History
This section will go into more detail about the Kurdish heritage and history, focusing on the foundation of the Middle East as we know it, which formed the basis for much of their struggle. This will be narrowed further into key events, and their retaliation.
Early Oppression
Looking at the work of Ehmedê Xanî, we can see that over the past 400 years at least the Kurds have been subject to stronger, established powers.
In the early years, the Arabic's and Persian's attempted to oppress the Kurds through a lack of recognition. Not accepting their language as officially established or articulate, the Kurds were falling behind in terms of prowess and social visibility.
This got so extreme that many Kurdish authors chose to write in other languages, as they knew their work would be appreciated more. This carried on for centuries, and is only the start of Kurdish struggle
The creation of the Middle East
Post World War One, the Western powers created the modern borders of the Middle East. We see from this point the oppression of the Kurds reaching new levels.
immediately after the war, the Kurds clashed with the Iraqi government, all these were attempts at recognition, defiance of authority and for the creation of a legal Kurdish state, carrying on for nearly 80 years
Their conflicts also included Turkey, which lasted as long as that of Iraq, on and off. This was again down the the desire for appreciation and recognition, with the Kurdish language being banned in Turkey after the 1980 coup, and their culture being oppressed since Turkey's modern geopolitical formation.
Their conflicts also included Syria and Iran, as you can see from the map, Kurdistan covers 5 borders, meaning that their attacks were against all, with no country wanting to recognise them, or give up land for the creation of a state.
Genocide and demoralisation
The Kurds faced continual attacks and aggression, with conflicts spanning decades and on multiple fronts, such as their fights with Turkey and Iraq. The conflicts reached highs with the following events:
Iraq's Anfal campaign:
many argue that this counterinsurgency act carried out from February to September 1988 by Iraq was a genocidal act. It targeted Rural communities which were believed to harbour rebels post the Iraqi-Kurdish war.
It has since been classed as a genocide, claiming between 50-100,000 lives, mainly Kurdish civilians, but also non-arabs fell victim
Human rights in Turkey:
Since Turkeys formation, massacres and attempted degradation of Kurdish culture have periodically been carried out, namely the Dersim massacre claiming up to 70,000 lives.
The use of names, dress and culture was also banned, constituting another form of genocide, with the Kurds forced to inhabit areas under marshal law.
Retaliation
As a response to their history, the Kurds have retaliated in two key ways, Armed and civil resistance:
Armed resistance includes the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the 70's, aiming at establishing independence, primarily in Turkey, democratic democratic autonomy.
there were also several rebellions throughout the 20th century, including Turkey, Iran. Most notably was the Iranian Sheikh Said Rebellion in 1979, again targeting liberation and autonomy, but met strong opposition.
Their civil resistance included cultural preservation methods, such as song, dance and literature, with even the teaching of Kurdish being seen as political defiance.
This also includes participation on political processes, with pro-Kurdish parties being involved in elections and attempting to bring political ambitions of Kurdistan to light
Additionally, their participation in electoral processes, such as in Turkey where pro-Kurdish parties have involved themselves in elections in order to assert political ambitions and deliver a message to the government.