Kurdish writer Faruq Rafiq dies at 65 in Erbil

ERBIL,— Faruq Rafiq, a prominent Kurdish philosopher and writer widely known for his work on liberalism and political thought, died Tuesday at his home in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. He was 65.

Faruq Rafiq Hama Karim was born in 1961 in Sulaimani. He earned a doctorate in philosophy from a university in Canada, where he spent part of his academic career before returning to the Kurdistan Region.

He later served as editor-in-chief of Awaz magazine, a publication devoted to philosophy and science.

During his career, Rafiq wrote several books that shaped intellectual debate in the region. One of his most noted works is “Reconciliation of Reason and Love.” The book examines liberal education and civic ethics.

He also wrote “The Art of Philosophy,” described as a metaphysical lecture. Another major title is “Pax Americana: The Era of American Hegemony.”

In 2010, he published “The Art of Love.” A year later, in 2011, he released “A Station in a Philosophical Journey.” His other title is “One Hour Before Midnight.”

He was considered part of a generation of Kurdish intellectuals who combined academic philosophy with public commentary and regularly appeared in televised debates on Kurdish television channels.

His views on politics, Islam, and religion were at times the subject of public controversy.

Writing in an opinion piece published on April 28, 2026 in Awene Newspaper, commentator Samira Ali described Rafiq as an intellectual “who, in a sea of silence, gave his life with a cry for modernity and rational thinking.”

Ali wrote that Rafiq was not just a person who died, but a voice that had already been silenced by a closed-minded society.

She said that when he tried, through the “Ava” platform, to bring meaning back to public life and civilization, society did not listen and instead attacked him.

Ali said attacks by Islamist extremist groups against Rafiq, particularly when he criticized conditions at the Sulaimani International Book Exhibition, reflected what she called the intellectual failure of that society.

She said those who insulted him in the name of religion and tradition did not understand that his criticism was intended to protect the dignity of the city.

She wrote that a society unable to accept criticism about a book exhibition cannot be expected to accept philosophy, adding that Rafiq lived among people who tolerate insults but fear the word reason.

Ali further noted that even after his death, hostile language directed at Rafiq continued from some quarters, which she described as a deep moral failure.

She wrote that Rafiq was not killed by illness but by the feeling of not belonging in his own country, becoming a victim of the struggle between what she called darkness and light.

Ali warned that until society learns to hold open discussions and confronts religious extremism, future thinkers will face the same fate.

Ali concluded that Rafiq was like a mirror reflecting problems within society’s thinking, and instead of addressing those problems, society chose to break the mirror.