Who are the Kurds? Most of us have heard about them but
don't know who they are. Are they a race, a religion, a
country? As we see from the following example, even
Europeans who are much closer to the Kurds still do not have
a complete understanding of the Kurds or the middle east in
In the West, the left and liberal minded
people in general, especially in the Scandinavian
and Anglo-Saxon countries, have usually supported
or at least expressed some sympathy with the
struggles against both European colonialism and
U.S. policies in Vietnam. But as soon as the
problem shifted to Biafra, Southern Sudan,
Kurdistan or Eritrea - in short, whenever the
national question was raised within a third
world country - this section of the public opinion
has tended to remain silent and confuesed.1
This lack of knowledge about the Kurds and Middle East in
general is a major wall between resolution of the many
problems that exist in the Middle East. I would like to
give you a better understanding of what it is to be Kurdish
by describing to you the past and present condition of
Kurdistan, the state or territory that the Kurdish people
populate. A brief understanding of the history of the
Kurdish people is all that is needed to successfully
accretion just why we should be more involved and educated
about the current political activities surrounding Kurdistan
and the countries that infringe upon it.
The Kurdish people have the unfortunate distinction of
being the only community of over 15 million in population
that has not achieved some form of national statehood.2
This is the problem that needs addressing, people without a
country. There Kurds territory, would be country, consists
of the mountainous regions of central and northern Zargos,
the eastern one-third of the Taurus and Pontus, and the
northern half of the Amanus ranges (see F1).4 The Kurdish...