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Edited by Noah Shachtman \| Contact

The Muftis of Kurdistan

Here's the second of David Axe's dispatches from the electioneering in northern Iraq.

Kurds have become relentless self-promoters, pitching for aid and recognition with characteristic unity. But two brothers, Adnan and Kanan Mufti, play the public relations game a whole lot better than most.

Kanan Mufti is the Kurdistan Director of Archeology and a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. He's also an unofficial ambassador of Kurdistan. He receives journalists, academics and foreign dignitaries in his well-appointed two-story home in Erbil. Listen to what he told me on Dec. 14: �€œThe Kurdish people is the only people in the Middle East with respect for other nations. We used to cohabitate in a brotherly fashion with Jews. Now we have the district of Ankawa populated by Christians. Kurds have been oppressed, but they oppress no one.

You might wonder where this is going. After a drag on his cigarette and a sip of chai, he asked off-handedly why Kurdistan, with such a great human rights record, couldn't have independence.

Because it would tear Iraq apart and invite a Turkish invasion, is why. But Kanan's not the only person wondering. Kurds everywhere dream of independence, consequences be damned.

Kanan's brother Adnan is a big wig in the rival Kurdish political party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. He's currently speaker of the regional assembly.

Adnan Mufti isn't as blunt as Kanan. Taking a break from a press conference with local journalists on election day, he tells me that the elections are important because they will mean a new government and new laws that will reinvigorate the U.S.-Iraqi partnership. �€œTo struggle together against terrorists and terrorism and to have a new Iraq federation respecting human rights �€� that�€™s why our people suffered, to have this one day.�€

In my experience, �€œhuman rights�€ is Kurdish code for �€œKurdish rights�€. Adnan Mufti is too clever not to couch his regional patriotism -- and his desire for more U.S. involvement in Kurdistan -- in federal Iraqi terms.

Mufti, by the way, means "powerful". You can bet that the opinions expressed by Kanan and Adnan shape those of millions of Iraqi Kurds.

-- David Axe

Comments

Nice discussion, but what has any ot this to do with "Defense Tech"?

Posted by: Deas at December 17, 2005 3:05 AM

You have to admit, the Mufti's have a very solid argument. I've yet to hear a single negative thing said about the Kurds. They seem to have fiercely independant streak that resonates well with Americans. And quite frankly, why *shouldn't* they have their own nation? Why on earth should we stick with the arbitrary national bounderies drawn after WWI and the collapse of European colonialism?

Yes, this would probably come to war. Turkey, certainly, would consider this a nightmare scenario -- they wouldn't help out in OIF out of fear of just that result. But the only thing keeping the Kurds from truely ruling themselves is just blatant appeasement. If they were to have their own state, then other nations would then lose some small section of land/wealth/power, and get pissy. As mentioned, the end result would be an offensive war to prevent it. Could you imagine if the United States had passed up declaring independance because they were afraid Britain would declare war?!?

The US had to go at it almost completely alone for their independance war. (Big ups to France for the help on that one) We are in a position to provide support to a similar Kurdish endeavor. If you believe we have a moral imperative to bring freedom to Iraqi's, there's a similar argument to be made for supporting general Kurdish freedom.

--Christopher Karel

Posted by: Christopher Karel at December 16, 2005 3:00 PM

It's been the dream of the Kurds since...well, at least the Mongol invasions. Probably around a thousand years or so. Remember the Vietnamese spent a thousand years fighting the Chinese for independence. I think they will continue to push the envelope of "federalism" and work the edges of the problem until they see their chance and make a break for it.

Many Kurds opposed the US invasion because they were afraid of losing what they had gained. Now they are much more optimistic. I'm actually sympathetic to them but there's no question that when civil war comes to Iraq, Kurdish nationalism will be one of the causes. And this is why I opposed the war: a thousand years of history were compressed into "talking points" that were thrown around by dilettantes who were only interested in Iraq as it related to Israel.

Israel got rid of Saddam but now runs the risk of combining Iraq's Shiite population with Iran's. Now that country would be an Islamic great power, though not the one Osama dreams of...he'll be back on our side if that happens.

Posted by: James at December 16, 2005 12:41 PM

The Muftis of Kurdistan

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