Kurds in Jordan

Jordanian Kurds
Total population

30,000[1]–100,000[2]

~1% of the population
Regions with significant populations
Amman, Irbid, Salt and Zarqa[1]
Languages
Arabic, Kurdish[1]
Religion
Alevism, Sunni Islam and Yazidi[3][2]

Kurds in Jordan refers to people born in or residing in Jordan who are of Kurdish origin. The Kurdish population in Jordan is approximately 30,000 and they mainly live in the cities of Amman, Irbid, Salt and Zarqa. The approximately 100 years old community are almost completely integrated into the Jordanian society. Because of the integration of the Kurdish community, they do not have a granted seat in the Parliament of Jordan.[1]

Kurds have been living in Jordan since 1173 with the establishment of Saladin's Ayyubid dynasty.[1] Kurds in the military of the Ottoman Empire later settled in Salt.[4] Kurds fled to Jordan as a result of the Kurdish massacres in Turkey in the 1920s and 1930s,[5] more Kurds arrived to Jordan from Palestine during the Nakba and the 1967 Palestinian exodus[3] and later Kurdish refugees arrived to Jordan from Iraq after the Gulf War.[6] There are also many Iranian Kurds in Jordan as refugees as a result of the Islamic revolution of Iran.[7][8]

The former Jordanian Prime Minister Saad Jumaa was of Kurdish origin.[9]

See also

Further reading

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Language and Cultural Shift Among the Kurds of Jordan". Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Diaspora: Die Gemeinschaft in Jordanien". Kurdica (in German). Kurdica. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Ethnic and religious groups". Fanack. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  4. "The Kurds from Jordan: The history of one dynasty". Kurdish Globe. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  5. "The Kurds of Lebanon: Socioeconomic Mobility and Political Participation via Naturalization". Guita Hourani. Notre Dame University. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  6. "Integrative Project: Research Materials". Perspectives Canada. Perspectives Canada. 26 February 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  7. "Support committee urges help for Iranian Kurds in Jordan-Iraq border camp.". BBC Monitoring. 23 February 2003. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  8. "UNHCR worried about welfare of Iranian-Kurds on Iraq-Jordan border". UNCHR. UNCHR. 11 July 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  9. "أول كتاب عن الأكراد الأردنيين: أقلية غير منعزلة ومنهم رؤساء حكومات [The first book about the Kurds Jordanians: non-isolated minority, including the heads of governments]" (in Arabic). Retrieved 9 December 2012.