Iraqi President’s daughter: Father would sacrifice his post for independent Kurdistan

The daughter of Iraq's President, Shireen Fuad Masum on Tuesday stated that it is the duty of her father to sacrifice his post for the independence of the Kurdistan Region.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The daughter of Iraq's President, Shireen Fuad Masum on Tuesday stated that it is the duty of her father to sacrifice his post for the independence of the Kurdistan Region.

In an article published in the local Khabat Newspaper in Erbil, the President’s daughter said that the Kurds are keen to obtain independence and that the Peshmerga did not spill their blood for anything else other than for freedom and independence.

The piece comes at a time when a large number of Iraqi officials and Parliamentary members warn the Presidency’s position will be vacant if the Kurdistan Region’s referendum on independence scheduled for Sep. 25 is held. The Parliament in Baghdad has declared it will hold a vote of no-confidence against Fuad Masum for failing to stop the vote.

The Kurdish leadership has insisted on moving forward with the referendum despite the objection of Baghdad, neighboring countries and the major western powers.

Shireen described the federal government of Iraq as “a Shia-led sectarian and discriminatory government” that tries to threaten democratically-elected Kurdish officials with unjust sacking or trials similar to the ones carried out against Former Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Head of Kirkuk Provincial Council Rebwar Talabani, and recently Kirkuk Governor Najmaldin Karim.

She labeled the Iraqi MPs who voted to remove Karim from office as “Chauvinists.”

“We, the Kurdish people, are looking for independence and freedom ... We have learned to sacrifice all the pleasures of life for independence,” Shireen wrote.

She mentioned that as a female Peshmerga fighter, she was never taught that the fight and struggle of the Kurdish people are for luxury or to live in presidential palaces like the ones in Baghdad where her father lives.

Shireen referenced the late Kurdish nationalist leader Mullah Mustafa Barzani, former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and the current President of the Kurdistan Region who have sacrificed their lives for the independence of Kurdistan.

“We cannot put a price on independence for Kurdistan. I am sure that my father, as a fighter, will not wait for Baghdad to withdraw confidence from him. He is known as the man who has his own way of solving the Kurdish political problems,” she added.

“This is why my father accepted this post, and he is known for his role as man of Kurdistan and for the difficult positions he has faced. He always waits for the green light from Kurdistan, not from Iraq,” she added.

Iraqi lawmakers have often accused the Iraqi President of not standing up for all Iraqi people. He recently initiated a move to resolve the rift between Erbil and Baghdad.

Masum is the second Kurdish President of Iraq since the removal of the dictatorial system in 2003.

Shireen holds a Ph.D. degree and studied US Foreign Policy in Iraq.

 

Editing by G.H. Renaud