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US: Experts discuss creation of Kurd
nation
7.9.2007
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September 7, 2007
Hinkley Institute, Utah, -- If the Kurdish
population in Kurdistan region (northern Iraq) and
Turkey were to form an official nation, there is a
strong possibility it would be the second
non-Islamic state in the Middle East, Robert Olson
said.
This topic, along with other issues facing the
Kurdish population in the Middle East, was discussed
during the opening presentation of the 2007 Middle
East and Central Asia Politics, Economics and
Society conference on Thursday.
"It's a zigzag process but development in Kurdistan,
Iraq and Turkey is historically unprecedented," said
Olson, a University of Kentucky professor. "There is
lots of development in Kurdistan, but little
development in Iraq proper." Kurdistan is a term
used to refer to the area of land where the Kurds
live. The area overlaps parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran
and Syria.
The only other non-Islamic nation in the Middle East
is Israel.
Olson emphasized the competition between Kurdish
nationalism and capitalism. An independent nation
may be founded in Iraq if the conditions between
these two factors become sufficient. |
Dr. Robert Olsen, Kurdish Politics specialist from
the University of Kentucky, delivers a speech at the
Hinkley Institute of Politics to start off the
Middle East and Central Asia conference. |
Whether a Kurdish nation would truly be non-Islamic
was a matter of debate among the international
scholars attending the conference in the Union.
"Professor Olson took the first approach and in
broad lines, I agree that there will probably be
secular logic to follow the development," said Üner
Daglier, an assistant professor at Cag University in
Turkey.
The presentation helped others better understand the
Kurds.
"I'm not very familiar with the situation in
Kurdistan, but I have friends who were Kurds, so I
understood some of the situations and it was a
little more personal," said Kyle Stegerwald, a
sophomore in computer science and history.
Olson compared the Kurdish situation to the Zionist
movement, which led creation of Israel 31 years
later.
"The policies pursued by the U.S. lead to stronger
state-formulating possibilities for the Kurds,"
Olson said.
The Kurds can claim many different identities, Olson
said, including Islamic.
"Political Islam is a dynamic dissenting force
against reigning powers," Olson said. "(The Kurds)
recognize non-religious objectives they want to
achieve and non-religious principles will remain
dominant."
The conference continues until Sept. 8. All the
presentations are held on campus and are free and
open to the public.
dailyutahchronicle com
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