Kurds in the US Risk Losing Touch with their Culture

[jjmuneer]

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The biggest Kurdish population in the U.S. is in Nashville, the capital city of the state of Tennessee. Kurds call it Little Kurdistan. This city is home to more than 10,000 Kurds.

Packed with Kurdish restaurants, businesses and homes, Nashville does not have any cultural centers. The Kurdish youth have largely forgotten their native language and culture.

The city has seen limited Kurdish political activity and very few Kurds have made it to the city’s academic institutions.

Unlike European Kurds, who have become MPs and occupy important posts in European institutions, Kurds in the U.S. occupy no significant positions in the American system.

Sarwar Hawez, U.S. representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), believes political division among the Kurds is the reason.

“Each group here is affiliated with a political party and they want to do their own thing,”
“Each group here is affiliated with a political party and they want to do their own thing,” he says. “This has been very counterproductive.”

In addition to factionalism, Hawez says political parties in Kurdistan are not willing to invest in American Kurds.

“For example, my party has carried out few small projects in Nashville, but it does not really provide us with any long-term funds to carry out cultural and political activities here in the U.S.,” Hawez said.

Former president of the Kurdistan National Congress (KNC) and university professor Dr. Kirmanj Gundi thinks that tribalism is another reason for the separation of Kurds in America.

“For example, Kurds who are originally from one area (in Kurdistan) cling together and keep to themselves rather than opening up and working with others,” Dr. Gundi said.

Dr. Gundi does not think Kurds promote tribalism on purpose, saying, “This is how they have always been. It’s not a plan to avoid interacting with others, it’s just the way they have lived their lives.”

Many Kurds in Nashville believe that the Salahadin Islamic Center (SIC), which offers Kurdish language classes alongside Islamic studies, is the only active organization in Nashville serving the Kurdish community.

SIC was established in 1998 and is maintained by Muslim Kurds. Friday sermons are held there in both Kurdish and English languages. Funding for the center comes from donations and the annual Islamic zakat.

Hawez thinks that this little mosque in Nashville has done more than the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Kurdish political parties combined.

“Even though the Salahadin Center in the city has not dedicated itself to serve the Kurdish cause, I certainly can say it has served the Kurdish community more than the two Kurdish ruling parties have,” he said.

A great number of young Kurds in Nashville do not speak Kurdish and have very limited knowledge about the Kurds.

Dr. Gundi warns that if the current situation and lack of attention to Kurdish youth continues, they will soon forget their history; they already have forgotten their language.

Kamaran Kurdi, a U.S. representative of the Change Movement (Gorran), points out that Kurdish youth in the U.S. have limited resources to education about their nation and people.

“Whatever they know about the Kurds is passed down from their parents,”
“Whatever they know about the Kurds is passed down from their parents,” said Kurdi.

Aside from the lack of support from Kurdistan, Dr. Azad Moradian, from Voice of Kurds Radio, lists the small size of the Kurdish community compared to the overall U.S. population and wide geographic distances between various Kurdish communities among the reasons that American Kurds, in general, are not as active as European Kurds.

“The first thing U.S. politicians asked us was how many votes our community could give in the elections,” Dr. Moradian, who has represented the American Kurdish community in meetings with U.S. politicians, told Rudaw. “Surely not enough to convince them to help the Kurdish community.”

Kurds are scattered across the U.S., with significant groups in Tennessee, California, Texas and Georgia.

“It’s just difficult to gather a considerable number of Kurds in one place, due to the cost of traveling, hotels, etc.,” said Dr. Moradian. “For example, when we have a conference in Washington, only a small number of Kurds show up; but if we hold the same conference in another state where more Kurds reside, a greater number of Kurds attend.”

Others argue that life in the U.S., where you have to work and have little spare time, is one reason that Kurds cannot contribute more to their community.

But Dr. Moradian says that, despite the difficulties, Kurds have done more than some other communities living in the U.S., citing organizations that serve the Kurdish cause and Kurdish communities.

“For example, the governor of Kirkuk was the former president of KNC, an organization that was created here in the U.S.,” he said.

Kurdish political parties and the Kurdistan Regional Government should invest in organizing American Kurds not only for their votes in Iraqi or Kurdistan elections, but for the sake of preserving the Kurdish culture for future generations and strengthening the Kurdish lobby in the U.S.

[Zhala]

Thanks for posting this! And well done whoever wrote it because this issue NEEDS to be addressed. I think patriotism can be a subtle and beautiful thing. Growing up outside Kurdistan my parents put a huge poster map of Kurdistan up in my bedroom. There no was Iraq, Iran, Turkey or Syria on it. As a child I was blissfully ignorant to the technicalities of Kurdistan's situation and when I came into contact with Iraqi Arab students as a teenager we often came to verbal blows. However, I found that there were many Kurds from all over North/South/West/East Kurdistan who were embarrassed to call themselves Kurd. Instead they were Iraqi/Turkish/Syrian/Iranian even Russian! Having gone to the only government run girl school in the neighbourhood there were many Kurdish girls who would listen to Arabic music and mimic Arabic habits. There was one girl from Syria who despite even having a Kurdish name point blank refused to acknowledge her Kurdishness. More recently my sister told me about a guy at her University that loudly proclaims that he's German. I know most Kurds are proud of their heritage as this forum is a testimony to that. But I think that the attitude from this minority of people is harmful. Most importantly....

The people who are to blame are the parents!!!

Just like the article says. I'm not an expert on parenting but a few of the things that I found useful growing up were: only speaking to your family in Kurdish, going to a Kurdish school if possible or teaching them the language yourself, playing Kurdish music/tv constantly and finally, passing on stories and histories of Kurdish people.

In reference to the article, if there are so many Kurds in Nashville then why don't they stop holding events in Washington DC? Too inconvenient for poor Prince Qubad? I support these events but surely they should be trying to get maximum attention from the Kurdish community?

There is nothing wrong with having an affinity with a country you were born/raised in but you can't get away from your blood. I love Britain and there is a part of me that is distinctly British but when I'm sitting round the table with my British friends we always ask each other where we come from originally. I say Kurdistan with a very big smile.

[alan131210]

good points Zhala , yes parents play a big role , ,my kid will be more patriotic than me , just the way my dad raised me and it will stay this way .

[jjmuneer]

good points Zhala , yes parents play a big role , ,y kid will be more patriotic than me , just the way my dad raised me and it will stay this way .

Yeh she is right, but thats the problem. Even amongst some of my family living in Baghdad they don't like to show their kurdishness, I suppose because its a enclave, but even so. Many "Turks" here in London do this.

[alan131210]

i dont know whats with US kurds but Australian Kurds are very very patriotic .... in kurdish parties and native celebrations you always see young boys and girls proudly dress in kurdish consumes waving the kurdish flag ..... and even join demos when necessary .......

[thesunchild]

I don't understand this article. The writer is worried about the Kurdish culture in a strange country, while he writes nothing about Kurdish culture and cultural genocide in Northern Kurdistan! If you have time to write something, write then about Kurdish oppression in Armenia, Syria, Iran, Turkey and North, West and East Kurdistan. Some folks just don't get it and are really stupid!

[Zhala]

I don't understand this article. The writer is worried about the Kurdish culture in a strange country, while he writes nothing about Kurdish culture and cultural genocide in Northern Kurdistan! If you have time to write something, write then about Kurdish oppression in Armenia, Syria, Iran, Turkey and North, West and East Kurdistan. Some folks just don't get it and are really stupid!

This writer has attempted to write about the loss of culture amongst second generation immigrant Kurds in foreign countries because of sheer laziness.

You are referring to the forceful ripping apart of Kurdish culture (as you said 'cultural genocide') on KURDISH LAND, in KURDISTAN. It is truly horrfic and worthy of all the best efforts from every Kurd in every profession to put a stop to this.

But in the past few decades a large percentage of Kurds have been born or have grown up in countries outside Kurdistan and we must make sure that these young people do not lose their identity because they should want to use their education to help Kurds and Kurdistan. They can help put a stop to the cultural genocide.

[Zhala]

i dont know whats with US kurds but Australian Kurds are very very patriotic .... in kurdish parties and native celebrations you always see young boys and girls proudly dress in kurdish consumes waving the kurdish flag ..... and even join demos when necessary .......

Awwww how cute! I must find out if I have any relatives living there and visit.

[Anthea]

I THINK THIS SUBJECT IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ONE AND ONE THAT WE SHOULD DISCUSS FURTHER

Unfortunately, many Kurds from NK were so suppressed in their homeland that they have not passed down very much of their history to the next generation

It is time that we awoke Kurdish Pride