This paper examines the role of religion in Kurdish nation- and state building. In light of the threat coming from Daesh, preachers close to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the dominant party in power in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), have attempt to boost Kurdish Islamic orthodoxy. This paper asks: Why did the concept of Kurdish Islam emerge? And why did this idea create controversy? By analyzing Islamic reactions to the terminology ‘Kurdish Islam’ and to Kurdish nationhood broadly, we will shed light on the relationship between Kurdish nationalism and Islam.
This debate resonates with existing literature on the relationship between Islam and nationalism. This literature has mainly focused on how Turkey nationalized Islam since the 1920, and built Turkish national identity on Islam. We argue that nationalization of Islam is easier outside the Arab world, because of the overlap between Arab- and Islamic history, and that the Kurdish case has similarities with the Turkish one.
The Kurdish case a nation without a state. Given the salience of Kurdish nationalism, Kurdish Islamists all need to address the issue of Kurdish statehood. Most Kurdish Salafis accept and promote the idea of a Kurdish nationhood. However, Islamist movements in the (parliamentary) opposition as well as Salafis are critical to the ‘Kurdish Islam’ discourse which they see as government-driven.
The paper shows that although nationalism and Islamism are often seen as conflicting identities, they often also overlap. Islam is therefore soluble in the nation state. The Qur’an does not reject the idea of nations and national differences, only prejudices and discrimination of other Muslims due to race, nationalism and other group affiliation.
