—including local Christian communities.
Where do Kurds live in the North?
From Iraq, where the constitution grants Kurds an autonomous region in the north (bordering Syria, Turkey, and Iran), one influential voice prefers not to take sides.
Where did the clerics gather in Turkey?
Clergy representing minority communities in Turkey gathered Sunday in a monastery in southeastern Turkey to pray for Turkish soldiers fighting in the cross-border operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters. A s reports circulated that Turkey had violated its five-day pause in operations against the Kurds on the Syrian border, …
Which militias are fighting ISIS?
In the fight against ISIS, some Christian militias have aligned with the Kurds, such as the Nineveh Plains Guards. But one in particular, the Babylon Brigades, has preferred Iran.
What is the largest Armenian church in the Middle East?
Surp Giragos is the largest Armenian church in the Middle East. According to Agos, its bell tower was destroyed by artillery fire during the 1915 Armenian genocide (at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, precursor to the Turkish Republic), because it stood taller than the minaret of a nearby mosque. After it was expropriated from the Armenian community during the First World War, it was initially used as a cotton storage warehouse. It remained in ruins for nearly a century, until being restored in 2011 and reopened to worship with the support of the Kurdish-administered Diyarbak?r municipality.
Where is Surp Giragos Church?
The Surp Giragos Church in Diyarbak?r has escaped the fighting relatively intact structurally… But the Turkish security forces have used it as an army base, desecrating the church, burning some of the pews as firewood, with garbage and smell of urine everywhere.".
What is the name of the town that was destroyed by the World Heritage?
A 2017 World Heritage Watch report details the destruction of one such town, Suriçi (Sur), as follows:
What is the oldest city in the world?
The city was then invaded and captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1515. Among the oldest cities in the world, Diyarbak?r is now predominantly Sunni-Muslim and Kurdish. Since 1923, in the wake of the genocide, the Armenians and Assyrians — the first nations to adopt Christianity — mostly disappeared from the region.
What happened to the Armenians in Turkey in 2016?
According to a November 2016 report in The Armenian Weekly, "The past year has been a living hell for the hidden Armenians of Turkey. The civil war between the Kurdish resistance guerrillas and the Turkish army has resulted in massive destruction in southeastern and eastern Turkey. Most of the buildings in the region have been bombed …
When was the last curfew in Suri?i?
The last ongoing curfew from 11 December 2015, accompanied by the use of heavy military weapons such as tanks, mortar and artillery by the government, was the most devastating one. Numerous historical buildings and monuments – as well as the integrity and authenticity of Suriçi – suffered damage and destruction.".
When was the Armenian temple restored?
It remained in ruins for nearly a century, until being restored in 2011 and reopened to worship with the support of the Kurdish-administered Diyarbak?r municipality.
What is the Christian minority fearing?
After surviving a civil war and ISIS attacks, the Christian minority fears a Turkish takeover in Kurdish border region. The Kurdish-led and American-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) announced the defeat of the Islamic State in at a ceremony in Baghouz in March. N ot long after the defeat of the Islamic State in the area, …
How many Kurds are there in the world?
Kurds number approximately 30 million, located primarily in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. They are one of the largest stateless people in the world, though within Iraq the constitution has designated Kurdistan as an autonomous region.
What is Turkey’s goal?
Turkey’s objectives are two-fold. First, to resettle up to 2 million Syrian refugees currently residing in Turkey. Second, to clear the border of Kurdish fighters linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), deemed a terrorist entity by both Ankara and Washington. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had threatened to establish …
What did Trump say about Turkey?
Trump responded to criticism by citing his “great and unmatched wisdom,” warning that if Turkey does anything off limits, he will once again destroy its economy. US economic sanctions were part of his high-profile efforts to secure the release of pastor Andrew Brunson, held two years in Turkey on terrorism-related charges.
Why did the US put sanctions on Brunson?
US economic sanctions were part of his high-profile efforts to secure the release of pastor Andrew Brunson, held two years in Turkey on terrorism-related charges.
Where is Qamishli located?
The Christian community of Qamishli, on the border with Turkey near Iraq, issued its own statement.
Does Turkey take responsibility for Kurds?
Trump has said Turkey will take responsibility for them. The Kurds promise to resist the Turkish incursion, making them unable to continue guarding the prisons. Christian voices are also keen to preserve the unique peace achieved between Kurds, Arabs, and Christians.
