The Kurds are a large ethnic group who have lived in the same place for 2,500 years. They trace their roots to the Medes of ancient Persia. The Magi, or wise men, who traveled from the East to deliver their gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem were most likely Zoroastrian priests, ancestors of the modern Kurds.
The Kurds are tribal people and many of them lived, until recently, a nomadic lifestyle in the mountainous regions of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Their refuge has always been the mountains, with their steep pastures and fertile valleys.
In the wake of World War I, with US President Woodrow Wilson's call for "self-determination." The Kurds were promised a homeland Kurdistan in the Treaty of Sevres (1920). However, the victorious allies backed away from their pledge to court the new Turkish regime of Kemal Ataturk, and in fear of destabilizing Iraq and Syria, which were granted to Britain and France, respectively, as mandated territories. The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne thus abrogated Kurdish independence and divided the Kurds among Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.
Ataturk's discrimination against Turkey's Kurdish population began almost immediately, with Kurdish political groups and manifestations of cultural identity banned outright. In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the Kurds of Iran, with Soviet support, succeeded in establishing the first independent Kurdish state (the Kurdish Republic of Mahabad). But this was quickly crushed by Iranian troops.
Today, Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without a state of their own. If the Middle East map were to be redrawn to give the Kurds their own boundaries, Kurdistan would be as large as France, stretching over 200,000 square miles. They are unevenly distributed between Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Most Kurds speak Kurmânji or Sorani. In Turkey, those who are more assimilated speak Turkish.
In Turkey, Kurds are called, “Mountain Turks,” and there is an effort to get them to assimilate. Kurds who want to get along with the Turks learn the Turkish language.
Kurdish society consists mainly of tribes that arose from a nomadic and semi-nomadic way of life in previous centuries. It is strongly fragmented and is often split by internal disagreements. So far in history, the Kurds have never managed to unite in their common cause. Their primary loyalty is to the immediate family, and then to the tribe. Tribe allegiance is, however, based on a mixture of kinship and territorial loyalty.
It has been said that Kurds "hold their Islam lightly", meaning that they are not so vehement about Islam, and they do not identify as closely with it as Arabs do. This is perhaps due to several factors, one being that many Kurds still feel some connection with the ancient Zoroastrian faith, and they feel it is an original Kurdish spirituality that far predates the seventh century AD arrival of Muhammad. Nonetheless, most Kurds are Muslims, and today about three-quarters are members of the majority Sunni branch (at least nominally). As many as four million Kurds are Shia Muslims, living mostly in Iran. Turkish speaking Kurds are likely to be Sunni Muslims like the Turks.
In Turkey, where the largest contingent of Kurds live (40 %), the Kurds are seen as a threat by the Turkish government, which has continually sought to assimilate the Kurds into Turkish society through forced resettlement. Until recently, it was a crime to speak Kurdish in public.
Tribalism is still a factor among Kurds, promoting many different factions which weaken the possibility of an independent homeland. The question of Kurdish autonomy remains unresolved.
Pray that the Turkish speaking Kurds will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.
Pray for workers who will share the good news and tell the Kurdish people how to follow the Lord.
Pray for a movement to Christ among Kurds everywhere.
Scripture Prayers for the Kurd, Turkish-speaking in Türkiye (Turkey).
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
