The Kurds A Presentation by Jack Litwin, Anakin Miller, and Jacob Lester

The Kurdish Region On a Map ess.com/2014/06/kurdistan- map.gif

the Kurds are their own ethnic group The Kurds are Sunni Muslims who live in the Caucasus Mountains. They lived in Kurdistan in western Asia but the Treaty of Lausanne established Turkey and Kurdistan faded into Turkey and other surrounding nations. The Kurds are now split up among many countries such as Turkey, Northern Iraq, Western Iran, Syria and others. g/wp- content/uploa ds/2013/07/k urds-map.jpg

Cause of Conflict The Kurds are a distinct ethnicity, however, due to being split up among many other countries and the harsh laws which have been applied to them in many countries, there have been a number of violent uprisings by Kurds who wish for independence. Turks want to promote Turkish nationalism so the try/tried to destroy Kurdish culture such as banning the Kurdish language in The Kurds have waged a guerrilla war since 1984 in Turkey and Iran’s Kurds have tried unsuccessfully to gain independence. Also after the Gulf War, Kurds tried to rebel against Iraq, but failed, and the U.S. and allies had to send reinforcement to protect the Kurds from further attacks by Iraq.

Cultural Conflict Religion: Both Kurds and Turks (who acquired much of the land that used to be Kurdistan) are largely Sunni Muslim. This may sound like it would prevent Kurd-Turk conflict, but unfortunately, it is often the reason behind it. The Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan has tried to quell recent struggles between his nation’s Turkish majority and Kurdish minority by stating that they ought to be united under their common religion. The Kurds reacted to this negatively, claiming Erdogan was using their religion as a ploy to make them submissive to Turkish ideology and undermine Kurdish ethnic nationalism Tradition: traditional Kurdish dress is becoming rare as the Kurdish people adapt to a more modernized and globalized world scene. However, neighboring radical Islamic states (ie: ISIS), are uber-conservative in most all aspects of their culture (including dress), and are therefore often at odds with more progressive Kurds. Language: The vast majority of Kurds speak either Kurdish or Arabic, and many speak both. For those that do not, however, it can be hard to communicate with many others with whom they share an ethnicity, leading to internal ethnic conflict. Linguistic barriers have also engendered external cultural conflicts between kurds and those with whom they share political boundaries, such as the Turks (Turkish), Iraqis (Persian), Armenians (Armenian), and Iranians (Farsi). Land Use: The Kurds once had their own ethnic nation called Kurdistan, and it lasted from 1922 until It was later absorbed by Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Armenia, and ever since the Kurds have been struggling against those nations’ government for control over their ancestral lands.

Outside forces or Influences The Islamic States in Syria (ISIS) has proved itself to be an exacerbator of old wounds as the group tries to carve out strongholds in Kurd occupied territories. As mentioned before, the U.S. and its allies protected Kurds from more attacks by Iraq after the Kurds failed to rebel against Iraqi rule. Turkish government and other governments that impose laws to diminish Kurdish culture have caused the conflict between the Kurds and their state. controlled-areas-lead-map story-top.jpg

TimeLine The Ottoman Empire fell, creating the possibility of a Kurdish state Treaty of Lausanne establishes the state of Turkey, which later absorbed Kurdistan Use of the Kurdish Language is banned in Turkey “Overthrow of the Iraqi monarchy allows Kurdish nationalists to organise openly after many years in hiding. A new Iraqi constitution recognises Kurdish ‘national rights’” “An alliance of Kurdish parties comes second in Iraq's landmark national election, sending 77 deputies to an interim parliament.-2005” content/uploads/sites/5/2014/10/decline-of-the- ottoman-empire_turkey_ottoman- decline_720px_02.jpg

Ethnic conflict on 5 themes 5 themes: place, location, movement, human-environmental interaction, region Place: Place includes cultural aspects and the Kurdish place is overlapping the turkish or other country places, which is causing a conflict because they are two diverse places. Location: The Kurds are located in western Asia, clustered around the countries Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Movement: The Kurds have stayed mostly clustered in the same area but have had to move around within the area due to discrimination and laws against them n certain countries, along with war and terrorism in the area. Human-environmental interaction: The physical fighting between Kurds and others, such as bombs, have caused literal scars in the land and have hurt the environment. Region: The Kurds have stayed in the same region for most of history but the borders of the countries that inhabit the region have changed. This region is in Western Asia.

Possible Solutions Revive the Kingdom of Kurdistan. More Kurdish representation in the governments of the nations that “own” ancestral Kurdish lands. In countries like Turkey with large Kurdish minorities, government leaders could create a separate Kurdish province within said country, giving the Kurds more autonomy while also not forcing those other nations to fully relinquish historically-Kurdish lands. solution1.png

Extra Credit Video

Quiz Yourself! 1. What modern countries absorbed Kurdistan after 1924? 2. What treaty caused the dissolution of Kurdistan? 3. How long did the Kingdom of Kurdistan last for? 4. Name 3 reasons for the huge tension between the Kurds and the Turkish government specifically. 5. **video question** How many Kurds are there in the Middle East right now? How many of them are in northern Iraq? ress.com/2012/08/geography22.j pg

Other Sources Timeline stm 67.stm Cultural Conflicts- Zimbabwe/Kurds.html