Kurdish-Islamic nationalism

The ideology emerged after the abolition of the Caliphate and the creation of Turkey, which angered many Kurds, who felt that their culture, religion, language, and people were endangered because of Atatürk's reforms.^[5] 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".^[6]^[7]

The ideology was mainly associated with Sheikh Said. Another ideologue is Mullah Krekar. 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, and his popularity in Iraqi Kurdistan 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".^[8] He rejected parts of nationalism which conflicted with Islam.^[9]

During the Iran–Iraq War, Kurdish Islamists broke ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing them of holding Arab nationalist views and being supportive of Saddam Hussein.^[10]

The Shafi'i school was praised for its role in the preservation of Kurdish culture, especially language. The KTTC claimed that if Kurds lost their language, they would lose the Shafi'i school and their ethnicity after.^[11] Early Kurdish movements during the Ottoman Empire campaigned for official status for both the Kurdish language and the Shafi'i school.^[12] The Hanafi school 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.^[13]^[11] 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.^[14]

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.^[15]

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.^[16]

Kurdish-Islamic nationalism is often hostile to other nationalisms in the region, and is also against Secularism, Kemalism, and Ba'athism.^[17]^[3]

Kurdish-Islamic nationalism

History

Criticism

Organizations

Notable figures

See also

References

Wikiwand - on