Latest news with #Feyli
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraqi Parliament's Quota move silences Feyli Kurdish aspirations
Shafaq News The decision to reclassify the Kurdish Feyli quota seat in Iraq's parliament as a nationwide allocation—rather than limiting it to Wasit province—has ignited political and community backlash. What was once a symbolic recognition of the Feyli Kurds' historic presence in Wasit is now seen by many as a vulnerable tool of political bargaining, prompting renewed calls to restore the seat's provincial scope and expand representation for a community long subjected to marginalization and forced displacement. Enduring Legacy of Displacement and Exclusion The Kurdish Feylis suffered systematic persecution under the Ba'athist regime, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. They were targeted for their ethno-sectarian identity—being both Kurdish and Shiite—and labeled as 'foreigners' despite generations of residence in Iraq. Between 1970 and 1980, up to half a million Feylis were expelled to Iran. Many lost their citizenship, property, and civil rights. Over 15,000 young Feyli men disappeared during the purges, with their remains never recovered. Baghdad's elite Feyli business and academic circles were especially targeted. Despite the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, many returnees still face bureaucratic barriers in reclaiming their original citizenship or accessing legal rights. Historical and Political Context The Kurdish Feyli quota seat was originally established as a recognition of the community's longstanding presence in Wasit, particularly in cities like Kut, Al-Aziziyah, Al-Hai, Badrah, Zurbatiyah, and Jassan. Political activist Haidar Hisham al-Feyli explained that the seat was secured after a sustained campaign by Feyli activists and was initially meant to include three seats before being reduced to one for political reasons. 'This seat was meant to reflect the aspirations of the Feyli Kurds,' Hisham told Shafaq News. 'But now, instead of protecting their representation, it is being contested by figures outside the community due to weak safeguards and ineffective electoral oversight.' He stressed that the seat lacks clear legal protections and has been subjected to external interference, allowing candidates who are not Feyli Kurds to contest under the quota. This, he said, has diluted the seat's original purpose and fragmented the community's electoral voice. Kurdish Feyli MP Hussein Mardan stated that the Federal Court ruled that the Kurdish Feyli quota seat in the Iraqi parliament—out of a total of 329 seats—will be a national seat for all of Iraq does not benefit the Feyli component. 'If we assume that it must be a national seat, then at the very least the Feylis should be granted five seats, similar to the Christian component. A single national seat does not serve the Kurdish Feylis, especially considering that Feyli Kurdish candidates are not present across all Iraqi provinces,' He told Shafaq News. Legal and Institutional Gaps Critics highlight the failure of Iraq's electoral commission to enforce identity-specific quotas, allowing political maneuvering that jeopardizes minority rights. Rashid al-Budairi, a senior member of the 'Services (Khadamat)' political alliance, argued that this shift contradicts the historical justice intended for the Kurdish Feylis. 'They faced genocide, forced displacement, and systemic exclusion under the former regime.' 'Wasit should retain the seat as a matter of acquired and constitutional right. The recent move turns the quota into a bargaining chip, risking its appropriation by a single political faction.' Beyond the Quota While defending the quota's existence, some lawmakers also highlight the growing political engagement of Feyli Kurds outside the quota system. MP Bassem Nughaymish of Wasit noted that the community is not solely reliant on the reserved seat to enter the political arena. 'Feyli Kurds are full citizens of Wasit, not a minority in the traditional sense,' Nughaymish said. 'They have successfully contested general parliamentary elections and hold key posts in the provincial government.' According to Nughaymish, several key administrative roles in the province—such as municipal leadership in Kut and other directorates—are held by Feyli Kurds, reflecting their active participation in public life. He specifically mentioned Deputy Governor Nabil Shamma, the brother of renowned musician Naseer Shamma, as an example of the community's strong local presence. What's Next? With national elections on the horizon, the controversy over the Kurdish Feyli seat is likely to intensify. Calls for restoring the seat to Wasit and expanding the community's representation are gaining momentum among activists and political allies. However, unless electoral regulations are tightened and community-led representation is prioritized, the quota may become symbolic rather than substantive. 'Without legal safeguards and genuine political will,' Hisham warned, 'the quota will only serve as a façade, not a channel for real empowerment.' Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
Shafaq News
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Feyli community calls on Iraq to act on genocide recognition
Shafaq News – Baghdad Iraqi lawmakers, activists, and Feyli Kurdish representatives convened in Baghdad on Saturday to demand urgent action to restore the long-denied rights of the Feyli community, citing decades of forced displacement, property confiscation, and continued marginalization. The Member of the Feyli Front Sara Hussein underscored the community's historical suffering under previous regimes, including mass displacement and executions. Despite political change in Iraq, most Feylis have yet to regain their seized assets or receive compensation, she told Shafaq News. 'Today, we are still marginalized. Parliamentarians and officials have made efforts to implement laws protecting our rights, but bureaucratic hurdles and overlapping jurisdictions continue to block Property Restitution Law,' she stated, urging parliament to prioritize Article 140 in the next legislative session. Hussein also highlighted the neglect facing the Feyli language, warning that it risks extinction without serious cultural revival efforts. 'The Feyli language is distinct from Kurdish and holds unique cultural and social value.' Generational trauma and official recognition According to community data, more than 22,000 young Feylis went missing in the 1980s, and some 5,000 merchants were reportedly buried alive. Nearly 600,000 were deported from Iraq, with only about 10% managing to recover their properties or secure compensation. In 2010, Iraq's Supreme Criminal Court recognized the persecution of Feyli Kurds—including forced disappearances and property confiscations—as acts of genocide. Additionally, the Head of the Feyli Women's League Sabah Nur al-Din stressed the importance of raising awareness through such symposiums, emphasizing the need for young MPs to champion the community's rights.
Shafaq News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Feyli Kurd icon Barzo: A life of Iraqi resistance
Shafaq News/ From Baghdad's backstreets to the mountain frontlines of Penjwen, the life of Muhammad Hassan Barzo reads like a quiet epic of resistance. A Feyli Kurd born into marginalization, Barzo emerged as a central figure in Iraq's Kurdish political awakening—his legacy still echoing decades after his assassination in 1973. Born on July 1, 1923, on King Ghazi Street (now al-Kifah), Barzo came from a Feyli family that had migrated from Ilam, Iran, seeking security and stability. He began his education in Kuttabs (traditional Islamic schools), but his nationalist awareness was awakened by his cousin, intellectual Mohammad Khosrow. Immersed in Arabic and Persian writings on history and identity, Barzo's political consciousness took root early. In the 1940s, he joined the Hiwa (Hope) Party. When security crackdowns intensified, he fled to Iran, only to return in secret to Baghdad, where he discreetly organized within the Feyli community. As an accountant in Shorja market, Barzo quietly mobilized support among merchants and craftsmen for the Kurdish cause. A turning point came on August 16, 1946, when Barzo helped found the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), a leading party in the Kurdistan Region, in a clandestine meeting in Baghdad's Abu Sifain neighborhood. Inspired by the Mahabad Republic, the group gathered in two adjacent rented houses to avoid detection. His role in this milestone placed him at the center of the modern Kurdish political movement. Barzo's activism extended beyond politics. He co-founded the Grand Feyli Mosque in Bab al-Sheikh and led the Feyli Sports Club, blending civic empowerment with cultural organizing. These efforts, however, drew hostility from rival groups, particularly Communist Party sympathizers. In 1952, the Kurdish activist and young Jalal Talabani were assigned to rebuild KDP youth cells among Feyli Kurds. During the 1961 Kurdish uprising, Barzo sheltered party secretary Ibrahim Ahmad in his Baghdad home before helping him escape to Kurdistan. After a renewed crackdown in 1963, Barzo vanished into the mountains, taking an administrative post in Penjwen, where he coordinated services for residents. By the late 1960s, his activism crossed borders. He allied with Iranian opposition leader General Teymur Bakhtiar and became a vocal critic of the Shah. Through Al-Tariq newspaper and multilingual broadcasts, Barzo denounced Tehran's repression of minorities and exposed the brutality of SAVAK, the Shah's intelligence agency. Publishing in Kurdish, Persian, Arabic, and Azeri, he became a rare voice bridging ideological and ethnic lines. His criticism of the 1969 deportations of Feyli Kurds enraged both SAVAK and Iraq's Baath regime. Despite mounting threats, Barzo refused exile. On July 22, 1973, he was shot near al-Wathba Street, close to his boyhood home. His body was left in the street, with only 600 fils (less than a dollar) in his pocket. Kurdish movements condemned the murder as a 'political execution.' But among Feyli Kurds, Barzo came to symbolize more than martyrdom—he stood for principled defiance. He rejected privilege, stood with students, workers, and tradespeople, and poured his life and livelihood into a cause that never fully recognized him. Muhammad Hassan Barzo represented a generation of Feyli Kurds who fought on two fronts: asserting their presence in Baghdad and resisting authoritarianism at home and abroad. Though he never lived to see the fruits of his struggle, his convictions and sacrifice remain etched in Kurdish collective memory.
Shafaq News
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Feyli Kurdish Front demands recognition, rights on 8th anniversary
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Feyli Kurdish Front marked its eighth anniversary with a ceremony in Baghdad, renewing its call for justice, legal recognition, and political inclusion. The event, held at the party's headquarters, brought together political leaders, civil society groups, and activists. Speakers highlighted the Feyli Kurds' long-standing grievances, including forced displacement, confiscated property, and systemic exclusion—urging enforcement of constitutional rulings in their favor. Speaking to Shafaq News, Maher Rashid al-Feyli, Secretary-General of the Front, reaffirmed the group's sole mandate to represent the community's interests, encouraging unity among Feyli Kurds and stressing that achieving formal political and legal status remains the movement's top goal. While open to cooperation with other Feyli organizations, he dismissed broader coalitions, accusing dominant parties of 'stalling efforts' to restore the community's rights. Deputy Secretary-General Hamid Rashid described the anniversary as a 'strategic moment' ahead of national elections, revealing that the Front is actively evaluating alliance offers. 'We're a political home for every Feyli Kurd. Institutional recognition remains our driving mission.' Shamil al-Feyli, Deputy Secretary-General of the al-Walaa Movement, called for unity among Feyli groups, framing the gathering as 'a reaffirmation of a shared struggle for dignity.' Meanwhile, Sabah Nour al-Din, head of the Front's Women's Committee, urged national parties to support the Feyli cause. 'Our suffering demands accountability,' she remarked to our agency, adding, 'Empowering the Feyli community must become a national responsibility.'
Shafaq News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Seeking justice: Baghdad Symposium addresses Feyli rights
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iraqi officials, legal experts, and human rights advocates gathered in Baghdad for a symposium focused on restoring the rights of Feyli Kurds. The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture's Feyli Cultural Center in cooperation with the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights. Discussions centered on legal accountability, citizenship restoration, property claims, and the unresolved issue of mass graves containing the remains of thousands of missing Feyli Kurds. Quais Hussein Ghayeb, director of the Commission's Minorities and Social Peace Division, said the Commission is prioritizing three key demands: reinstating citizenship for those stripped of it, compensating for seized assets, and locating and identifying mass grave sites. 'These issues are being followed up with relevant state institutions,' Ghayeb stated, noting ongoing complaints from Feyli citizens facing bureaucratic delays in recovering their nationality. He added that Baghdad's provincial council is actively supporting the citizenship file, and that the Council of Ministers has issued related recommendations. Ghayeb also highlighted legal and logistical challenges in investigating mass graves, citing current laws that restrict excavation to specific government entities. 'There is a legislative effort underway to resolve the contradiction between legal provisions and investigative needs." Feyli researcher Fereydoun Karim called the mass grave issue deeply complicated, alleging that some parties have obstructed efforts to uncover the fate of the disappeared. "Despite raising the matter with international actors, including the United Nations, there has been little tangible progress." Meanwhile, Lamia Adnan al-Mandlawi, institutional development official at Iraq's Scientific Complex, emphasized the importance of sustained follow-up. 'The symposium brought legal clarity to the Feyli Kurds' demands and reinforced the need for implementation on citizenship, property rights, and mass grave investigations,' she told Shafaq News.
