Kurdish women traditionally had more rights than those living in other Islamic social and political systems, although traditional Kurdish culture, as most of traditional societies in the Middle East, is patriarchal, and in Kurdish families and communities, it has been "natural" for men to enjoy predominant power. Kurdish traditions, despite the religious pressure, have allowed women to work outside their home and alongside men, including militarily, and Kurdish histrory saw examples of women becoming military or community leaders. Pro-feminist values began gaining a significant weight among politically active Kurds in the 1980s, and Kurdish women's rights and equality have improved dramatically in the 21st century due to progressive movements within Kurdish society, and Kurdish women have played an almost equal role with men in struggle for democracy and Kurdish national liberation. However, despite the progress, Kurdish and international women's rights organizations still report problems related to gender inequality, forced marriages, honor killings, and in Iraqi Kurdistan, female genital mutilation (FGM).
Kurdistan TV is the first satellite television station in Kurdistan that started broadcasting in 1999. It belongs to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and is based in Erbil, Kurdistan Region.
Alsumaria News is an independent Iraqi satellite TV network that transmits on Nilesat 102, Hot Bird 8, and NOORSAT/Eurobird.
The mass media in Iraq includes print, radio, television, and online services. Iraq became the first Arab country to broadcast from a TV station, in 1954. As of 2020, more than 100 radio stations and 150 television stations were broadcasting to Iraq in Arabic, English, Kurdish, Turkmen, and Neo-Aramaic.
Chopy Shakir Fatah is a contemporary Kurdish singer. She was born in Kirkuk, Iraq.
From 2001 to 2003, there was a military conflict in Iraqi Kurdistan between the Islamist militant group Ansar al-Islam and its allies against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The conflict began in 2001 as an insurgency, but subsequently merged with the larger 2003 invasion of Iraq after Operation Viking Hammer. After the invasion, Ansar al-Islam moved southwards to participate in the Iraqi insurgency and, after it was quelled, the Syrian civil war.
Dashni Morad is a Kurdish singer, songwriter, television presenter, human rights & environmental activist. Born in Kurdistan, she moved to Holland as a refugee with her family in 1997. She rose to prominence in 2005 through her television show, "Bê Kontrol", which was the first of its kind in the Kurdistan Region to explore pop culture and related aspects of contemporary Western culture candidly. Many people in the Kurdistan Region, particularly the youth, consider Dashni to have broken down cultural and traditional barriers for young women.
Nawshirwan Mustafa was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the General Coordinator of the Movement for Change and the leader of the opposition in the Kurdistan Region from 1 April 2009 to his death on 19 May 2017.
Zagros TV . (Kurdish: زاگرۆس تیڤی) is a Kurdish language satellite television station in Iraqi Kurdistan, broadcasting since 2007. It belongs to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and is based in Erbil.
In the aftermath of the 2010 election, great attention was given to the decision on who should be the next Iraqi PM. Both al-Iraqiyya's Allawi and the State of Law coalition's al-Maliki laid claim to the post, so it was seen as up to the Kurdish parties and the Iraqi National Alliance to decide this matter.
Relations of Kurdistan Region of Iraq with foreign states and organizations are conducted by the Kurdistan Region. Political stability and a rapidly developing economy have given the KRG the opportunity to pursue a foreign policy independent from the federal government's. The KRG's primary body for directing its foreign affairs is the Department of Foreign Relations (DFR). The DFR's foremost objectives are to raise the global profile of the Kurdistan Region, improve the Region's international ties with various governments and international organizations, and present emerging business opportunities in the Kurdistan Region to regional and international actors.
Rudaw Media Network is a media broadcaster in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The network is headquartered in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It delivers content in multiple languages, including English, Kurdish, Arabic, and Turkish.
An independence referendum for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was held on 25 September 2017 in Kurdistan Region, with preliminary results showing approximately 92.73 percent of votes cast in favour of independence. Despite reporting that the independence referendum would be non-binding, the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) characterised it as binding, although they claimed that an affirmative result would trigger the start of state building and negotiations with Iraq rather than an immediate declaration of independence of Kurdistan. The referendum's legality was rejected by the federal government of Iraq and the Federal Supreme Court. KRG eventually conceded and accepted the Supreme Court’s ruling that no Iraqi governorate is allowed to secede.
Nalia Radio and Television (NRT) is a media network in the Kurdistan Region. It was formed in 2010 by freelance journalists who launched the first ever independent media network, funded by Nalia company.
Kurdistan 24 (K24) is a Kurdish broadcast news station based in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with foreign bureaus in Washington, DC. The service was launched on 31 October 2015. Noreldin Waisy is the founder and former general manager of Kurdistan 24.
Greece–Kurdistan Region relations are bilateral relations between Greece and Kurdistan Region. Greece has an economic and commercial office in Erbil, while Kurdistan Region has no representation in Greece. In February 2017, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias described Kurdistan as having a geostrategic role in the region and constituting an important element in Greek geostrategic policy, and these were the reasons Greece opened a consulate general in Erbil in May 2016.
Noreldin Waisy,, is a Kurdish political analyst and journalist. He helped found the Kurdish media broadcasting outlets Rudaw and Kurdistan 24. He served as the general manager of Kurdistan 24, based in the Kurdistan's capital Erbil, from 2015 to 2019. Waisy currently serves as the press secretary to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
Noor Matti is an Assyrian American former radio and television host and charity worker. Originally from Iraq, he is most prominently known for creating Babylon FM in Erbil, the first all-English radio station in Iraq. He is also known for being one of the founding members of the Shlama Foundation, a nonprofit which works to preserve and better the lives of Assyrians in Iraq.
Babylon Media is a multi-media company situated in Ankawa, Erbil, located in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Zoom News TV is a satellite news channel officially accredited by Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) in February 2022. The network is headquartered in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. It delivers content in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Kurdish.
