Anti-Kurdish sentiment

Cemetery of victims of the Halabja chemical attack

Anti-Kurdish sentiment, also known as anti-Kurdism or Kurdophobia, is hostility, fear, intolerance or racism against the Kurdish people, Kurdistan, Kurdish culture, or Kurdish languages.[1] A person who holds such positions is sometimes referred to as a "Kurdophobe".

Gérard Chaliand coined the term to describe how Kurds have been oppressed.[1] In Turkey, the government has historically denied Kurdish identity and language.[2] In Syria and Iraq, similar anti-Kurdish policies have caused significant harm, including genocidal campaigns in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.[3] Recently, conflicts like the fight against ISIS have increased awareness but also heightened anti-Kurdish actions and discrimination.

  1. ^ a b Gérard Chaliand (1993). A People Without a Country: The Kurds and Kurdistan. Zed Books. pp. 85–. ISBN 978-1-85649-194-5.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).