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The Situation of the Kurdish Community at
Tehran
18.12.2006
By H. S. SORAN
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December 18, 2006,
ekurd.net
Prelude:
Now at Tehran, the gigantic capital city of Iran and
its extensive outskirts, there is a great number of
Kurds, approximately more than 2 millions. From the
total inhabitants of the city, which are roughly
estimated about 12 millions, from every 6 persons
one is a Kurd. The Kurds have very close relations
and strong ties to each other. Most of these Kurds
have migrated here during the last hundred years. My
father, who was working at Tehran in 1910, told me
that at that time scarcely you could find a Kurd in
this city.
Tehran Periphery:
The most important old periphery towns of Tehran
include: Karaj, Shahriar, Rubat Karaim, Hashtgerd,
Varamin, Rudhen, Bumhen and some new outskirt
townships (Shahraks), which have mostly been
constructed during the last fifty years in a more
modern and up to date style, such as Pardis,
Banafsheh and tens of others. A lot of Kurds live at
these Tehran outskirts as well.
Kurdish Settlement:
As a classic demographic law, most of the Kurds at
Tehran area are living at the western part of this
district. This demographic law is prevailing in most
countries of the world. Namely, when fin any country
the people of some areas are migrating to a big city
in the same country, they mostly settle at that part
of that city, which is the entrance of their region
to it. In this manner, most of the Kurds at Tehran
are settled and living at the western part of the
city and in the respective outskirts, which are
considered as gateway of Tehran for most of the
Kurdish regions; of course there are many
exceptional cases, where Tehran Kurds are displaced
and consequently live at other parts.
Kurdish Language and Religious Groups:
There is a heterogeneous mixture of most Kurdish
dialects, subdialects, religions, sects and groups .
But most of Tehran Kurds are Shiite or Sunni. The
Kurdish dialects in Tehran can be classified
quantitatively as following:
Goran (Kalur, Hawram, Lak); Soran; Lur; Kurmanj
(Badin) etc. You scarcely can find a Zazaki or
Shabak Kurd here. Most Kurmanjis have immigrated
from Khoran and Urumieh region.
There are a lot of Ahlehaq Kurds at Tehran, who are
sometimes misunderstood as Aliullahi !!! They have
strong affiliations with Ahlehaq Turks, at Rudhan
area, east of Tehran. Rarely you can find a
Christian, Izedi or Zoroastrian Kurd at Tehran, but
there is a considerable number of Kurdish Jews, who
have originated from Kurdish areas of west Iran.
Culture:
Most Tehran Kurds have diligently preserved their
Kurdish genuine culture, in particular their
language. At the time of Shah, there was a weak
trend of Kurdish self-assimilation at Tehran, in
which some exceptional families showed little
interest to transform their children into Persian
genus, but now fortunately, after the Iranian
Revolution from 1979 onwards , that trend has been
reversed and they are trying to recover their partly
lost
Kurdish identity. The Kurds have kept their own
religion as well. You can not find any considerable
number of converted people. Kurdish cloth and
dressing are highly respected.
At work and public places, socially it is hard to
work with Kurdish dress, but in holidays,
festivities, weddings and private gatherings it is
highly favored, in particular by women. Kurdish
language is not only extremely respected by Kurds
themselves, it has entered into Tehran culture, too.
Persian (Fars ) families love too much Kurdish
names, specially they choose them for their baby
girls. In particular they prefer those names
including the letter “jh”, like Rojhin, Jhino etc.
Anyway, in general in Tehran Kurds are considered as
a progressive, modern and intellectual race. There
is no barrier in marriage, Kurds can marry with all
Muslim sects and other races, but to marry a non
Muslim spouse, she or he must be converted into
Islam, first. Most sects and religious groups have
their own mosques at Tehran, except Sunnis, who will
include Sunni Kurds as well. In Tehran there is no
formal primary or secondary school for Kurdish. But
there are some Kurdish language courses, at
Universities on de facto basis, mostly established
by Kurdish students. There is a Kurdish language
class at Tehran Kurds Society, called KKT.
Economy:
In general we can say, that at Tehran the Turkish
minority is the economist predominant body; Persians
(Fars) are main political and administrative masters
and Kurds reserve a large angle of cultural wheel.
That is, Kurds possess a moderate economic field
margin. They do not play an important role in grand
Bazar of Tehran. But a considerable number of them
are fruit and vegetable merchants.
Repatriation:
There is no considerable trend of repatriation. That
is, rarely you can see any Kurd to return to her or
his native town, to live there again permanently.
Because there is a severe shortage of jobs in
Kurdish areas, otherwise most of them dream about it
.
Organizations:
There are very few Kurdish organizations, institutes
and societies at Tehran. Tehran Kurds Society, or
KKT, is one of these organizations. It is an NGO,
established around 10 years ago. According to its
articles of constitution, its main field of duties
is: social, cultural and humanitarian jobs. It has a
rental old office, at the Navab Corner, Urumieh
Sharghi St, Tehran, phone 0098-21-66931909, which is
open in the evenings only, except on Fridays. KKT
now is intending to purchase a new building and move
there duly – it is collecting the donations for it.
You also can help them right now. KKT is holding
Kurdish festivities, seminars, conferences and
gatherings frequently and is practicing as an active
Kurdish center. Another Kurdish organization at
Tehran is Tehran Kurdish Institute , which is active
in cultural, social and other related fields.
Kermansah Home is another Kurdish NGO, which mostly
focuses on the Kurds of Kermanshah and southern part
of Kurdish populated areas of Iran. There are other
NGOs, like those of Lurs, Hawaramn etc and other
specialized ones, which it is better to be discussed
in a detailed separate report .
Relation With Other Races:
Generally, the Kurds of Tehran have a very good
relation with all Tehran society, including Farses,
Turks, Arabs, Turkmans, Baluchis, Gilakis etc. In
fact, there is no racial discrimination or
segregation at all, at public places, streets and
city quarters . Example: If a Kurd applies for a job
at a non governmental company, firm or shop, in most
cases the employers prefer to employ the Kurdish
applicant, but unfortunately in governmental
organizations the case is severely reversed.
In fact, Kurds have a very friendly relation with
other inhabitants of Tehran , on inter-communal
level . They love peaceful coexistence and respect
all cultures and religions of the world.
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