Kurds in Syria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article is part of the Kurdish history and Culture series |
|---|
| Early ancestors |
| Ancient history |
| Medieval history |
| Modern history |
| Culture |
Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria making up 10% of the country's population i.e. about two million [1]. Most of them are Sunni Muslims; there are also Yazidi Kurds in Syria. A very small number are Christians and Alawis.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Syria's Kurds mostly live in a geocultural region located in present-day north-eastern Syria. This region covers greater part of the governorate of Al Hasakah. The main cities in this region are Al-Qamishli (or "Qamişlû" in Kurdish) and Al Hasakah (or "Hesaka" in Kurdish). Another region with significant Kurdish population is Kobani (Ain al-Arab) in the northern part of Syria near the town of Jarablus. The Kurdish-inhabited northern and northeastern parts of Syria in Kurdish is called "Kurdistana Binxetê". An area of Kurdish concentration is Kurd-Dagh in the northwest, around the town of Afrin in Aleppo Governorate, a region that extends to the Turkish districts Islahiye and Kırıkhan. Also many Kurds live in metropolitan areas and large cities of the country. [2]. (see Demographics of Syria and [3]).
[edit] Situation of Syria's Kurds
Kurds often speak Kurdish in public, unless all those present do not. Kurdish human rights activists are mistreated and persecuted [4]. No political parties are allowed for any group, Kurdish or otherwise. Suppression of ethnic identity of Kurds in Syria include: various bans on the use of the Kurdish language; refusal to register children with Kurdish names; replacement of Kurdish place names with new names in Arabic; prohibition of businesses that do not have Arabic names; not permitting Kurdish private schools; and the prohibition of books and other materials written in Kurdish. (see [5] and [6])
[edit] Deprivation of Citizenship
In November 1962, the Syrian government declared that 100,000 of its Kurds were not citizens. Damascus claimed that their ancestors were not listed on Ottoman civil registration records dating before 1920. Also stripped of citizenship were politically active Kurds who spoke out against the government. Since then, the number of stateless Syrian Kurds has grown to more than 200,000 [7] people who have been arbitrarily denied the right to Syrian nationality in violation of international law. These Kurds, who have no claim to a nationality other than Syrian, are literally trapped in Syria: not only are they treated in a discriminatory fashion in the land of their birth, but also they do not have the option of relocating to another country because they lack passports or other internationally recognized travel documents. They are not permitted to own land, housing or businesses. They cannot be employed at government agencies and state-owned enterprises, and cannot practice as doctors or engineers. They may not legally marry Syrian citizens. Kurds with "foreigner" status, as they are called, do not have the right to vote in elections or referenda, or run for public office. They are not issued passports or other travel documents, and thus may not legally leave or return to Syria. [8]
According to some sources Syria is recently planning to grant citizenship to those 300,000 Kurds living in the country deprived citizenship[9].
[edit] The March 2004 Incident
At a stadium in Qamishli, a largely Kurdish city in northeastern Syria, at least 30 people were killed and more than 160 were injured in days of clashes that began March 12 according to accounts from Syrian Kurdish sources and press reports. Kurdish sources stated that security forces used live ammunition against unarmed Kurdish civilians almost immediately after clashes erupted in Qamishli at a soccer match between Kurdish fans of the local team and Arab supporters of a visiting team from the city of Deir al-Zor. The international press reported that nine people were killed on March 12. The unrest spread to other Kurdish towns along the northern border with Turkey, and then to Damascus and Aleppo. Amnesty says that more than 2,000 people, almost all of them Kurds, were arrested after the riots. Kurdish detainees, including children as young as 12, women, teenage girls and elderly people, were reportedly tortured and ill-treated, the report says. Dozens of Kurdish students were expelled from their universities and dormitories, reportedly for participating in peaceful protests [10] [11] [12].
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Syrian Kurds: A People Discovered, By Robert Lowe, Middle East Programme, Chatham House, January 2006.
- Syria's Kurds Struggle for Rights
- Frykter massakre i Syria
