Tackling disunity amongst the Kurdish diaspora
Although I was born in Kurdistan, I grew up in Canada, and it became increasingly difficult for me to explain to my classmates and friends where I was from. Inevitably, I always answered “You won’t find it on the map, though I can point it out to you…” As I matured, I became more confident and proud of my identity and became more patient with educating my friends about my culture and history.
What disappointed me was that some of my Kurdish friends were not as passionate or educated about Kurdistan themselves. Though some were born in Kurdistan, and others in Canada, they were dismissive of their homeland, and passive about Kurdish issues .
It is challenging enough that Kurdistan is divided by borders, but when Kurdish communities, especially diaspora ones, cannot find a consistent, unified agenda, it is the younger generations who ultimately suffer. As such, Kurdish youth in North American diaspora communities are not only losing an important connection with their homeland, but they are losing their identities as well. This continued disunity is creating a disinterest in the youth, and this is a problem because there is no more passion to explore their traditions, cultures, and even connect to the homeland.
Dr. Daphne Winland offers a close study of the Croatian diaspora in Toronto, and she explains that diasporas are connected to their homelands by way of involvement but they also “construct notions of homeland…that are often different from homeland peoples” which she argues can trigger mixed feelings and emotions that may cause “entangled tensions” between the diaspora and the homeland.
Her study highlights the disunity amongst the Croatian community in Toronto with that of the homeland. While Croatians in Toronto have a strong nationalist connection to their homeland, Croatians in the actual homeland counter that the diaspora community is not living the same struggle.
These issues are exacerbated by the fact that there is general disunity within the diaspora itself. Winland explains that diaspora communities “[begin] to retreat to regionally based affiliations” by building separate churches, organizing different events, and so on.
According to a recent study of the Kurdish diaspora by Kurdish social scientist, Dr. Bahar Baser, the Kurdish diaspora is complex and not “monolithic.” As a result, there are many different groups within the diaspora who practice and maintain different religious and political ideas.
More specifically, when we explore the Kurdish diaspora communities in North America, and more closely in Toronto, we begin to understand how these different ideologies reflect and influence the diaspora.
The Toronto Kurdish Community Centre is one of many non-profit organizations in the Greater Toronto Area that is part of the larger problem of disunity amongst the Kurdish diaspora. Despite the organization’s mission statement that states their aim to safeguard the “political and cultural rights of Kurdish people,” they are overtly in full support of the Turkish-based Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), and many of the Centre's fundraisers and events are specifically targeted towards supporters of the HDP — not the Kurdish population as a whole.
For instance, one of their ongoing programs, the Democratic Kurdish Youth Commission, is aimed at educating Kurdish youth about political platforms of the HDP, rather than provide a more robust lesson on contemporary Kurdish issues. A possible solution is that they need to be more inclusive in order to reach their stated goal of achieving unity.
On the other hand, another non-profit, The Greater Toronto Kurdish House, reassures the public and its members that they are “an independent, nonpartisan” organization that aims to bring together “all Kurds in the [Greater Toronto Area] regardless of their differences” with the objective of achieving unity.
The Kurdish House organizes events and activities targeted towards educating and exposing Kurds from all parts of Kurdistan to Kurdish culture, namely through dance, food, and music. There are other examples of diaspora communities that the Kurdish ones can follow to further engage their communities, especially, the youth.
For example, A US-based organization called Birthright Israel Foundation raises money each year to support 10-day all-expenses paid travel for Jewish adults, ages 18-26, to Israel. The main purpose, according to the organization, is to “Strengthen Jewish identity, build a lasting bond with the land, and people of Israel, and reinforce solidarity of Jewish people worldwide.” Similar to Birthright Israel is a program named Birthright Armenia, which seeks to create a “better understanding of social, cultural, economic, and political issues” related to Armenia for diaspora youth. Like Birthright Israel, this organization aims to connect the diaspora youth with the homeland in the short-term, which will yield long-term results.
Both organizations acknowledge that their respective youth are an important factor in inspiring future leaders for the homeland. Instead of focusing on supporting a specific political party, organizations within the Kurdish diaspora should look for ways to inspire and motivate Kurdish youth to develop a sense of leadership in order to march forward on the road to unity and independence.