The Druze. The Baha’i. The Kurds. These three minority groups seem quite dissimilar to the average person. After all, the Kurds are an ethnic minority group and the Druze and the Baha’i are religious minority groups whose beliefs are completely unalike. However, after taking a look at the experiences of these peoples and what they faced, one can say that there is an important similarity that connects these groups: persecution. As the minority groups, it was almost inevitable that they would face persecution as a result of the fact that they either wouldn’t conform to the majority or are just not considered the “norm.” Now although persecution may be pointed as a distinct similarity between these three groups, these reasons behind this mistreatment vary greatly. In order to analyze why each of these groups are persecuted, one must first look at their history. Introducing this aspect is important because this allows one to observe how these problems may have come about and how they play a role in these groups today.
THE DRUZE
To begin, the Druze are considered by most, if not all, a very interesting and unique group. They are an offshoot of the religion of Islam that “recognizes a particular branch of the Prophet Mohammed’s descendants as the true religious leaders of Islam” that formed in the eleventh century in Egypt and was named after one of its first prophets, ad-Darazi. However, his teachings were rejected as heretical (stated claims of divinity) and it is said that the proper faith was originally preached by Hamza ibn ‘Ali ibn Ahmad. It began as a movement in Ismailism that was opposed to certain religious and philosophical ideologies that were present during that period. Hazma had been able to secure the backing of Fatimid caliph al-Hakim, who issued a ruling promoting religious freedom. However, even with the support of the caliph, in the early stages of this group’s development, they faced an extremely high amount of persecution and discrimination. Based on the source “The Druze Minority in Israel in the Mid-1990s,” it is stated,
“From the very beginning, the Druze were subject to intense persecution, causing them to leave Egypt and settle in southern Lebanon, Syria, and Israel meet. Many later moved north…to…the Druze Mountain, and to the Houran region in southwestern Syria, where the Druze arrived…due to fratricidal civil wars in Lebanon.”
This persecution seems to derive itself from the lack of understanding or tolerance of how the Druze practice their faith. This group is an extremely secretive and almost “mysterious” sect for many reasons. As stated in the source “Who Are the Druze?”,
“An outstanding feature of the Ismailiyya and the Druze faith is the concept of taqiyya or dissimulation, whereby a persecuted believer may hide his religion and even profess another faith. This concept…and the Druze ban on proselytizing and intermarriage, have made the Druze a close and tight-knit group which brooks little interference with its way of life.”
Now although the Druze have seemed to be able to assimilate into certain aspects of their communities, mainly their country’s armed forces in which they’ve been able to reach high military rank, integration into society has not been as simple. At times, Druze were mistaken as Arabs (during a period of terrorist attacks by Arabs) for which they received insults and mistreatment for. Although the Druze are not necessarily impacted by the culture correlated with Arab patriotism, they seem to be unfamiliar and have difficulty identifying with “the Jewish symbols and Zionist vocabulary of the Israeli state,” which is an essential example of them not being to assimilate easily. In another instance, though it is not directly stated, Druze may have received discrimination because of some of their people’s association with terrorism. As said by the source “Who Are the Druze?”,
“…soon after…murder [of Kamal Jumblatt], 130 Christians were slaughtered by the Druze…[In another instance,] early September 1983 reports were made of civilian murders by the Druze in the Christian village of Bmarian…[There were] attacks in November and December 1983, on Beirut suburbs and on the Beirut International Airport… Why have [Walid] Jumblatt and his Druze entered into thus new role as terrorists?”
This association with terrorists had most likely become a cause for discrimination against the Druze during that period. Lastly, a more current example of the difficulty the Druze face with integrating into society is the oppression they’re shown, specifically in comparison to Jews. A seemingly controversial Israeli Basic Law was enacted July 19, 2018 and it states that Hebrew is the country’s national language and distinguishes the establishment of Jewish communities as being in the national interest. Many Druze have perceived this law as discriminatory and hurtful to their rights as minorities.
THE BAHA’I
Furthermore, the Baha’i faith developed from the mid-19th-century Babi movement, which was based on the concept of Abrahamic monotheistic (same origin as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc.) Although the Baha’i faith connects its roots to the Babi religion and its founder, the Bab, it wasn’t officially established until 1863 by Mirza Husayn Ali Nuri (more commonly known as Baha’u’llah.) To continue, this religion had been disputed from its very beginning. Based on the source “The Babi and Baha’i community of Iran: a case of “suspended genocide”?, it was stated that,
“Less than one year after the Bab put forward his initial claim in Mau 1844, a trial in Baghdad of the Bab’s emissary to Iraq unanimously condemned the Bab as a heretic and apostate and, by a majority, sentenced his emissary to death for spreading the heresy…In 1848-1849, the Shah sent some 6000 troops and batteries of canon against a band of about 500 Babis who had taken up defensive positions…the starving Babis wee induced to surrender on the promise of a safe conduct, and were then set upon and massacred.”
After a failed attempt by the Babis to assassinate the Shah, the Persian Empire became increasingly intolerant of the Babi movement and responded to this by killing many Babis. Baha’u’llah, who had participated in the attempt, was incarcerated and during this time, he received the first hints that he was the one foreseen by the Bab. Although, the appointed leader of the Babis, Subn-i-Azal, refused to acknowledge Baha’u’llah’s claims, Baha’u’llah was still able to gain the loyalty of most of the Babis, who soon became known as Baha’is. However, even as this religion grew, it only received support through its followers, no outside forces. While persecution from the government and leaders of other majority religions had been quite dormant, Baha’is still faced much persecution from society overall. Non-Baha’is would execute, loot, attack, or even expel the people of this religious group as a “lower level of harassment.” This is stated in the source “The Martyrs of Manshad”,
“…Baha’i persecution occurred in Yazd and soon engulfed the entire region resulting in nearly two hundred Baha’i martyrdom and many other believers suffering injuries, loss of properties, loss of livelihood or forced migration.”
As the Baha’i faith continued to develop in the 1900s, its community lacked major security and proper establishment as a result of it always being under intense pressure from the public. It may be interpreted that these minor persecutions of Bahai’s –which included, for example, “Muslim neighbors or local leaders would use threats of denunciation as a Baha’i to extort money or advantage for themselves; relatives would seize the inheritance of Baha’is on the pretext that non-Muslims could not inherit…”– were becoming cracks in the foundation of the community. However, even as this occurred, the Baha’i people attempted to become much more open and visible. This was done by establishing centers, schools and other communal facilities that were specifically for Baha’is. Nonetheless, Bahai’s still faced oppression in every aspect of their lives.
As explained in the source “The Babi and Baha’i community of Iran: a case of “suspended genocide”?,
“…in 1934, the government suddenly used the fact that a Baha’i school had closed on a Baha’i holy day as the excuse to shut down permanently the large network of Baha’i schools…Many Bahai’s were turned out of government and military posts…in 1938, it became a criminal offense to have a wedding other than under the procedures of one of the recognized religions…the Baha’i faith had not been recognized in the 1906 Constitution…[Baha’i children] being stoned by other children on their way to Baha’i school…”
In comparison to the persecution that the Druze faced, the discrimination against the Baha’i seemed to be much more extensive as the prejudice against them dominated each moment of their everyday life. With regards to current news, it doesn’t seem as if the Baha’i face such intense discrimination as they did before. This statement is not to say that the mistreatment of Baha’i’s has stopped as there are still news articles that report information such as the denial of a Baha’i student from university, or Baha’i couples not being able to be officially married. For example, in July 2018, an undergraduate design student, Hooman Imani, was expelled from Kermn Azad University as a result of him being Baha’i. Thus, he was prevented from continuing his education. So, although the magnitude to which Baha’is are persecuted seems to have decreased, it may be assumed Baha’i people still face those distinct elements of discrimination that evidently make it hard to live life as a Baha’i.
THE KURDS
The history of the Kurds differs greatly from the past two minority groups. As an ethnic group (instead of religious), the roots of these people are traced back in a distinct manner. Rather than beginning with the actual origins of the Kurdish people, one may just use Kurdish nationalism as a starting point. This concept appeared after World War I with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, as the empire had continually used forced repression on Kurdish movements that’s main goal was to gain independence. As the largest ethnic group without a country (30-40 million people), Kurds felt they had the right to pursue greater autonomy and hopefully gain their own sovereign nation. This belief is expressed in the source, “Memorandum on the Claims of the Kurd People,”
“We may appeal to the authority of the great geographer, who has established in his great work the general outlines of the regions which, in his opinion, form a Kurdistan justified by its territories and by a Kurdish majority.”
This idea of nationalism also seemed to come about as a result of Kurdish people observing the Turks go through changes and attempting to get their own country. The Kurds faced much discrimination and resistance in their pursuit to receive their own country (which is still an ongoing issue for them today.) An agreement that would’ve been especially important for Kurdish independence, which was the Treaty of Sevres, helped some of the Kurdish groups to seek self-determination and affirmation of Kurdish autonomy. However, the Turks ensured that such an agreement was being prevented from occurring. This is shown in the example from the source “Who are the Kurds?” and it states,
“At the end of World War I, the Kurds were promised a state by the victors, but the Treaty of Sevres was ultimately overturned by the new Turkish state that emerged from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.”
The argument that Kurds make in hope of gaining their country is quite simple. For the areas that they reside in, their claims were that, as Kurds, they represented the majority ethnically (Armenians, Turks, etc.) as well as religiously and as the “majority”, they felt they should have the control, or at least most of it. The source, “Memorandum on the Claims of the Kurd People,” specifically embodies this concept as to most Kurds this type of argument was undeniable, as it was statistics.
“In these two vilayets of Turkey in Asia, the Kurds, are more numerous than the Armenians. At Van there are 46% of Kurds against 26% of Armenians, at Bitlis 55% of Kurds against 39% of Armenians…The Kurds form at Hakari 56%, at Sihirt 60%, at Gentch 79% of the population. In the latter districts the Kurd majority is so manifest that the Armenians who live there can speak no other language but Kurd.”
However, this concept did not seem to support Kurdish independence enough, so Kurds couldn’t live in their “own country” and had to continue to deal with oppression they receive from the governments of the countries they actually reside. With regards to current news about the Kurds, they continue to face discrimination and repression in their quest to gain independence as well as their own country. As a result of this, Kurdish nationalism has never wavered. However, looking at the current problems of persecution/discrimination that the Kurds face, these issues are different depending on which country the Kurd resides in. The news most recently covers Iraqi Kurds, Kurds in Turkey, and Syrian Kurds who all contain varying reasons for being in the news, all of which having the ability to show the oppression they face. The source, “Who Are the Kurds?”, provides an in-depth explanation of each group of Kurds,
Iraqi Kurds
“The Iraqi Kurds have been the pacesetters of Kurdish nationalism, fighting governments in Baghdad for most of the 20th century. After decades of war, the Iraqi Kurds gained a quasi-state (Kurdistan Regional Government) in northern Iraq by riding on the heels of two US-led wars in Iraq…Turkey looked on with concern at Iraqi Kurdish gains…[so] Turkey gained influence over the Iraqi Kurds…[Turkey]has an effective veto over any Iraqi Kurdish bid for independence.”
Kurds in Turkey
“Turkey security perceptions are dominated by a myopic focus on the PKK and squashing any Kurdish drive at autonomy…fighting between the PKK and the Turkish State has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and killed more than 40000. The burning conflict has added a growing chasm between Kurds and Turkish state and society.”
Syrian Kurds
“Turkey backed various rebel factions, first in a bid to oust President Bashar Assad, then to counter Syrian Kurdish gains…Turkey’s main concern is that in prioritizing the fight against IS, the United States will empower the Syrian Kurds…Turkeys seeks to prevent this development in Syria.”
By quoting these examples of discrimination shown to each Kurd group, one can observe that the type of persecution Kurds face is highly systematic and established in a way to ensure that Kurds are not able to gain their own country officially. This differs from the last groups mentioned as those two were not looking to be nationalist or retain their own country; they faced discrimination mainly for being the minority and for being “different.” This specific group, Kurds, don’t necessarily seem to feel as if they are the minority because of, as an ethnic group, how long they’ve been around and how large their population size is. So they face persecution in the sense that they want to have their own country but other nations are trying to stop this action from occurring.