Kurdish-Islamic synthesis, or Kurdish-Islamic nationalism (

Sorani Central Kurdish, also known as Sorani Kurdish, is a Kurdish dialect or a language spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan in western Iran. Central Kurdish is one of the ...

: ''کوردایەتیی ئیسلامی'';

Kurmanji Kurmanji (, ), also termed Northern Kurdish, is the northernmost of the Kurdish languages, spoken predominantly in southeast Turkey, northwest and northeast Iran, northern Iraq, northern Syria and the Caucasus and Khorasan regions. It is the ...

: ''Kurdayetîya Îslamî''), is a form of

Kurdish nationalism Kurdish nationalism () is a nationalist political movement which asserts that Kurds are a nation and espouses the creation of an independent Kurdistan from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Early Kurdish nationalism had its roots in the Ottoman ...

which is Islamist in nature, unlike mainstream Kurdish nationalism, which is

secularist Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

in nature.

History

The ideology emerged after the

abolition of the Caliphate The Ottoman Caliphate, the world's last widely recognized caliphate, was abolished on 3 March 1924 (Rumi calendar, R.C. 1340) by decree of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The process was one of Atatürk's reforms following the replacemen ...

and the creation of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, which angered many

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

, who felt that their

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

, and people were endangered because of

Atatürk's reforms Atatürk's reforms ( or ''Atatürk Devrimleri''), also referred to as the Turkish Revolution (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Devrimi''), were a series of political, legal, religious, cultural, social, and economic policy changes, designed ...

. The ideology was also reactionary to the Turkish–Islamic synthesis which emerged during the late Ottoman Empire, as "the Kurdish religious leaders became aware that the Turks had used Islamic symbols and sentiments in favour of their nationalist aims, so they tried to do the same". The ideology was mainly associated with

Sheikh Said Sheikh Said (; – 29 June 1925) was a Zaza Kurd religious leader, one of the leading sheikhs of the Naqshbandi order and the head of the Sheikh Said rebellion. He was born around 1865 in Hınıs or Palu, into an influential family of the N ...

. Another ideologue is

Mullah Krekar Najmadin Faraj Ahmad (, July 7, 1956), better known as Mullah Krekar (), is a Kurdish Sunni Islamic scholar. He was a commander for the Peshmerga unit belonging to the Kurdistan Islamic Movement during the 1991 Iraqi uprisings. Later, he founded ...

. In some videos, Mullah Krekar speaks about Kurdish issues and supporting Kurdish independence. He was described as "publishing political and nationalistic statements one day, and Jihadi statements on the next". Mullah Krekar is also a

populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

, and his popularity in

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

rose between 2017 and 2019, mainly among the youth who were against the Kurdish government. Mullah Krekar also added that secularism "has destroyed Kurdish values". He rejected parts of nationalism which conflicted with Islam. During the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

, Kurdish Islamists broke ties with the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...

, accusing them of holding Arab nationalist views and being supportive of Saddam Hussein. The

Shafi'i school The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...

was praised for its role in the preservation of Kurdish culture, especially language. The

KTTC KTTC (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Rochester, Minnesota, United States, serving Southeast Minnesota and Northern Iowa as an affiliate of NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Media alongside Fox affiliate KXLT-TV (chann ...

claimed that if Kurds lost their language, they would lose the Shafi'i school and their ethnicity after.Kurdish Identity, Islamism, and Ottomanism: The Making of a Nation in Kurdish Journalistic Discourse (1898-1914), Deniz Ekici, 2021, pp. 113 Early Kurdish movements during the Ottoman Empire campaigned for official status for both the Kurdish language and the Shafi'i school. The

Hanafi school The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

was the official sect of the Ottoman Empire and was publicly encouraged by the government. Kurdistan was a predominantly Shafi'i region surrounded by different sects and religions. Adherence to the Shafi'i school was societally seen as essential to Kurdish identity. When Turkish nationalists realised the role of the Shafi'i school in Kurdish society, they attempted to spread the Hanafi school to Kurds in hopes that it leads them into adopting a Turkish identity as well. In the 1980s, many Kurdish students at İmam Hatip schools "increasingly emphasised their Kurdish identity in opposition to the Turkish military operations". The relations between secular Kurds and Islamist Kurds quickly went from extremely tense to "quite cordial". Many Islamist Kurds began adopting nationalism, while many secular Kurds, including the PKK, had "given up their earlier arrogant attitude toward Islam" after the newfound unity with the Islamists. The synthesis grew during the split between Kurdish and Turkish Islamists, as the Kurds accused the Turks continuing the nationalist and assimilationist policies of the state even during Islamist discourse, and using the topic of Islamic fraternity while simultaneously attempting to assimilate Kurds by using religion. Kurdish Islamists increasingly left Turkish Islamist circles. Kurdish-Islamic nationalism is often hostile to other nationalisms in the region, and is also against

Secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

Kemalism Kemalism (, also archaically ''Kamâlizm'') or Atatürkism () is a political ideology based on the ideas of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey.Eric J. Zurcher, Turkey: A Modern History. New York, ...

, and

Ba'athism Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology i ...

Criticism

Many of the

Kurdistan Islamic Union Kurdistan Islamic Union (), colloquially referred to as Yekgirtû, is a Kurdish Islamist party in Iraqi Kurdistan. Leadership and supporters Salahaddin Bahaaddin cofounded the Kurdistan Islamic Union on February 6, 1994. In the first General C ...

's politicians, including their leader

Salahaddin Bahaaddin Salahaddin Mohammed Bahaaddin Sadiq (; ) (born July 1, 1950, in Tawela, a town referring to Halabja) is a Kurdish Iraqi politician. He is a graduate of The House of Teachers 1969. He is the co-founder and current Secretary-General of the Kurdist ...

, have criticized the ideology, saying that "This is a huge

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

", "Islam can not be nationalized", and that "There is only one Islam, the Islam of Allah." In 2013, Altan Tan claimed that the "Kurdish-Islamic synthesis" was an excuse made by Turkish–Islamic synthesists to justify them "using Islam to paint their own empire and

hegemony Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states, either regional or global. In Ancient Greece (ca. 8th BC – AD 6th c.), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of ...

Organizations

;Iran *

Salvation Force The Salvation Force (Kurdish: سپای ڕزگاری; Sipay Rizgarî) was a Naqshbandi Sufi Islamist militant group composed of Kurds, active in the Avroman region of Iranian Kurdistan during the 1979–1983 Kurdistan conflict and Iran-Iraq war ...

Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle The Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan (, ), usually called Khabat (Kurdish for "struggle"), is an armed ethnic party of Kurds in Iran, currently exiled in northern Iraq. The group currently does cross-border attacks against Iranian forces. ...

(later secularised) ;Iraq *

Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan Ansar al-Islam in Kurdistan (; ''the Supporters of Islam in Kurdistan''),Chalk, Peter, ''Encyclopedia of Terrorism'' Volume 1, 2012, ABC-CLIO better known as Ansar al-Islam (; AAI), was a Kurdish Salafi jihadist and separatist militant group. ...

* Rawti Shax *

Kurdistan Islamic Movement The Kurdistan Islamic Movement (, in the Kurmanji dialect) is a Kurdish Islamist party founded in 1987 by mufti Osman Abdulaziz and several other Kurdish Islamic scholars who were all part of the non-political "Union of Religious Scholars" g ...

Kurdistan Justice Group The Kurdistan Justice Group (), colloquially called Komell, formerly the Kurdistan Islamic Group (), is a movement in Iraqi Kurdistan established in May 2001 by Ali Bapir, a former leader of the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan and a former depu ...

White Flags White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...

;Syria * Kurdish Islamic Front * Movement of Salah al-Din the Kurd ;Turkey * Free Cause Party *

Islamic Party of Kurdistan Islamic Party of Kurdistan () is a Kurdish (Sunni) Islamist organisation established in 1979 and led-by Muhammad Salih Mustafa. Other prominent names of the organisation include Hamit Turgut (deceased), Osman Caner and Sukuti Evcim. Turkish autho ...

Kurdish Hezbollah Kurdish Hezbollah (, )
, turkishweekly.net or Hizbullah, ...

Kurdistan Islamic Movement (Turkey) Hereketa İslamiya Kurdistane was a Kurdish Sunni Islamist sociopolitical movement in southeastern Turkey. It was established in 1993 and led by Seyda Mele Abdullah. The group merged with the Kurdistan Islamic Community (CÎK), a pro-PKK faction, ...

*Azadi Party of TADK

Notable figures

Sheikh Ubeydullah Sheikh Ubeydullah (1826-1883), also known as Sayyid Ubeydullah, was the leader of the first modern Kurdish nationalist struggle. Ubeydullah demanded recognition from Ottoman Empire and Qajar Iran authorities for an independent Kurdish state, or ...

Abdulkadir Ubeydullah Abdulkadir Ubeydullah (1851 - 27 May 1925) was a President of the Kurdish Society for Cooperation and Progress (KTTC) and later the Society for the Rise of Kurdistan. He was a leading Kurdish intellectual and a once also a member of the Senate of ...

* Mahmud Barzanji *

Qazi Muhammad Qazi Muhammad (, ; 1 May 1893 – 31 March 1947) was an Iranian Kurdish Islamic cleric and political leader who founded the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and was the first president of the short-lived, Soviet-backed, though in ...

Osman Abdulaziz Mullah Osman Abdulaziz () was a Kurds, Kurdish Islamic scholar and politician in Iraqi Kurdistan. He created the Kurdistan Islamic Movement. He was famous for Kurdish mujahideen, declaring Jihad against Saddam Hussein's government. Life Osman A ...

* Ali Abdulaziz Halabji *

Ali Bapir Ali Bapir, also known as Mamosta Ali Bapir, () is a Kurdish Islamic scholar and politician in Iraqi Kurdistan. He is the founder and current president of the Kurdistan Justice Group (formerly known as the Islamic Group of Kurdistan). He was bor ...

* Adham Barzani * Hüseyin Velioğlu * Abdullah Beğik * Mashouq al-Khaznawi * Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu * Assi al-Qawali *

Khider Kosari Khider Mohammad Rasheed, better known as Khider Kosari (; 1969–1993) was a Kurdish Islamist rebel and poet. Early life Kosari was born in 1969 in Ranya, Kurdistan Region and was not nationalistic or religious during his upbringing, but durin ...

* Ezaddin Husseini (formerly)

References

{{Reflist Islamic nationalism Kurdish Islamism Kurdish nationalism Kurdistan independence movement Opposition to Arab nationalism Syncretic political movements

History

Criticism

Organizations

Notable figures

See also

References