Razkari Party

For other uses, see Razkari (disambiguation).
Razkari Party
حزب رزكاري
FounderFaysal Fakhru
FoundedApril 3, 1975 (1975-04-03)
NewspaperXebat (transl. the Struggle)
IdeologyKurdish nationalism
National affiliationMarch 8 Alliance
SloganArabic: عمل - تضحية - وفاء, romanized: ‘Amal - Taḍḥiyah - Wafā’, lit. 'Work - Sacrifice - Loyalty'[1]
Parliament of Lebanon
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Cabinet of Lebanon
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Party flag

The Razkari Party[2][i] (Arabic: حزب رزكاري, romanized: Ḥizb Rizkārī; Kurdish: حزبی ڕزگاری, romanized: Ḧizbî R̄izgarî) is a Lebanese-Kurdish political group that was established on 3 April 1975 by Faysal Fakhru, due to disagreement with the policies of the Kurdish Democratic Party – Lebanon (KDP-L) under Jamil Mihhu.[1][4] The three main points of disagreement that led to the formation of the Razkari Party were the KDP-L's failure to appeal to non-Kurmanji-speaking Kurds, its support for the Iraqi government's proposals in the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict, and accusations of nepotism within the party's leadership.[6] The Razkari Party continued to exist following the end of the Lebanese Civil War, becoming the only political party to represent Lebanon's estimated 100,000 Kurds, and aligning itself with Hezbollah and the March 8 Alliance.[2][5]

  1. ^ a b "وفاة رئيس حزب رزگاري الكوردي اللبناني عن 73 عاماً" [The head of the Lebanese-Kurdish Razkari Party has passed away at the age of 73]. Rudaw Media Network (in Arabic). 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  2. ^ a b Faraydun, Bahroz (2015-09-29). "Impoverished Lebanese Kurds lack political voice". Rudaw Media Network. Retrieved 2023-08-14. Although an estimated 100,000 Kurdish people live in Lebanon, they have only one political organization to represent them, the Razkari (Liberation) Party. The Razkari Party, which has close ties to Hezbollah, is allegedly suffering from financial problems and some believe it will not be able to survive much longer. The prospect of this is disheartening to the many Kurds who feel marginalized in the country.
  3. ^ "News from Beirut". Lebanon.Com. 1997-04-01. Retrieved 2023-08-14. The Kurdish Rizkari party called the community members to get ready to the forthcoming municipal elections and obtain cards.
  4. ^ a b Collelo, Thomas, ed. (1989). Lebanon: a country study (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division. LCCN 88600488 – via Library of Congress. Riz Kari was another Kurdish group dissatisfied with the leadership of the Kurdish Democratic Party. Established in 1975 by Faysal Fakhu, Riz Kari supported the Kurdish forces fighting against the Iraqi regime. For a brief period during the 1975 Civil War, however, Riz Kari joined forces with the Kurdish Democratic Party to form the Progressive Kurdish Front in an effort to eliminate differences in the ranks of Lebanese Kurds. Riz Kari was weakened in the mid-1970s by the defection of part of its organization, which called itself the Leftist Riz Kari, or Riz Kari II. This organization, led by Abdi Ibrahim, a staunch ally of Syria, rejected the formation of the Progressive Kurdish Front because it included the "right-wing" leadership of Mihhu.
  5. ^ a b Özdemici Cinal, Ayşe Selcan (2017-03-30). "The Mardinite Community in Lebanon: Migration of Mardin's People". Report (208). Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies: 18. ISBN 978-605-9157-17-9. The Mardinite Kurds, particularly the first generation émigrés, are politically more active (...) via their civil society organizations or political parties such as the Kurdish Democratic Party of Lebanon, Rizgari or other groups within the March 8 bloc.
  6. ^ a b Meho, Lokman I.; Maglaughlin, Kelly L. (2001-02-28). Kurdish Culture and Society: An Annotated Bibliography. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-0-313-01680-6. Retrieved 2023-08-15 – via Google Books. Rezgari (The Lebanese Kurdish Party): Three reasons were used by Faysal Fakhru to justify the founding of this party on April 3, 1975: the failure of al-Parti to appeal to non-Kurmanji speakers, Mihhu's support for the Iraqi regime's plans for Kurdish autonomy, and the leadership structure of al-Parti which seemed to have been transformed into a Mihhu family organization rather than representing the interests of the whole Kurdish community. Soon after its formation, the Rezgari declared through its bulletin, Xebat (The Struggle) , its support for the Lebanese government and its neutrality towards the various factions participating in the civil war. Accordingly, it participated in Jabhat al-Ahzab wa al-Qiwa al-Qawmiyya wa al-Wataniyya fi Lubnan, which was in favor neither of the policies adopted by the Muslim-dominated Lebanese National Movement nor those of the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front. In a surprise move, on December 4, 1976, Mihhu and Fakhru put their differences and verbal attacks aside and announced the formation of al-Jabha al-Wataniyya al-Kurdiyya al-'Arida (The Broad Kurdish National Front) whose main goals were to unify Kurdish political action in Lebanon, guarantee the unity of the Kurdish community in Lebanon, improve their social and political status, and to uphold the rights of Lebanese Kurds in employment and citizenship. They also agreed to support the Lebanese National Movement and, at the same time, welcomed the intervention of the Arab Deterrence Forces led by Syria, an act seen by them as the best solution to end the war. The Front ceased existence in less than a year due to the imprisonment of Mihhu by the Syrians. Keeping a very low profile on the Lebanese scene after 1977, Rezgari continues to exist today. Rezgari II (The Lebanese Kurdish Party): Following the creation of the Broad Kurdish National Front between al-Parti and Rezgari, a faction within the latter split off accusing General Secretary Fakhru of "reconciling with Mihhu and returning to Kurdish tribalism." Led by 'Abdi Ibrahim, this new faction also protested Mihhu's domination of the Front and accused Fakhru of following Mihhu's pattern in not appealing to various Kurdish groups. In addition, Fakhru was accused of favoring Baghdad's autonomy plans for Iraqi Kurdistan. In early 1977, Ibrahim announced that he would maintain and preserve the basic principles of the parent party and denounce the establishment of the Front. As a result, he declared the formation of a new party, the Lebanese Kurdish Party (or Rezgari II) which replaced Rezgari in Jabhat al-Ahzab wa al-Qiwa al-Qawmiyya wa al-Wataniyya fi Lubnan. Rezgari II continued to function until the Israeli invasion in June 1982. Thereafter, the party practically ceased to exist when its General Secretary left for Syria; his attempt to revive the party three years later eneded with failure. In fact, soon after Ibrahim left in June 1982, Jamil Hasan, a leading member in the party broke away in November of the same year to establish the Lebanese Socialist Rezgari Party. Hasan himself was thrown out of the new faction after re-allying himself with Fakhru and declaring the merger of both the Socialist Party and Rezgari in late 1984. Witnessing more break-ups, the Socialist party ceased existence in 1985.


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