Kurdish population of Nashville

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Nashville, Tennessee

The single largest community in the United States of ethnic Kurds exists in Nashville, Tennessee. [1] This enclave is often called "Little Kurdistan" and is located in South Nashville. [2] The majority of Nashville's "Little Kurdistan" comes from Iraqi Kurdistan, however there are sizeable communities of Kurds from Syria, Iran, and Turkey. [2] It has been estimated that there are 15,000 Kurds living in Nashville, [2] although more recent estimates place the number at around 20,000, the largest in the country. [3]

Contents

Population and demographics

It is estimated that there are 15,000 Kurds in Nashville. [2] However, the US census does not take official data on the number of Kurds living in the United States. [4] In the 1990s, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) fingered Nashville as a center of resettlement and issued them federal funding to resettle the Kurds who came to Nashville. [5] Nashville has since become a hub of refugee resettlement for other communities as well. [5]

History

Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, the Kurdish people were separated into many nation-states. [6] While Kurds are in Iran, Turkey, and Syria, the majority of Nashville's Kurdish population is Iraqi. [7]

Distribution of Kurdish People in the Middle East Map of Kurds demography.png
Distribution of Kurdish People in the Middle East

Iraq

The Kurdish portion of Iraq is oil-rich and much of the strife between the Iraqis and Kurds has been regarding this issue. [8] This reached its epoch during Saddam Hussein's reign in the 1980s who started the anfal campaign. [6] Iraq began this campaign to stop the Iraqi Kurds from aiding Iran in a war between the countries. [8] This, however, changed into a genocide which killed 50,000–100,000 Kurds. [6] During this genocide, 3,000 to 4,000 Kurdish towns were destroyed, and 1.5 million Kurds were displaced. [8] The American-led Gulf War restored peace to the Kurds after Resolution 688 of the UN established a no-fly zone. [6] Moreover, the Gulf War, as covered by Western media outlets such as CNN, led to the "Kurdish Question" becoming a global issue. While the coverage was originally focused on the Iraqi treatment of the Kurds, CNN covered Turkish military's treatment as well which was negatively received. [9]

Waves of immigration

The majority of Kurdish immigration happened following Saddam Hussein's genocide in the anfal campaign. [7] Somewhere between 750 and 3000 people came during this largest wave but likely the lower end of that range. [10] There were two other waves of Kurdish immigration to Nashville that preceded this were during the First and Second Iraqi-Kurdish conflicts in the 1970s. [2]

Culture

Little Kurdistan

Little Kurdistan is located in the south of Nashville. [2] Unlike other enclaves in major cities like Chinatown or Little Italy, Little Kurdistan is centered around a strip mall, a mosque, and a few stores. [11] While small, the Kurds of Nashville are hoping to create a semblance of their home country in the United States. [11]

Religion

Many Kurds are Sunni Muslims, but they are not a religious monolith. There are a number of Kurds who are Shi'a Muslim, Alevi Muslim, Jewish, and Yarsani. [7] In Nashville, the Salahadeen Center of Nashville is the hub of religious life for many of the Kurds living in Little Kurdistan. [11]

Politics

Domestic

Despite holding a strong minority in the city, the Kurds of Nashville do not hold prominent political office; however, the director of the Salahadeen Center, Nawzad Hawrami, is on Nashville's New American Advisory Council, which informs Nashville's local government of pressing issues regarding refugees and immigrants in the city. [12] Moreover, historically, the Kurds in Nashville have been long time Republican voters and proponents of American foreign policy. [13]

International

Nashville is deigned as one of the few international locations where Kurds can cast their ballots in Iraqi elections. [14] In 2005, Kurds were able to vote in democratic elections for Iraq as long as they were able to prove Iraqi citizenship and US residency. [15] Prior to the vote for the independence of Kurdistan, many Kurds protested in downtown Nashville against the Iraqi government and advocating for a Kurdish nationstate. [16]

Controversy

Gang violence

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a Kurdish gang—Kurdish Pride Gang—formed. [2] By 2006, the Nashville police had designated 24 individuals as members and many arrests were made for their violence. [2] However, the Kurdish community strongly rebuked the gang and urged for peace led by leaders in the community including a college professor and Nawzad Hawrami, the director of the Salahadeen Center. [17] These actions in conjunction with anti-gang related policing in 2012 disrupted Kurdish Pride. [18] While it was believed that the gang activity lessened following these actions, in 2018, the first Kurdish police officer was arrested for allegedly being a part of Kurdish Pride. [18] Metro Police have not given numbers at how many members still exist. [18]

The withdrawal of troops from Kurdistan

On October 6, 2019, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, informed the US that the Turkish army would be invading Northeast Syria, where many Kurds live. [19] The next day President Donald Trump announced plans to remove troops from the regime which left the Kurds at risk to Turkish aggression. [19] The US House of Representatives in a bipartisan show of support to the Kurds condemned President Trump's actions. [19]

In Nashville, the hundreds of Nashville's Kurdish population protested downtown against President Trump's action. [20] They were joined in protest by Democratic Congressperson Jim Cooper. [20] Both of Tennessee's Republican senators also rebuked President Trump's withdrawal. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anfal campaign</span> Operation targeting rural Kurdish civilians in 1988

The Anfal campaign was a counterinsurgency operation which was carried out by Ba'athist Iraq from February to September 1988 during the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict at the end of the Iran–Iraq War. The campaign targeted rural Kurds because its purpose was to eliminate Kurdish rebel groups and Arabize strategic parts of the Kirkuk Governorate. The Ba’athist regime committed atrocities on the local Kurdish population, mostly civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdistan Region</span> Semi-autonomous entity in the Republic of Iraq

Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous administrative entity within the Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurdish-majority divisions of Arab-majority Iraq: the Erbil Governorate, the Sulaymaniyah Governorate, the Duhok Governorate, and Halabja Governorate. The KRI is bordered by Iran to the east, by Turkey to the north, and by Syria to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdish population</span> Ethnic group

The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million. Most Kurdish people live in Kurdistan, which today is split between Iranian Kurdistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkish Kurdistan, and Syrian Kurdistan.

Minorities in Iraq have been incredibly influential to the history of the country, and consist of various ethnic and religious groups. The largest minority group is the Kurds, with Turkmen following shortly after. Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Assyrians constituted a population of 1.5 million, and belonged to various different churches such as the Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, and the Syriac Orthodox/Catholic Churches. Other minority groups include Armenians, Mandaeans, Baha'i, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdification</span> Adoption of Kurdish culture or language

Kurdification is a cultural change in which people, territory, or language become Kurdish. This can happen both naturally or as a deliberate government policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi Armenians</span> Ethnic group of Iraq

Iraqi Armenians are Iraqi citizens and residents of Armenian ethnicity. Many Armenians settled in Iraq after fleeing the 1915 Armenian genocide. It is estimated that there are 10,000–20,000 Armenians living in Iraq, with communities in Baghdad, Mosul, Basra, Kirkuk, Baqubah, Dohuk, Zakho and Avzrog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 Iraqi uprisings</span> Anti-government uprisings in Baathist Iraq

The 1991 Iraqi uprisings were ethnic and religious uprisings against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq that were led by Shia Arabs and Kurds. The uprisings lasted from March to April 1991 after a ceasefire following the end of the Gulf War. The mostly uncoordinated insurgency was fueled by the perception that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had become vulnerable to regime change. This perception of weakness was largely the result of the outcome of the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War, both of which occurred within a single decade and devastated the population and economy of Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugees of Iraq</span>

Throughout the 20th century, Iraq witnessed multiple periods of instability and conflict that prompted the creation and flight of many refugees. Earlier examples include the exodus of Iraqi Jews and the flight of Iraqi Kurds. The Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980 and the ensuing Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988) triggered a deterioration of ties among the country's various ethnic and religious communities, and also exacerbated in violent events like the Ba'athist Arabization campaigns in northern Iraq (1968–2003), which led to the killing and displacement of thousands of minorities. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (1990) and the ensuing Gulf War (1990–1991), which ended with Iraq's defeat and the application of United Nations sanctions (1991–2003), also resulted in the creation of many Iraqi refugees. It was not until the beginning of the ongoing Iraqi conflict, however, that sustained waves of Iraqi refugees would be created, numbering in the millions: the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the ensuing Iraq War (2003–2011) killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, both internally and externally, and the later War in Iraq (2003–2017) forced even more people to flee from the country. Many Iraqi refugees established themselves in urban areas of other countries rather than in refugee camps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdish Americans</span> People born in or residing in the US of Kurdish origin

Kurds in the United States refers to people born in or residing in the United States of Kurdish origin or those considered to be ethnic Kurds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdish nationalism</span> Political movement

Kurdish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which asserts that Kurds are a nation and espouses the creation of an independent Kurdistan from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdistan Democratic Party</span> Political party in the Kurdistan Region (founded 1946)

The Kurdistan Democratic Party, usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the ruling party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. The party states that it combines "democratic values and social justice to form a system whereby everyone in Kurdistan can live on an equal basis with great emphasis given to rights of individuals and freedom of expression."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurds in Germany</span> Ethnic group

Kurds in Germany are residents or citizens of Germany of full or partial Kurdish origin. There is a large Kurdish community in Germany. The number of Kurds living in Germany is unknown. Many estimates assume that the number is in the million range. In February 2000, the Federal Government of Germany estimated that approximately 500,000 Kurds lived in Germany at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983–1986 Kurdish rebellions in Iraq</span> Kurdish rebellion against the Government of Saddam Hussein In Iraq

The 1983–1986 Kurdish rebellions in Iraq occurred during the Iran–Iraq War as PUK and KDP Kurdish militias of Iraqi Kurdistan rebelled against Saddam Hussein as part of the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, in an attempt to form an independent state. With Iraqi government forces occupied by the Iran-Iraq War, Kurdish Peshmerga succeeded in taking control of some enclaves, with Iranian logistic and sometimes military support. The initial rebellion resulted in stalemate by 1985.

The 2004 Qamishli riots were an uprising by Syrian Kurds in the northeastern city of Qamishli in March 2004, which culminated in a massacre by the Syrian Arab Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi–Kurdish conflict</span> Series of wars and rebellions by ethnic Kurds against successive Iraqi administrations

The Iraqi–Kurdish conflict consists of a series of wars, rebellions and disputes between the Kurds and the central authority of Iraq starting in the 20th century shortly after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. Some put the marking point of the conflict beginning to the attempt by Mahmud Barzanji to establish an independent Kingdom of Kurdistan, while others relate to the conflict as only the post-1961 insurrection by the Barzanis.

The problem of Kurdish refugees and displaced people arose in the 20th century in the Middle East, and continues today. The Kurds, are an ethnic group in Western Asia, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurdish Canadians</span> Canadians of Kurdish origin

Kurdish Canadians refers to people of Kurdish origin who are born in or living in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian Kurdistan</span> Kurdish inhabited area of Syria

Syrian Kurdistan is a region in northern Syria where Kurds form the majority. It is surrounding three noncontiguous enclaves along the Turkish and Iraqi borders: Afrin in the northwest, Kobani in the north, and Jazira in the northeast. Syrian Kurdistan is often called Western Kurdistan or Rojava, one of the four "Lesser Kurdistans" that comprise "Greater Kurdistan", alongside Iranian Kurdistan, Turkish Kurdistan, and Iraqi Kurdistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ba'athist Arabization campaigns in northern Iraq</span> Ethnic cleansing of non-Arabs in Iraq (1968–2003)

Between 1968 and 2003, the ruling Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party of the Iraqi Republic perpetrated multiple campaigns of demographic engineering against the country's non-Arabs. While Arabs constitute the majority of Iraq's population as a whole, they are not the majority in parts of northern Iraq, and a minority in Iraqi Kurdistan. In an attempt to Arabize the north, the Iraqi government pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing, killing and forcefully displacing a large number of Iraqi minorities—predominantly Kurds, but also Turkmen, Yazidis, Assyrians, Shabaks and Armenians, among others—and subsequently allotting the cleared land to Arab settlers. In 1978 and 1979 alone, 600 Kurdish villages were burned down and around 200,000 Kurds were deported to other parts of Iraq.

Kurdish mafia is a general term for organized criminal gangs that consist of ethnic Kurds. Kurdish crime groups are active worldwide, especially throughout Turkey, Europe, and sometimes in the Middle East.

References

  1. ↑ Weiss, Nerina (1 June 2018). "The Many Layers of Moral Outrage". Conflict and Society. 4 (1): 58–73. doi:10.3167/arcs.2018.040105. S2CID   158491602.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sawyer, Ariana Maia. "Who are the Kurds, and why are they in Nashville?". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  3. ↑ "Nashville has nation's largest Kurdish community. Here's how it commemorated it Saturday". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  4. ↑ Cornfield, Daniel (2003). Final Report of the Immigrant Community Assessment (PDF). Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee.
  5. 1 2 Winders, Jamie (June 2006). "'New Americans' in a 'New-South' city? Immigrant and refugee politics in the Music City". Social & Cultural Geography. 7 (3): 421–435. doi:10.1080/14649360600715151. S2CID   144957649.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Alinia, Minoo (2004). Spaces of Diasporas: Kurdish identities, experiences of otherness and politics of belonging (Thesis). hdl:2451/44173.
  7. 1 2 3 Arpacık, Demet (16 August 2019). "Redefining Kurdishness in the U.S. Diaspora: The experiences of Kurdish Students and Their Parents in Nashville Schools". Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies: 44–56. doi: 10.29333/ejecs/252 .
  8. 1 2 3 Albert, Craig (6 March 2018). "No Place to Call Home: The Iraqi Kurds under the Ba'ath, Saddam Hussein, and ISIS". Chicago-Kent Law Review. 92 (3): 817–839.
  9. ↑ Bilgin, Fevzi; Sarıhan, Ali (2013). Understanding Turkey's Kurdish Question. Lexington Books. pp. 209–210. ISBN   978-0-7391-8402-8. OCLC   852158421.
  10. ↑ Dahlman, Carl Thor (2001). Iraqi Kurdish refugee migration to Britain and the United States: Globalization, governance, and geopolitics (Thesis).
  11. 1 2 3 Wininger, Steve (2019). Kurdish Culture and Identity: Building the Homeland in Tennessee (Thesis).
  12. ↑ "Nashville > Mayor's Office > Diversity and Inclusion > New Americans > New Americans Advisory Council". www.nashville.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  13. ↑ Thangaraj, Stanley Ilango (16 August 2019). "Kurdish Matters: Signaling New Epistemologies of Difference". Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies: 1–10. doi: 10.29333/ejecs/240 .
  14. ↑ Wilson, Brian. "Thousands of Iraqis come to Nashville to cast votes". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  15. ↑ Davey, Monica (18 January 2005). "Iraq Expatriates Sign Up to Vote in 5 Cities in U.S." The New York Times.
  16. ↑ "Nashville Kurds Protest Iraqi Government". WTVF. 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  17. ↑ Emery, Theo (15 July 2007). "In Nashville, a Street Gang Emerges in a Kurdish Enclave". The New York Times.
  18. 1 2 3 Allison, Natalie. "How active is Kurdish Pride Gang in Nashville? After officer's arrest, question remains". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  19. 1 2 3 "President Trump Announces U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Syria". American Journal of International Law. 113 (2): 394–400. April 2019. doi:10.1017/ajil.2019.10. S2CID   181752821.
  20. 1 2 Timms, Mariah. "'Let us be heard': Hundreds of Nashville Kurds protest downtown over Trump's actions in Syria". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  21. ↑ Allison, Natalie. "U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Lamar Alexander oppose president's withdrawal of troops in Syria". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
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