Kurdish minority

1. Minority
A small group of people within a community or country, differing
from the main populationin race, religion, language, or political
persuasion: ethnic minorities AS minority rights.
KURDISH MINORITY IN GERMANY
The Kurds are often dubbed "the largestethnic group without a state",
which statement (apart from the fact that more numerous stateless
nations ostensiblydo exist) has been rejectedas misleading by
Kurdologists, as it glossesoverthe significantcultural, social, religious,
political and ideologicalheterogeneitybetweenKurdish groups The
bulk of Kurdish groups in Kurdistan are Sunni (mostly of
the Shafi'i school), but there are significant minorities adhering to Shia
Islam (especiallyAlevis), Yazidism, Yarsanism,
The Kurdish people live in the historical Kurdistan region, which today
is split among Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, and was ruled by
the Persianand the Ottoman Empire since the 16th century The
estimatedpopulation is 35 million. A rough estimate by the CIA
Factbook has populations of 14.5 million in Turkey, 6 million in Iran,
about 5 to 6 million in Iraq, and less than 2 million in Syria, which adds
up to close to 28 million Kurds in Kurdistan or adjacentregions. Recent
emigration resulted in a Kurdish diaspora of about 1.5 million people,
about half of them in Germany.
A specialcase are the Kurdish populations in
the Transcaucasia andCentral Asia, displacedthere mostly in the time
of the RussianEmpire, who underwent independent developments for
more than a century and have developedan ethnic identity in their own
right This groups' population was estimatedat close to 0.4 million in
1990, but now Kurdish in Europe mostly can be found in Germany and
it may refer to people born in or residing in Germany of full or

2. partial Kurdish origin. There is a large Kurdish community in
Germany, numbering around 1,150,000people. This makes the Kurdish
community in Germany the largestKurdish community in the Kurdish
diaspora. In addition, the Kurdish community in Germany is expanding
as a result of the turmoil in Syria and many of the refugees ofthe Syrian
Civil War are Syrian Kurds and also Iraqi Kurds applying for asylum
in Germany
Immigration history In Germany, Kurdish immigrant workers
from Turkey first arrived in the secondhalf of the 1960s Thousands of
Kurdish refugees and political refugees fled from Turkey during the
1970s andonward, from Iraq and Iran during the 1980sand 1990s, and
from Syria especiallyduring the Syrian Civil War.[
ISSUES
Honor killings are also prevalent among the Kurdish diaspora in the
WestIn Germany in March 2009, a Kurdish immigrant from Turkey,
Gülsüm S., was killed for a relationship not in keeping with her family's
plan for an arrangedmarriage. Hatun Sürücü was murdered at the age
of 23 in Berlin, by her own youngestbrother, in an honor killing. In a
well-knowncase, ErenT. killed his pregnant girlfriend in Berlin and
burned her alive. In 2016 a Kurdish woman was shot dead at her
wedding in Hannover for refusing to marry her cousinin a forced
marriage
In October2014, Kurds in Germany marched in protestover
the ISIS offensive on the Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab, known in Kurdish
as Kobani.
On 8 August 2015, thousands of Kurds in Germany marched
against Turkish Army air strikes on the Kurdish PKK party
The Kurdish streetgang "Sondame", purportedly fighting for a free
Kurdistan, was formed in Stuttgart, and in 2015 had about 1,000
members in Germany and Switzerland Other Kurdish street gangs
include Median Empire and RedLegion

3. NOTEABLE KURDS IN GERMANY
(Yılmaz Arslan, Seyran Ateş, Hüseyin Kenan Aydın, Azad (rapper),
Bero Bass, Adel Karasholi, Namosh, FerhatTunç, Feleknas Uca,
Xatar, Haftbefehl, Deniz Naki, KC Rebell, Dilan Khoshnaw )
Now Over and over againKurdish people has suffered a lot but they
never gave up and still fighting everything that actually caused
immigration of kurds was the unsuitable situation in that area they been
fighting laterally forever starting with the mangol and othamian
empires and till now with ISIS, cause they wanted to have their own
independence not sharing culture language orterritory with arabs, and
all they wanted was a state which the history never gave them a right to,
which actually led to immigration, by now almost everyone supporting
Kurdistan’s independence and should be supported because The
ongoing civil war in Syria and the war of the Westwith ISIS that
involves Iraq, Syria and severalothercountries in the region, is the
fourth time during the lastfifty years that the Westhas used the Kurds
for its security policy interests. They have been repeatedly betrayed
before, from the time the peace treaty of 1919 -which promised a
Kurdish state,-wasbroken. Todaywe have to ask – are we taking
advantage of them again, do we plan to betray them once again, or will
it be different this time? EstonianMember of Parliament, former
adviser to the Iraqi government and Middle Eastexpert, Eerik-Niiles
Kross says that the United States and the Westneed to support Kurdish
independence.
In 1973–74,during one of the revolts of the Iraqi Kurds againstSaddam
Hussein’s regime, the Kurds were supplied with arms from Israel, (pre-
revolutionary) Iran and the United States. Allegedly, then US Secretary

4. of State, Henry Kissinger’s instructions to those helping the Kurds in
the US, were that the Kurds were not to be allowedto win, but they
should not be told so. The Kurds were neededto force Hussein to agree
to the terms of, then friend of the USA, Iran. After Iran and Iraq
reachedagreement, US aid to the Kurds was cut off; the Kurds lost
their struggle;more than 10,000 Kurdish fighters perished, and their
leaders were either killed or escapedto Iran. Washington renouncedits
aid programme for Kurdish war refugees, whichwas requestedby US
officials who had made earlierpromises to the Kurds. The prevailing
position was that ‘foreign policy should not be confused with missionary
work.’
During the first Gulf War, in 1991, the Westagain calledto Kurds to
rise up and revolt. The aim of the Westwas essentiallythe same as
before: to use the Kurds to weakenthe main enemy and as a bridge-
head.
The goalof the Kurds from the beginning of times has been autonomy,
the ability to decide their own fate and independence. In the 1980s,
when Iraqi forces suppressedanother Kurdish revolt, scorching
Kurdish villages and gassing their people, there was no help from the
West. However, in 1991, Kurdish help was needed. On 1 March 1991,
PresidentBush saidin a speechthat was broadcastto Iraq: “the Iraqi
people should put [Saddam] aside, and that would facilitate the
resolution of all these problems that exist…”
Certainly the Kurds interpreted this as promising more than was
actually intended, but for them, only one problem had existed for
decades, andthat was the absence offreedom. The Kurdish forces took
control over all their territories and expected the Westto give them

5. arms and recognition. This did not happen. Hussein’s forces recaptured
the Kurdish territories and hundreds of thousands of Kurds were
forcedto leave their homes.
It should be said, to the credit of British Prime Minister John Major,
that he almost single-handedly managedto promote within NATO, and
later also in Washington, the idea of establishing a no-fly zone in North
Iraq, which savedthe Iraqi Kurds from destruction.
In the 1990s IraqiKurdistan became a de facto independent region,
which was not recognizedas such by any state, but was also not
controlled by Hussein either. To a certain extent, the Westsavedface by
keeping air missions in North Iraq to ensure the no-flight zone.
In 2003, whenthe USA started the secondGulf War, the Iraqi Kurds
turned out to be natural allies of the Westerncoalition. The northern
front of the war was to a large extent coveredby the Kurds. They fought
bravely and again, the hope of being recognizedas a state emerged.
Again the Kurds were neededfor regionalbalance and the Western-
minded force in the new Iraq, not as an independent political entity by
the West. The Kurds achievedrecognitionof their autonomy in the new
constitution of Iraq. They againagreedto remain part of Iraq, but
refused to allow the units of the Iraqi army to enter their territory or
have their Peshmerga forces jointhe Iraqi army. The constitutional
agreementof 2005 provided holding a referendum on the future of the
city of Kirkuk in 2007 atthe latest. This historic Kurdish city was
ethnically cleansedby Saddam in the 1970s, but over time, the Kurds
have moved back. As of today, the promised referendum has not been
held. The USA withdrew from Iraq and the power was transferredto
the Shiite government, who startedto repress both the Sunnis and the

6. Kurds. The Kurds held their territory under control, and used their de
facto independence to build up their economyand to develop
international relations. The economyof Kurdistan was opened to
Western(oil) companies and they establishedtheir own visa-free regime
– unlike the rest of Iraq -and modest economic growthwas achieved.
Over the last ten years, Iraqi Kurdistan, which once depended almost
exclusively on smuggling, has now become a quasi-state with a
developing international economy.
The greatestbreakthroughachievedby the Kurdish PresidentBarzani
was in establishing relations with Turkey. Meetings betweenthe
presidents of Kurdistan and Turkey have takenplace and economic
relations, and even certainsecurity cooperationhas been
established. One of the most interesting agreements mediatedby the
leadership of the Iraqi Kurds was the relocationof severalthousands of
PKK fighters from Turkey to Syria some years ago. Turkeyrid itself of
a part of its separatistKurdish problem, the Kurds of Syria received
considerable support for their activities againstthe Assad regime, and
Barzani showedhimself as the defender of the wider national interests
of the Kurds.
Relations betweenIraqi Kurdistan and PKK have been complicated.
The price of reducing the hostility of Turkey has been agreeing with the
Turkish operations againstPKK in North Iraq, which is considereda
betrayal by many Turkish Kurds.
To sum up – the policy of the Iraqi Kurds has been wise and targetedat
tacticalsteps, without ever forgetting the further aim of becoming
independent. It is very hard to find any legalarguments againstthe
right of the Kurds to independence. Therefore other kinds of arguments

7. are used. Turkey and Iran, and earlier, Syria threatenedwith the use of
military force, while the USA has hinted at ending military support.
The geopoliticalbalance in the region was turned upside down by the
civil war in Syria and the unexpected military successofISIS since the
beginning of 2013. The Kurds have been the strongestand the most
important allies of the West. Again, they have been promised support,
and they have againbeen told that the idea of independence would be
discussedin the “future” but current problems would have to be dealt
with before any such discussions.
In July 2014, whena large part of Syria and North Iraq fell into the
hands of ISIS, President Barzani declaredthat as Iraq had essentially
collapsed, he decided to proclaim that a referendum on Kurdish
independence would be held. The US convinced the Kurds to be patient
and wait. When ISIS attackedKurdish territory and severalvillages fell
to the Islamists, the US beganair raids againstISIS to protectthe
Kurds. At the same time, the Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, who had
been totally unacceptable to Kurds, was forced to resign. The condition
for US military assistancewas thatthe Kurds must participate in the
formation of the new government of Iraq. In September 2014, President
Barzani’s chief of staff said, “We now have a priority: to clean the area
of ISIS. ISIS must not remain our neighbor. When you have this
priority, other priorities will be delayed.”
The Kurds have maintained and achievedthis goal. Barzani(probably
with the help of the USA) succeededin convincing the Turks to allow
the Peshmerga fighters to help the Syrian Kurds in their fight against
ISIS. The territory of Iraqi Kurdistan is protected, and the Kurds have
achievedconsiderable success withthe help of the Western arms and air

8. strikes. At the same time it has become apparent that when Kurdish
fighters leave the ethnic Kurdish territory and liberate the Arabic-
speaking villages and towns, they are not able to hold them for long
periods of time. The Kurds do fight outside their territories, but in the
interests of the common front againstISIS and not in order to expand
their territory.
The war againstISIS has changed Westernattitudes towards the status
of (Iraqi) Kurdistan. Providing direct military assistanceto the Kurds
(until now, everything went through Bagdadwith considerable trouble)
has become an acceptedpractice ofeven the most cautious European
countries. Even Swedenhas sent an armed unit to Erbil. Barzani has
met with Angela Merkeland, in May, also with President Obama.
Washingtonhas now officially agreedto help establisha full Kurdish
army that, in addition to the heavy armor of ground forces, also
includes the air force and (strangely enough) a naval element.
Providing arms assistance to the Kurds, and the rise of the Kurdish
leaders among the actors of globalpolitics has evidently irritated
Turkey. During the lastTurkish election, the People’s Democratic Party
(HDP) – which is supported mainly by Kurdish voters – for the first
time in history gainednoteworthy Kurdish representationin the
Turkish parliament. The HDP openly supports negotiations with the
PKK and wants to secure protectionfor Kurdish rights in Turkey.
In 2014, whenISIS attackedthe Kurdish territories in Syria and killed
hundreds of Kurds in Kobane, the HDP organizedlarge demonstrations
againstthe Turkish government, and accusedthe government of
inactivity and of silently supporting ISIS. Until lastweek, Turkeywas
essentiallya bystander in the operations againstISIS. Severalcritics

9. have said that Turkey has nothing againstISIS as long as it weakens the
Kurds in Syria.
Allegedly some ISIS attacks againstthe Kurds have been conducted
from inside the territory of Turkey. Since the beginning of the conflict,
the Westhas tried to getTurkey to intervene militarily againstISIS, but
Turkey has been more concernedabout the possibility of Kurdish
autonomy along the Turkish border in Syria and the general
strengthening of the positions of the Kurds if ISIS were to be defeated.
The latter, and especiallythe establishment of a Kurdish army in Iraqi
Kurdistan and the emerging joint force of the Kurds of Iraq, Syria and
Turkey, have forcedTurkey to change its policy. Ankara’s agreement
with Washingtonto allow the US to use some Turkish airfields and to
participate in military operations againstISIS, brought along Turkey’s
parallel attacks againstboth the PKK and the YPG of the Syrian
Kurds, in which Iraqi Kurds also fight. YPG is also the main ally of the
US againstISIS in Syria.
Turkey’s message is that: “if you want our help, you have to tolerate
our activities againstthe Kurds, because for us, the Kurds, too, are a
threat.” History has proven that it is not a problem for the West to push
aside the interests of the Kurds as soonas its own security interests are
solvedand protected.
According to the representatives of PresidentBarzani, the Americans
told them in summer 2014:“We understand your long-term aims, but
please do not sacrifice these priorities in the name of independence. In
return, you will receive our assistanceandwe will protect you.”

10. The Kurdish army is will soonbe ready. If the Westtolerates the
military activities of its ally Turkey againstits Kurdish allies, such
treacherymay bring along unforeseeable consequences. Proclaiming
support for Kurdish independence would be one of the simplest forms
of support,
and what am impressed about and I’d like to mention A German
politician in a political party close to German ChancellorAngela
Merkel’s party Marcus Soederof the Christian SocialUnion (CSU)
claimed on Sunday Kurds could come to Germany en masse if visa deal
is reachedwith Turkey
And that if the European Union and Turkey reacheda deal to halt the
illegalimmigration of migrants into Europe through Turkey then
Kurds may well leave Turkey’s southeastand travel to Germany in
large numbers.
“It could ultimately lead to more immigration, especiallyif you take visa
freedom into account. Many, many Kurds fleeing the Turkish
government could come to Germany.” said Marcus Soederof the
Christian SocialUnion (CSU) party to the German ZDF broadcaster.
As part of the EU-Turkish deal Europe will return migrants who went
from Turkey across to the Aegeanto Greece back to Turkey and then
take in an equal number of actualrefugees from camps across Turkey.
Additionally the EU will give Turkey billions of euros worth of financial
assistanceto help them host the 2.7 million Syrians in their country as
well as grant them the right to travel to the EU without having to obtain
a visa as well as step-up negotiations for Turkish admissioninto the
union.

11. Soederappears to believe that Kurds as citizens of Turkey will flee the
unstable war-zone the Kurdish-majority southeastofTurkey has once
againbecome as Ankara once againseeks to dismantle the Kurdistan
Workers Party(PKK) in that area, this brought a lot of talks in the area
in a way that one US newspaperpublished : ( that will be goodnews for
turkey maybe Kurds should aim to establisha Kurdish state in Europe
because Europeantook awayKurdish right to statehoodin 1916 Sykes-
picot treat, the Europeans are reason why Kurds have suffered for 100
years), things are getting complicated nowadays and in all around the
world either political aspects andeconomic crisis and terrorism which
most of them are an aim for personal interest but I hope things get
better and accepthumanity and eachother to live all in a peaceful
world.
MABAST A. XOSHNAW