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 ...
*
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
Adham Barzani
*
Hüseyin Velioğlu
*
Abdullah BeÄŸik
*
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)
See also
*
Kurdish Muslims
Kurdish Muslims () are Kurds who follow Islam, which is the largest religion among Kurds and has been for centuries. Kurds largely became Muslims in the 7th century.
History
Before Islam, the majority of Kurds followed western Iranic Pagani ...
*
Islamism
Islamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is superior to communism ...
*
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 ...
*
List of Kurdish organisations
The following is a list of Kurdish Organisations.
Europe UK
* Kurdish PEN
* Peace Mothers
Sweden
* Kurdish Student Academic Association
France
* Kurdish Institute of Paris
* Kurdistan Islamic Society
Belgium
* European Kurdish Democratic ...
*
Turkish-Islamic synthesis
*
Arab-Islamic nationalism
Arab-Islamic nationalism () refers to a nationalist ideology among Arab Muslims which fuses Arab nationalism with Islamism. It differs from the secular strand of Arab nationalism.
Early instances
Elements of the ideology emerged after the Muslim c ...
References
{{Reflist
Islamic nationalism
Kurdish Islamism
Kurdish nationalism
Kurdistan independence movement
Opposition to Arab nationalism
Syncretic political movements