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Kurdistan and The Kurds A Divided Homeland and a Nation without ...

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Chapter II<br />

Social <strong>and</strong> economic life in <strong>Kurdistan</strong><br />

<strong>The</strong> majority of the Kurdish people have Islam as their<br />

religion, mostly the Sunnite creed, with some being<br />

Shiites, specifically Lor <strong>Kurds</strong> <strong>and</strong> the Bakhtiaris. Some<br />

follow the Alevite faith specifically in the Dersim region.<br />

This, in addition to the Yezdis in Sheikhan <strong>and</strong> Sanjar<br />

regions <strong>and</strong> the Red <strong>Kurdistan</strong>. <strong>The</strong>re are also minority<br />

religion groups amongst <strong>Kurds</strong>, the most important of<br />

which are the Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian faiths as<br />

well as the Ahl Alhaq (Kakaies), Sarahli.<br />

<strong>The</strong> tribal affiliations are still very strong, specifically<br />

in the villages in <strong>Kurdistan</strong>. <strong>The</strong> reason for this affiliation<br />

is the lack of a Kurdish authority or government protecting<br />

Kurdish affairs. In this respect, Kurdish tribes have always<br />

played a very important role in the existence <strong>and</strong> protection<br />

of their flock. Another important factor that has helped<br />

the Kurdish people remain proudly on its ancestral l<strong>and</strong>s<br />

to this day despite the lack of a Kurdish government<br />

authority, <strong>and</strong> in spite of all discriminatory efforts against<br />

it, are the lofty mountains of <strong>Kurdistan</strong>. <strong>The</strong>ir dangerous<br />

passes <strong>and</strong> snow-covered peaks are impossible crossings<br />

for the most powerful armies allowing but the strongest<br />

of eagles to soar in their skies.<br />

During his wars against Russia, Napoleon Bonaparte<br />

said, “<strong>The</strong>re are three invincible generals in the country<br />

of the Russians; these are the vastness of the l<strong>and</strong>, the<br />

biting cold <strong>and</strong> the valleys”. Likewise, our homel<strong>and</strong><br />

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