Latest news with #FeyliKurdish
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
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraqi academy, Culture ministry host forum on Feyli Kurdish plight
Shafaq News/ A symposium focusing on the marginalized history and identity of the Feyli Kurdish community has been hosted by the Iraqi Scientific Academy and the Ministry of Culture's Feyli Cultural House in Baghdad on Wednesday to mark the World Day for Cultural Diversity. The event featured academic panels and historical research highlighting the Feyli Kurds ' persecution under past regimes and their role in shaping Iraq's cultural heritage. Exhibits also showcased rare photographs, official documents, and regime-era decrees used to target the community, alongside literature on their language and traditions. On the sidelines, Academy President Dr. Mohammed Hussein Al-Yasiri condemned the continued marginalization of Feyli Kurds, noting that despite Iraq's political shifts, the group still lacks full legal and social recognition. He stressed the Academy's repeated efforts to spotlight their plight and push for restitution, particularly regarding forced displacement, political exclusion, and confiscated property.
Shafaq News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Kurdish Leaders remember Leyla Qasim: Kurdish freedom icon
Shafaq News/ Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party Masoud Barzani and Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani commemorated on Monday the anniversary of the execution of Feyli Kurdish activist Leyla Qasim, describing her as a free and courageous woman who stood against injustice. Kurdish Leader Barzani said in a statement that Leila Qasim stands as 'a shining example of the bravery of Kurdish women and a timeless symbol of Kurdish human freedom.' لەیلا قاسم نموونەی قارەمانێتیی کچی کورد و سیمبوڵی ئازادیخوازیی مرۆڤی کوردە. ئەو بە ڕووی ستەمکاراندا هاتەوە و پشتی کردە ژیان و شەهید بوو بەڵام بندەستی قبووڵ نەکرد. لە پەنجا و یەکەمین ساڵیادی لەسێدارەدان و شەهیدکردنی لەیلا قاسم و هاوڕێکانی هەزاران سڵاو بۆ ڕۆحی پاکیان و بۆ ڕۆحی… — Masoud Barzani (@masoud_barzani) May 12, 2025 In Turn, President Barzani wrote on X, 'On the anniversary of the execution of martyr Leyla Qasim and her comrades, we solemnly and without hesitation remember her bravery and sacrifice for the freedom of Kurdistan and the dignity of its people.' He considered her a symbol of the free Kurdish woman's will and a voice of resistance against oppression. له يادى له‌سێداره‌دانى شه‌هيد له‌يلا قاسم و هه‌ڤاڵانيدا، به ڕێزه‌وه بوێرى و چاونه‌ترسيى ئه‌و و قوربانيدانى له‌پێناو ئازاديى كوردستان و شكۆمه‌نديى گه‌له‌كه‌يدا، به‌بيرده‌هێنينه‌وه. ئه‌و سيمبۆلى ئيراده‌ى ئافره‌تى كوردى ئازاد و ده‌نگێكى نه‌به‌ردانه‌ى دژى سته‌م بوو كه هه‌رگيز… — Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) May 12, 2025 On Saturday evening, the Feyli Kurdish community marked the 51st anniversary of Qasim's execution in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region. Leyla Qasim was a Feyli Kurdish political activist born in Khanaqin on January 27, 1952. She joined the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the early 1970s and began her university studies in sociology at the University of Baghdad in 1971. She was arrested by the Iraqi government on April 29, 1974, and executed on May 12 of the same year.
Shafaq News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Martyrs Street: Baghdad honors Feyli Kurds
Shafaq News/ Iraqi authorities have renamed a major Baghdad thoroughfare 'Martyrs of the Feyli Kurds Street,' in the country's first official move to commemorate victims of the Baath regime's campaign against the Shiite Kurdish minority. The street runs from Karada through Nahdha to the outskirts of Sadr City and Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad. It houses hundreds of commercial establishments and holds symbolic weight for the Feyli community. 'This is the first time a street in Iraq has been named after the Feyli Kurdish martyrs,' Fuad Ali Akbar, parliamentary advisor on Feyli affairs, told Shafaq News, adding that the road was formerly known as 'Revolution Street' and that the Baghdad Provincial Council approved the renaming in 2017, although final endorsement came recently from the President. The Feyli Kurds, primarily based in eastern and central Iraq, were subjected to mass deportations, executions, and denaturalization during the late 1970s and 1980s under Saddam Hussein's government. Tariq al-Mandalawi, an advisor to the Prime Minister on Feyli affairs, confirmed that 16,350 Feyli Kurds are registered as martyrs with the government's Martyrs Foundation, part of an estimated 60,000 executed during the former regime's campaign. Despite multiple court rulings recognizing the genocide, implementation of compensation laws and institutional reforms has been slow. Officials and community representatives view the renaming as a symbolic but long-overdue step toward acknowledgment and historical justice.
Shafaq News
29-04-2025
- General
- Shafaq News
Iraq's Old Hussainiya: Faith and resilience in clay and palm
Shafaq News/ In the center of Iraq's Wasit Province, nestled in the historic Al-Qalaa neighborhood, stands the Old Hussainiya, one of the region's most cherished religious and cultural landmarks. Established in 1940 AD (1360 AH) in Badra District, this venerable structure is more than a place of worship — it is a living testament to the resilience, faith, and cultural identity of the Feyli Kurdish community that has long called this area home. Built from humble clay and sturdy palm trunks, the Hussainiya — a congregation hall where Shia Muslims gather to honor the martyrdom of Imam Hussein — stands as a testament to timeless craftsmanship, where simplicity and deep spiritual devotion meet. Its architecture recalls an era when communities relied on local resources, creating enduring structures that carried deep cultural symbolism. The thick clay walls provide natural cooling, while palm trunks fortify the roof — a design as functional as it is symbolic of perseverance and solidarity. Unlike many modern mosques and Hussainiyas with their ornate facades and marble embellishments, the Old Hussainiya's unpretentious beauty captures a more intimate reverence — one rooted in humility, history, and the enduring spirit of its founders. Even as the world around it modernized, the Hussainiya remained steadfast, offering worshippers a rare, tangible connection to their past. Mohammed Tawfiq Mohsen, a retired teacher and lifelong resident of Al-Qalaa, highlighted the community's devotion to safeguarding this landmark. 'The Hussainiya has preserved its historical essence thanks to the steadfast efforts of our families,' he told Shafaq News Agency. 'Despite all the changes that have swept through Badra since the 1940s, we have remained loyal to our cultural and religious heritage.' Mohsen noted that the residents of Al-Qalaa are the district's original inhabitants, descendants of generations who faced adversity yet held firmly to their traditions. In an age where many ancient structures have vanished or fallen into neglect, the enduring presence of the Old Hussainiya stands as a quiet yet powerful reminder: heritage is preserved not merely by stone and clay, but by the collective will of a community that chooses memory over forgetfulness.
