Map of Kurdistan from the British Archives, before the Sykes-Picot Agreement
In a period before Islam, the word (Kurdish) meant in ancient Persian (hero, brave, basil), so that among the ancient Iranian figures were men and women bearing the name (Kurdish) and (Kurdish), and Abu Hanifa al-Dinuri (d.282 AH) mentioned This is in his book (The Long News). In the exhibition of the struggle led by the Persian Sasanian King Hormuz bin Khusra Anu Sharwan against the Turks, we find that he is using the abilities of Bahram Shubin (Jopin) and his ruler over Azerbaijan and Armenia, and he mentioned that Bahram Jubin had a brother named Kurdi. Khosrau Abruiz bin Hormuz, and he had a sister named (Kurdish), and this was Kurdish, the mother of the Persian king, Joan Sheer.
Neutral judgments:
In the Islamic era, as well as in the modern era, we have not lacked researchers who were distinguished by the accuracy of observation, the penetration of insight, the good distinction between the wheat and the chaff, the commitment to objectivity in the judgments, and the adherence to fairness in issuing opinions, and we shall quote in the following what some of these said in the Kurds:
1 - Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH) - in his talk about the characteristics of peoples - stated that God “made jealousy ten parts, nine of which are in the Kurds, and one in other people”.
2 - The Armenian researcher Abovyan said: “We can call the Kurds the title of the Knights of the East, with all its connotations, if they lived a more civilized life, because the common characteristics and characteristics of these people are summarized in their permanent willingness to fight, their integrity, etiquette, and their absolute devotion to their princes, and their commitment. Their meticulous words, their hospitality, revenge for the wasted blood, the tribal enmity that erupted even among the closest relatives, the patience with looting and banditry, and their unlimited respect for women ”.
3 - Russian researcher Basil Nikitin commented on Abovyan's saying, saying: “In the Kurdish sense, looting and banditry are not considered a crime, but rather a sign of masculinity. Meet it by the captives of the Tatars, Turkmen and Arab Bedouins.
4- Under the title (Impressions of a number of orientalists about the Kurds: Sun, Binder, Locke, Wegram, Minorsky) wrote the following: “The Kurd is distinguished by his unwavering integrity, by maintaining the covenant he makes, by his noble compassion for his relatives, and by his human behavior in an image. - especially the southern and central Kurds - towards women, more than other Muslims, his poetic sense, his love for literature and poetry, his haste to sacrifice for the sake of his clan, and his deep pride in his country and nationality.
5 - Basile Nikitin added: “Al-Kurdi is also distinguished by his sharp nature, his sudden flare-ups, blazing with enthusiasm, a characteristic of his turbulent life full of surprises, but at the same time he enjoys a great sense of humor and humor.”
6 - Mrs. Stewart Erskine said: “The Kurds are a brave people, who love and yearn for freedom, and they have their traditions and their language, and they have the right to freedom just like others, but they lacked agreement among themselves… and the English who served with the Kurds, and worked to train them in the general war. They were unanimously praised for their heroism, courage and strength. ”
7 - The Russian researcher Minorsky (d.1966 CE) lived among the Kurds in the first decade of the twentieth century, and was aware of their customs and description of them closely and with knowledge, so he cited some events that indicate their courage, valor and lack of inactivity, and dealt with the research of the effect of the Kurdish nature on the vitality of Kurdish thought, In addition to what the Kurds are characterized by from a love of humor and sharpness of mood to the point of recklessness.
8- Basil Nikitin said: “The researchers unanimously acknowledge that the Kurd possesses sharp intelligence and quick understanding, even in fields that have not yet become familiar to him. Like mechanics, which has proven to be an ideal factor in it, especially in oil extraction projects.
9 - The report of the International Commission of Inquiry of the League of Nations on demarcating the borders between Turkey and Iraq in 1924 AD states: “The Kurds are fierce warriors who do not lower the wings of humiliation to anyone, they are separated from the word, not a unity that unites them, and yet they were able to coexist in harmony and good neighborliness. With the other peoples who live in their country ”.
10 - The Lebanese researcher Jarji Zaidan said describing the Kurds: “In them are courage, help and fervor. “.
11 - The Egyptian researcher, Dr. Fahmy Al-Shenawi, said in his book (The Kurds are orphans of Muslims): “Throughout their history they have not been contaminated by complacency, alliance or negotiation with the enemy, nor have they been accused of concealing their adherence to Islam, nor have they accepted for themselves the spoils of government, palaces and embassies, and they have not known cohabitation and flattery. They call their country the country of the brave, so Western authors call them, and if we were fair we would say: Kurdistan is the land of martyrs, for they are throughout history the martyrs of Islam.
12 - The Syrian researcher Munther al-Mawsili said in his book (Arabs and Kurds): “If we say that the Kurds and the mountains do not separate, it is also correct to say that the Kurds and the weapons do not separate ... the Kurd loves his weapon, is keen on it, takes care of it and cares about it, because the weapon is a piece of himself, and a part Out of his coolness and his courage. ”
We think that this keenness to mention the bright aspects of the Kurdish personality is an expression of surprise, and a reaction to the negative aspects of the Kurdish personality throughout history Because among the chapters of the great and complex conspiracy against the Kurds was to paint a grim picture of them, and to portray them as a people of savages, bandits and cruel hearts.
What we have mentioned - and there is a lot that we have not mentioned - about praising the qualities of the Kurds is included in the historical behavior of the Kurdish people, and it does not mean that the Kurds are (the chosen people of God), and that other peoples should learn from them the high qualities and virtues of morals. It is not objective to paint an ideal and unrealistic picture of the Kurdish personality, for the Kurds, like all other peoples and peoples, including the good and the bad, the benevolent and the bad, the noble and the low, the wise and the reckless, and we do not forget that the Kurdish society’s submission to cultural and economic influences and various ideological currents contributed to the displacement of some values. The absence of the original Kurdish and its absence, and caused a rift in the individual behavior of some Kurds, especially those who were forced to live in immigration.
Sockets on the Kurdish character:
The truth is that the noble values and inherent qualities that researchers observed in Kurdish society are still alive - with a difference in levels - among many Kurds, but the conditions of oppression that were imposed on the Kurdish people during long centuries corrupted some of them and penetrated their moral system. What is most taken against the Kurds - especially scholars, thinkers, writers and politicians - throughout their history full of disasters and calamities, are four strange qualities, which are:
1- Self-denial: The Kurd is dedicated to serving others, to the point that he is distracted about himself, his fate, his people and his future, and there is no doubt that self-denial is a wonderful human behavior, but what sends bitterness in the soul, sadness in the heart, and amazement in the mind, that some famous Kurds - Let alone their common people - they did not hesitate to sacrifice the interests of their people for the sake of achieving the interests of those who dominate the necks of the Kurdish people.
In fact, some Kurds did not refrain from suppressing their people to satisfy the empires that ruled Kurdistan, and we counted as an example of that, Suleiman Nazif, who is counted among the good Turkish poets and prominent writers in Turkish, he was born in the year (1868 AD) of a Kurdish father and mother in Diyarbakir, but he He gave up his mother tongue and his Kurdish name (Wendvar), took the name Sulaiman Nazif, became an enthusiastic member of the Turanian Association and Promotion Society, and was appointed as governor of Mosul in 1913, then the governor of Baghdad, and in Mosul he carried out a military campaign against the (Barzan) region. And arrested Sheikh Abdul Salam Barzani, and speeded up his execution. Without waiting for the arrival of the decision to approve the implementation of the ruling from the capital, Istanbul.
Another example is Diaa Kuk Alab, so his name is Muhammad Ziyya (Zia), he was born in Diyarbakir in the year (1876 AD), and he belongs to Kord Zaza, but he left, and abandoned his previous name, and was called (Kuk Alp), which is a Turkish name, and the rural Kurdish community despised Then, he was elected a member of the Supreme Committee of the Union and Progress, and he expanded his theory about Van-Turanism in his book (Principles of Turkism) in (1920 AD), and he said: “I do not hesitate to say that I am Turkish, even if I discovered that my grandfather is of Kurdish or Arab origin, to my awareness From my social studies that the only basis for nationalism is education and upbringing. What is the most evidence in this field, ancient and modern!
2 - Individualism and tribalism: Al-Kurdi has a strong tendency towards individualism and tribalism, and he is very preoccupied with internal conflicts, and refuses to join the banner of other Kurds, and how many old and modern Kurdish revolutions ended in failure due to the affiliation with the individual and tribal tendencies!
It is sufficient evidence of the damage caused by individualism and tribalism to the Kurds that at a time when Sherif Pasha (a senior Kurdish officer and diplomat from Suleimania), shortly after World War I, was seeking to persuade the English and French political circles to agree to the establishment of an independent Kurdistan, many Kurdish leaders were - under the direction of From the Turkish politicians - they send telegrams to those circles, denouncing the efforts of Sherif Pasha, and declaring their adherence to staying with "our brothers in religion"; That is, the Turks led by Ataturk and his Pan-Turanians.
3 - Tawiyyah safety: The Kurd is sound in dealing with others, and think well of them to the point of negligence and naivety sometimes, and of course it is wonderful for a person to be in a sound fold, think well of others, but if something exceeds its limit, it turns against it, and Omar bin said The discourse once: “I am not in shambles, but mischief does not deceive me”, and tremor is deception.
If the safety of the fold was limited to the common people of the Kurds, the damage would be easy, but the problem is that many Kurdish leaders and politicians could not get rid of the consequences of the safety of the fold, and pushed their lives and the future of their people as a result, and we think that this characteristic produced the famous saying used in most countries of the Middle East. “Do you take me away ?!” I heard this phrase from Arab friends in Syria, Palestine and Egypt. It means: Do you consider me naive, simple-minded, sound-folded, a fool like a Kurd?
And when the Kurdish man is able to distinguish accurately between the integrity of the fold, the naivety and the folly, it becomes difficult to play with him, and to harness him to serve the purposes of others at the expense of his own destiny and that of his nation, and we believe that the success of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi in establishing a major state outside Kurdistan, and his victory in his regional conflicts and wars against the Franks, was As a result of his ability to differentiate between foldable integrity, naivety and foolishness.
4 - Super frankness: This is another characteristic that the Kurds have been plagued with, as the Kurd is sharp-tempered, quick to face direct confrontation with those who underestimate him or who disdain him, but without a quiet study of the results, and he is not good at political maneuvers and quirks in the face of his opponents, as many leaders and politicians do In this world, I add to this his improvisational reactions, his willingness to risk everything when angry, his inability to conceal what they harbor, and his adherence to nobility in situations in which he only benefits politeness and maneuver, especially in confronting people who have taken Machiavellianism as a philosophy and pragmatism as a method.
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Margins:
Abu Hanifa Al-Dinouri: The Long News, pp. 104, 111.
- Al-Suyuti: Hassan Al-Lectah, p. 337.
Basile Nikitin: The Kurds, p. 139.
- Ibid., Pp. 139-140.
- Previous reference, p. 136.
- Previous reference, page 137.
- Mrs. Stewarth Erskine: Faisal, King of Iraq, pp. 161-162.
- Minorsky: The Kurds, pp. 67-70.
- Basile Nikitin: The Kurds, p. 26.
- Zarzis Fathallah: Awakening of the Kurds, p. 572.
- Gerji Zaidan: Modern Physiognomy, pg. 147.
- Fahmi Al-Shenawi: The Kurds are orphans of Muslims, pp. 72-73.
- Munther Al-Mawsili: Arabs and Kurds, pp. 397-398.
Written by: Dr. Ahmed Khalil / book “History of the Kurds in the Islamic Civilization”
