Kurds and Yezidis in the Middle East PDF Download

Author: Günes Murat Tezcür
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0755601211
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
The diversity of Kurdish communities across the Middle East is now recognized as central to understanding both the challenges and opportunities for their representation and politics. Yet little scholarship has focused on the complexities within these different groups and the range of their experiences. This book diversifies the literature on Kurdish Studies by offering close analyses of subjects which have not been adequately researched, and in particular, by highlighting the Kurds' relationship to the Yazidis. Case studies include: the political ideas of Ehmede Xani, “the father of Kurdish nationalism”; Kurdish refugees in camps in Iraq; the perception of the Kurds by Armenians in the late Ottoman Empire and the Turks in modern Western Turkey; and the important connections and shared heritage of the Kurds and the Yazidis, especially in the aftermath of the 2014 ISIS attacks. The book comprises the leading voices in Kurdish Studies and combines in-depth empirical work with theoretical and conceptual discussions to take the debates in the field in new directions. The study is divided into three thematic sections to capture new insights into the heterogeneous aspects of Kurdish history and identity. In doing so, contributors explain why we need to pay close attention to the shifting identities and the diversity of the Kurds, and what implications this has for Middle East Studies and Minority Studies more generally.

Author: John S. Guest
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136157360
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
First published in 1993. The Yezidis are a community of around 200,000 Kurds who possess their own religion, quite distinct from Islam, which most other Kurds profess, and from the Christian and Jewish faiths. The Yezidis live in the northern parts of Iraq and Syria, in eastern Turkey, in Germany and in the ex-Soviet republics of Armenia and Georgia. (In Armenia the Yezidis, long classified as Kurds, are now recognized as a separate minority group and the term 'Kurd' is applied only to Moslem Kurds.) This book stems from a conversation with the Yezidi priest of the village who remarked that now the children were learning to read and write they were asking him questions about the Yezidi scriptures and the history of the community. Lacking any written material, he could only repeat to them the oral traditions he had himself learned as a child.

Author: Birgül Açikyildiz
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857720619
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
Yezidism is a fascinating part of the rich cultural mosaic of the Middle East. The Yezidi faith emerged for the first time in the twelfth century in the Kurdish mountains of northern Iraq. The religion, which has become notorious for its associations with 'devil worship', is in fact an intricate syncretic system of belief, incorporating elements from proto-Indo-European religions, early Iranian faiths like Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism, Sufism and regional paganism like Mithraism. Birgul Acikyildiz here offers a comprehensive appraisal of Yezidi religion, society and culture. Written without presupposing any prior knowledge about Yezidism, and in an accessible and readable style, her book examines Yezidis not only from a religious point of view but as a historical and social phenomenon. She throws light on the origins of Yezidism, and charts its development and changing fortunes - from its beginnings to the present- as part of the general history of the Kurds. Her book is the first to place Yezidism in its complete geographical setting in Northern Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Transcaucasia. The author describes the Yezidi belief system (which considers Tawusi Melek - the 'Peacock Angel' - to be ruler of the earth) and its religious practices and observances, analysing the most important facets of Yezidi religious art and architecture (including funerary monuments and zoomorphic tombstones) and their relationship to their neighbours throughout the Middle East. Acikyildiz also explores the often misunderstood connections between Yezidism and the Satan/Sheitan of Christian and Muslim tradition. Richly illustrated, with accompanying maps, photographs and illustrations, this pioneering book will have strong appeal to all those with an interest in the culture of the Kurds, as well as the wider region.

Author: Christine Allison
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 0700713972
Category : Iraq
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
The Yezidis are a Kurdish-speaking religious minority, neither Muslim, Christian nor Jewish. At a time when studies of Kurdish nation-building are developing, this book is the first to consider Kurdish oral traditions within their social context and explain their relevance for a large Kurdish community.

Author: Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou
Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
"The 16 million Kurds are the largest nation in the world with no state of their own. Their history is one of constant revolts and bloody repression, massacres, deportations and renewed insurrection. This classic collection of writings from Kurdish intellectuals and other internationally respected experts discusses the origins of Kurdish nationalism and analyzes their contemporary demand for autonomy in the aftermath of the Gulf crisis and the setting up of safe havens. It combines historical analysis of the Kurds under the Ottoman Empire with a thorough study of Kurdish life in all areas of Kurdistan -- Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and the former Soviet Union. Later sections cover recent Kurdish history with emphasis on the Iraqi Kurds, and the Kurdish movement in Turkey. Also included is an assessment of "Operation Provide Comfort" and the failure of the U.S. and international law to develop an adequate response to the Kurdish crisis following the Gulf War." -- Back cover.

Author: Eszter Spät
Publisher: Saqi Books
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
This is the first detailed survey of Yezidi culture to appear in English. Little is known about these ancient Kurdish mountain people, considered one of the oldest ethnicities in the Middle East, often unjustly derided as "devil-worshippers."

Author: Faleh A. Jabar
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1786725495
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
The Kurds are one of the largest stateless nations in the world, numbering more than 20 million people. Their homeland lies mostly within the present-day borders of Turkey, Iraq and Iran as well as parts of Syria, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Yet until recently the 'Kurdish question' - that is, the question of Kurdish self-determination - seemed, to many observers, dormant. It was only after the so-called Arab Spring, and with the rise of the Islamic State, that they emerged at the centre of Middle East politics. But what is the future of the Kurdish national movement? How do the Kurds themselves understand their community and quest for political representation? This book analyses the major problems, challenges and opportunities currently facing the Kurds. Of particular significance, this book shows, is the new Kurdish society that is evolving in the context of a transforming Middle East. This is made of diverse communities from across the region who represent very different historical, linguistic, political, social and cultural backgrounds that are yet to be understood. This book examines the recent shifts and changes within Kurdish societies and their host countries, and argues that the Kurdish national movement requires institutional and constitutional recognition of pluralism and diversity. Featuring contributions from world-leading experts on Kurdish politics, this timely book combines empirical case studies with cutting-edge theory to shed new light on the Kurds of the 21st century.

Author: Ofra Bengio
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
ISBN: 9789652241092
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This compilation of essays on Kurdish history, society, identity, and politics covering developments over the last four decades reflects the sea changes that have taken place in Greater Kurdistan and the sociopolitical processes it has undergone during this crucial time span. Challenging conventional wisdom, Ofra Bengio argues that the harsh treatment of the Kurds at the hands of central governments caused instability in the Middle East rather than the Kurds who have been blamed for it. Another theme that was canonized by the West and that this book calls into question is the urge to maintain by force of arms the integrity of states such as Iraq, even if they have proved to be failed ones. It was this urge that made the West pay heavily, economically, militarily, and politically, throughout Iraq's hundred years of existence. Finally, the book argues that the international community's support of existing central governments and its disregard for the Kurdish national movements have bolstered the policies of denial and subjugation of the Kurds, policies that were common to all four states comprising Greater Kurdistan.

Author: Charles River Charles River Editors
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781982050900
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
*Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading On September 29, 2017, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that the United States did not recognize the decision of the Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum. "The vote and the results lack legitimacy and we continue to support a united, federal, democratic and prosperous Iraq." For all of the international community's efforts to support and provide safe haven to refugees as well as religious and ethnic minorities, it is the Kurdish people who have had a particularly difficult situation within this realm. Following skirmishes with the Iraqi government and international condemnation of the move, the Iraqi Kurds are not retracting the independence request at the moment. The Kurds lack a well-defined boundary - by international standards - and broach the lands of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. All of these neighboring countries have had a contentious relationship with the Kurdish people. The Kurds have different languages, different religious traditions, and different cultures. And much like the Jewish people and the Palestinians, they seek an independent homeland in which they have the right to self-determination. Due to the difficult political and military situation in the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East, the Kurds have yet to successfully create their own nation with recognized borders. And it would not be an easy task; while the Kurds of the different countries in this region all collectively refer to themselves as "Kurds," there are many differences among these groups. Admitting that the Kurds deserve an independent state also means a loss in territory for Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq which these countries heavily rely on for economic and strategic military reasons. The United States and its allies' refusal to recognize the Kurdish referendum appears to be based on the fact that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is still prominent in the region. They maintain that ISIS and other extremist groups look forward to instances of instability and a call for Kurdish independence would throw Iraq into even more turmoil. The U.K. Ambassador to Iraq stated that "now [was] not the right time" to hold the referendum. This begs the question of whether there ever will be a right time. This is the question that the Kurdish people have asked the international community throughout history. By delving deeper into their ethnic, religious, and political history, it is possible to understand the larger issues of statelessness and the striving for independence. At the same time, the relationships between the Kurds and the ruling regimes of the day have changed and altered the political landscape in the Middle East. The Kurds' relationship with European and American governments also led to a certain expectation that outside support would somehow usher in the creation or at least the support of the Kurdish state, yet that has not come to pass. Assessing the violent treatment of the Kurds by governments opposed to their independence will also illustrate the horrors and struggles of the Kurdish community over the years. All of this history culminates in the historic referendum in September 2017 and its implications for the region. The Kurds: The History of the Middle Eastern Ethnic Group and Their Quest for Kurdistan examines the group and the contentious issues surrounding them. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Kurds like never before.

Author: Gareth Stansfield
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190869720
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The Kurds, once marginal in the study of the Middle East and secondary in its international relations, have moved to centre stage in recent years. The contributors to The Kurdish Question Revisited offer insights into how this once seemingly intractable, immutable phenomenon is being transformed amid the new political realities of the Middle East.