ERBIL,—The Iraqi final of the 25th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students took place Wednesday at Salahaddin University in Erbil, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Xinhua reported.

Nine finalists participated in the competition, which consisted of three sections: a talent performance, a themed speech, and a knowledge quiz.

Bahroz Kanabi Ismael, a second-year student in the Chinese Department at Salahaddin University, secured first place in the contest.

His victory earned him the opportunity to represent Iraq at the global finals of the “Chinese Bridge” competition in China.

Speaking at the event, Chinese Consul General in Erbil Liu Jun said participation levels and contestants’ Chinese-language abilities have increased steadily since the Kurdistan region hosted its first edition of the competition in 2022.

He said the trend demonstrates growing interest in learning Chinese across Iraq.

Liu also said he hoped language exchanges would encourage more young Iraqis to serve as ambassadors of friendship between China and Iraq and support stronger bilateral relations.

Safeen Dizayee, head of the Foreign Relations in the Kurdish authority, expressed appreciation to China for its ongoing efforts to build cultural and educational connections with the Kurdistan region.

Interest in the Chinese language has expanded in Iraq in recent years.

Salahaddin University became the first university in Iraq to offer an academic degree in Chinese in 2019, while University of Baghdad established the Chinese Department in 2025.

(With files from Xinhua)

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Kurdish youth have built a life with zero Arabic, no Arabic songs, no Arabic dramas or movies, no Arabic news, no interaction with Arab tourists

SULAIMANI,— Although Arabic is the official language of Iraq, and Kurdish students study it from the primary level in schools across the Kurdistan Region, most still do not learn it even after completing university.

A university professor says, “Learning English has taken the place of Arabic in the Kurdistan Region.”

Rêkar Mariwan, 24, who graduated last year from the College of Administration at the University of Sulaimani, says that he studied Arabic for more than 12 years, yet even now he does not understand it or speak it.

He said, “Even now, I still don’t understand Arabic grammar. I can’t tell the difference between verb forms, particles, vowels, or the hamza. When I speak, I mix up feminine, masculine, and dual forms. Honestly, it’s a difficult and unpleasant language. Kurdish and Arabic are very different and far from each other, and even many of their letters are not similar. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t learn it.”

He added, “Maybe the problem is that my friends and I don’t have any exposure to Arabic in our daily lives. We don’t listen to Arabic songs, we don’t watch Arabic dramas or movies, our news sources are not in Arabic, and we don’t interact much with Arabs. That’s why it’s hard to learn Arabic through a study program when we only try to pass exams.”

Rêkar is just one example of thousands of Kurdish students and young people in Kurdistan who, despite studying Arabic, do not really know the language, unlike their parents and grandparents, who grew up under Ba’ath rule and learned Arabic for various reasons.

Hassan Al-Dulaimi, a 40-year-old Arab man from Anbar who has lived in Sulaimani city for several years, learned Kurdish out of necessity for work. Not only does he understand Kurdish, but he also speaks it.

“He said, “From what I have noticed, many Kurds over the age of fifty know Arabic, because most of them either served in the military or studied in institutes and universities in Baghdad, Mustansiriya, or Mosul, and they had daily contact with Arabs.”

“Most of them also listened to famous Arab artists like Umm Kulthum, Mayada Al-Hanawi, and Kadim Al-Sahir.”

“Unlike young people today, who did not serve in the military and did not need to go to Baghdad or Mosul for university, only those who need it for work, such as doctors, traders, or shopkeepers, learn Arabic.”

He added, “In my opinion, the most important factor that makes people learn Arabic is work necessity.”

“For example, I learned Kurdish because most of my work is with Kurds, and I had no choice but to learn it, as I deal with buying and selling daily.”

“Otherwise, there are people who came with me to Sulaimani and still live here but have not learned Kurdish.”

“Often, when buying or making transactions, they ask someone who knows Arabic to translate for them.”

This comes at a time when learning English, due to its widespread use today, has become a basic necessity, especially for Kurdish students and youth to connect with the world. This has also reduced the importance given to Arabic.

Tavge Omar, an Arabic teacher who has been teaching at the high school level for 25 years, points out that all signs indicate a decline in interest in Arabic.

He said, “Young people in Kurdistan today listen to Kurdish singers much more than Arab artists. They no longer listen to Persian or Turkish artists as they used to.”

“They do not watch Arabic dramas, and their interaction with Arabs is very limited. Even though many Arabs have come to cities in Kurdistan, social interaction is still limited, and this has not led to young people learning Arabic.”

He added, “From what I have observed, Arabic is one of the subjects that Kurdish students struggle with in both basic and high school levels, and they do not get high grades in it. This generation is more focused on learning English than Arabic.”

Experts in the field of the Arabic language, in addition to these factors, also point to several other reasons for the weakness in learning Arabic in the education system of the Kurdistan Region.

Ata Abdulqadir, an Arabic language expert and university professor, points out that one sign of the lack of interest in Arabic among Kurdish youth is that in recent years, the number of Kurdish students willing to study Arabic at university has dropped to nearly zero.

This is because learning this language is not a necessity in today’s job market, and there are no longer enough job opportunities, such as becoming an Arabic teacher in the Ministry of Education.

He said, “In contrast, in recent years, dozens and even hundreds of kindergartens, schools, institutes, and private universities have opened in the Kurdistan Region where the main language of instruction is English, not Kurdish or Arabic.”

“This is because English today is a global language, and most science, technology, and the internet are in English. It is also the most important tool for communication with the outside world.”

“This is now the case in the education systems of most countries, even if English is not their official language. This has led to English replacing Arabic in the Kurdistan Region.”

This Arabic language expert, regarding why Kurdish students do not learn Arabic, points out that there are many reasons, from the curriculum and teaching methods to the school environment, class time, and students’ motivation to learn.

He said, “Research results show that, unfortunately, although high school graduates spend eight years studying this language, and then most of them study Arabic for four more years at university, they still cannot speak it.”

“Clearly, presenting grammar and language rules in a purely theoretical way is not only ineffective, but it also makes students tired and causes them to lose the desire to learn the language. They begin to see it as difficult.”

He added, “Solving the problem of learning Arabic is not only the responsibility of the Ministry of Education. Media channels can also play an effective role in this area, which has not been noticeable in Kurdistan in recent years.”

“One of the biggest weaknesses in both teaching and learning is poor communication, meaning speaking and listening, which leads to not learning grammar, phonetics, and proper sentence formation.” he concluded.

This report, by Mohammed Hawzhin, was translated from Awene newspaper from Kurdish language.

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Scherco R. Baban | Exclusive to iKurd.net

This article was written on January 6, 2011. I originally sent it to an English magazine in Erbil called IKP (International Kurdish Press), but it was never published. I found the draft in an old email a few days ago, and I believe it is still worth reading to compare our current situation in the Kurdistan Region with that of 2011.

On Thursday night, a day before New Year’s Eve 2011, I went out with friends to a trendy spot in central Erbil: Speedy Center. We were there to enjoy the evening and socialize in a festive atmosphere.

The night started perfectly. The DJ was talented, spinning a wide variety of music in several languages. However, the mood shifted when one of my friends suggested we hear some Kurdish music. He approached the DJ and asked for just one or two Kurdish songs.

To our utter shock, the DJ responded that playing Kurdish music was “forbidden.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked my friend to repeat the question, but the answer remained the same. We were stunned. The DJ, originally from war-torn Baghdad—where Iranian-style bans on Western music were then flourishing—wouldn’t even have been allowed to “DJ” in his home city at the time. Yet, he came to tolerant Kurdistan, where he was embraced with open arms, only to forbid us from hearing our own language in our own capital.

What Did We Fight For?

I found myself asking: What did we fight for? Did we fight merely for commercial shopping malls? Did we fight so that foreigners could live in “English,” “Canadian,” or “Martian” villages while refusing even to use the constitutional name of our region—Kurdistan—preferring instead the term “Northern Iraq”? Have we reached a point where our own language is considered “unfashionable” or “not in”?

Did our Peshmerga fight so that Kurdish would become a secondary language only spoken by the “uncool” peasants, or the families of the martyrs? I want to ask the President of the Kurdistan Region:

“Your Excellency, did you lose half of your family and your loved ones only to allow people who hate us to succeed at cultural assimilation through ‘democratic’ means where they failed with military force?”

Many of those now flooding into our safe and prosperous region once denied the former regime’s use of weapons of mass destruction against our people. Now, we allow them to deny us the very name of Kurdistan and the use of our mother tongue. What happened? Was it Kurdistan we fought for, or was it the “defter”—the $10,000 stacks of cash?

A Matter of Identity

Let me ask a simple question to any honest person: Would anyone dare forbid English in London? Or Turkish in Istanbul? It would be unthinkable to forbid Swedish in liberal Stockholm. So why do we allow it here?

As I walk the streets of Erbil, I see signs in every language imaginable. While Kurdish is still repressed in neighboring countries, here in our capital, it is being sidelined by choice. I heard the Governor of Erbil encouraged shopkeepers to decorate for Christmas festivities. While I am a big fan of Christmas, I would much rather see him mandate that Kurdish be included on every shop sign in the city.

The next day, my friends and I went for coffee at a place called Costa Rica Cafe. Once again, we were met with a menu written only in Arabic and English. There was no Kurdish to be found. Someone replied sarcastically, “Kurdish is not fashionable.”

A Disappointing Future?

Congratulations, Peshmerga! We have successfully turned Erbil into Al-Arbil, a second Dubai—at the cost of our own identity.

A few days later, I left Al-Arbil for the “Ostan of Al-Sulaymaniyah,” formerly known as Silêmanî, the crown jewel of the Babans. I was equally disappointed. What does the future hold for us? Will we have any place left that we can truly call home? Will we have Peshmerga willing to fight for it for real, or will we place that burden on the international community? What if they don´t?

I hope my fears are wrong, and I hope the studies of professor Robert D. Putnam about diversity and multiethnicity societies from a few years ago are also wrong—but I am just saying.

Scherco R. Baban, an independent researcher and analyst specializing in Kurdish Question and The Middle Eastern security, economical and cultural dynamics.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.

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BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education has announced a nationwide ban on smoking in all public and private universities and colleges, beginning with the 2025–2026 academic year, according to an official statement issued Monday.

The new rule applies to teachers, administrative staff, and students, the ministry said. Penalties will be imposed on anyone who violates the regulation. The fines are set at 25,000 Iraqi dinars ($19) for teachers, 15,000 dinars ($11.5) for university employees, and 10,000 dinars ($7.5) for students caught smoking in prohibited areas.

The statement also said that the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products will not be allowed inside any university or college buildings or facilities.

The statement said the ban includes “smoking in any known area inside the university, including its buildings, halls, corridors, and surroundings, or in any enclosed area within the university. Inviting others or encouraging them to smoke inside the university.”

The ministry explained that the decision is intended to promote a healthier and cleaner educational environment.

The statement did not mention a complete ban across university complexes but referred specifically to smoking inside university buildings and facilities. It is therefore understood that smoking outside, in open-air areas of the campus, is still allowed.

Several universities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, including those in Erbil and Sulaimani, had previously introduced internal bans on smoking.

However, this new directive expands the rule to all institutions nationwide and makes it legally binding.

Although smoking is widely practiced in Iraq, government efforts to limit tobacco use have faced inconsistent enforcement. A general ban on smoking in or around public buildings was first enacted in 2009, following earlier campaigns launched after 2003 to promote public health.

A 2015 report by Iraqi health advocates estimated that an average of 55 Iraqis die every day from diseases linked to smoking, while about 10 people a day lose their lives to violence or terrorism. Health experts say the figures highlight the heavy toll of tobacco use on Iraq’s population.

According to surveys, smoking rates in Iraq remain high at roughly 31 percent among men and 4 percent among women.

In the Kurdistan Region, the overall rate is lower at 15.3 percent, including 25.1 percent for men and 2.7 percent for women.

While advertising tobacco is officially banned, enforcement remains weak.

A 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) survey reported that cigarette advertisements could still be found in Baghdad, including near hospitals and schools. The same report noted that 13 percent of Iraq’s districts had no funded programs to help smokers quit.

Cigarette taxes remain relatively low, with most packs selling for under one U.S. dollar. Despite opposition from religious leaders, who generally view smoking as un-Islamic, the practice continues to be seen by many Iraqis as a socially acceptable habit.

(With files from Agencies)

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SULAIMANI, — The University of Sulaimani has been ranked as the top university in Kurdistan Region and placed eighth in Iraq, according to the 2025 Scimago Institutions Rankings.

Scimago Institutions Rankings (SIR), which evaluates universities globally, placed the University of Sulaimani at the forefront among academic institutions in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. The rankings assess universities based on research performance, innovation, and societal impact.

The University of Sulaimani, established in 1968, has played a key role in higher education in Iraqi Kurdistan. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple disciplines, including medicine, engineering, and social sciences.

According to SIR, a total of 67 universities in Iraq were included in the 2025 rankings. In the Kurdistan Region, Komar University of Science and Technology and Duhok Polytechnic University followed in second and third place, respectively.

The ranking of universities in the Kurdistan Region for 2025 is as follows:

1. University of Sulaimani
2. Komar University of Science and Technology
3. Duhok Polytechnic University
4. Tishk International University
5. Sulaimani Polytechnic University
6. University of Kurdistan Hewler
7. Salahaddin University-Erbil
8. Koya University
9. University of Duhok
10. University of Garmian
11. University of Zakho
12. Cihan University, Erbil
13. Nawroz University
14. University of Kirkuk
15. University of Raparin
16. Hawler Medical University
17. University of Human Development
18. Soran University
19. Erbil Polytechnic University

Internationally, Harvard University in the United States was ranked first, followed by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tsinghua University in China.

The Scimago Institutions Rankings have been published annually since 2009 and are based on three primary criteria: research performance (50%), innovation (30%), and societal impact (20%). The methodology considers factors such as research publications, citations, patents, and web visibility to evaluate universities’ global standing.

The rankings serve as a key reference for academic institutions worldwide, reflecting their contributions to research and technological advancements.

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Barzani Security Forces Block Sulaimani Teachers Protesting Unpaid Wages from Entering Erbil

ERBIL/SULAIMANI,—Iraqi Kurdistan’s Erbil security forces affiliated with the Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) blocked teachers from Sulaimani and surrounding areas from entering Erbil on Monday, as they sought to protest unpaid wages that have gone unresolved for months.

The protest, organized by educators from Sulaimani and Koya, was aimed at demanding the payment of overdue salaries, with many teachers having gone without pay since December 2024. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had repeatedly promised to address the issue, but teachers say their wages remain withheld, contributing to widespread dissatisfaction in the region.

The Erbil Teachers Union confirmed that Mamosta Nawzad Omar, Deputy Head of the union, was reportedly arrested early on Sunday morning by Erbil security forces as he and other teachers prepared to protest.

Dozens of teachers in Sulaimani have gone on hunger strike for over 10 days to protest the non-payment of their salaries. Some of the teachers have reportedly started to experience health complications due to the prolonged strike, but they remain resolute in their demand for overdue wages.

While teachers and other public sector employees in Iraqi Kurdistan Region have been facing delayed payments for several months, Barzani’s government has only paid civil servants in Erbil and Duhok, which fall under his control, while withholding wages in Sulaimani province.

This unequal distribution of resources has led to widespread frustration, particularly in areas governed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), including Sulaimani, where protests are more common.

In an attempt to prevent the protest, security forces stationed at the Pedaka border crossing, which lies between Erbil and the Koya and Sulaimani regions, stopped the demonstrators from entering the city. Despite the blockade, a group of teachers and other protesters from areas like Germiyan remained resolute, determined to press forward with their demands.

Erbil’s Governor, Omed Xoshnaw, addressed the situation in a press briefing, stating that while the city is usually open to visitors, it would not host the protest. Xoshnaw claimed that the demonstration had not been authorized, and insisted that protesters should follow the proper legal procedures if they wished to hold gatherings in the city.

“Erbil has always welcomed visitors, but today, we do not have the capacity to host such a gathering,” Xoshnaw said. He also pointed out that the protestors had not sought permission to enter the city, stressing that legal procedures must be followed.

Protests are strictly prohibited in Erbil and Duhok, regions controlled by the Barzani family. Public demonstrations are routinely blocked, and participants are often arrested. However, protests are allowed in areas controlled by the Talabani’s PUK, including Sulaimani, where teachers and other public sector workers have staged regular demonstrations in recent weeks.

This stark contrast between the two political factions has fueled tensions, with protests occurring freely in PUK-controlled territories but facing harsh suppression in Barzani-controlled areas.

The ongoing salary crisis and the government’s heavy-handed response to protests have deepened the divide between the two parties, further polarizing the region’s political landscape.

The standoff continues, with teachers and public sector workers in Sulaimani and surrounding areas determined to voice their grievances while facing strong opposition from the Barzani-led security forces.

The financial control of the KRG remains in the hands of the Barzani family, who have been paying civil servants in Erbil and Duhok while withholding wages in Sulaimani.

This unequal distribution of resources has fueled further discontent and unrest, particularly among teachers and public employees in Sulaimani province.

(With files from NRT TV | Rojnews | Agencies)

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Scherco R. Baban | iKurd.net

A while ago, Kurdistan Region´s president, Massoud Barzani announced measures to found a standard Kurdish (Lingua Franca). This news delighted many of us Kurds who wish to see a unified written system for our language.

In my opinion, the use of the Latin based System as a unified written system for all our dialects is the best solution. The Latin alphabet is simpler than the Perso-Arabic and more adequate for the purpose of communicating via the internet and other modern communication tools. This is very important to promote the use of the Kurdish language for the benefit of young Kurds in both Kurdistan and those who live abroad.

Comparing to the existing Perso-Arabic model, the Latin alphabet has greater flexibility in writing of any Kurdish dialect and it could be used with most modern communication tools. This unified writing system makes publications and media in Kurdistan Region useful in other parts of Kurdistan and any part of the world.

To promote our Kurdish language among our people we have really to have an easy and simple alphabet A unified writing system for all dialects of Kurdish is imperative and the Latin based alphabet is the answer.

I think it is important that our people can even learn this new system by themselves, Because of our political and geographical reality, schools and courses are not always available for all Kurds. Social tools on the web and cable TVs could be very effective in promoting it! I would like to use this article to ask any mobile phones.

Let´s make this ” language among our young people. Let´s make it “cool” to be a Kurd and talk and write in Kurdish. Let’s make our youngsters to be proud and have more or at least the same national pride as our hostile neighbors. In my opinion we need pride to maintain our culture and heritage. Inner pride, inner strength and confidence are the most important tool to achieve that. Pride is a weapon!

English, Chinese and Arabic and many other languages do not have the easiest alphabet or orthography.

But they have large states to promote them! Because of this reality we need a simple system to be implied not only by our intellectuals or educated people but most importantly by the vast MAJORITY.

We need to make Written Kurdish the language of the majority and not the language of the few!

Standard Language or Lingua Franca

I heard that an academy was set up to evolve a so called a standard language, a Lingua Franca. In my opinion that we should not bother so much about that for now as it would even spark some regional or tribal sensibility and this is the least thing we need.

What we need is the KRG to implement the use of the Bedirxan system as soon as possible. People in South Kurdistan would start understand Kurdish dialects of North and Western Kurdistan better and the people of the North would get access to Southern Kurdish literature.

The second step (Where the Academy is indeed needed) is to unify the terminology concepts that Kurds use in the different parts of Kurdish territories, such as in science, law, politics, or even daily concepts.
How to say terminology in Kurdish? Is it terminoloji or terminologi?

How to say mobile phone in Kurdish? Is “Mobayel” the right way to say it or should we stop using the British English pronunciations? What is the name of the first Soviet leader? Is he Lenin or “Linin” as they use to proununciate it in Southern Kurdistan because of the Arabic influence and as we know the Arabic language have the letter E. ( Many of our ex communists and politicians used to read books and other materials in Persian and Arabic) Shouldn´t Korek Tilikom change its name to Korek Telekom? Isn’t Europa more proper than Ewrupa?

When we manage to use the terminologies in the same way among all Kurds then it will be very easy to create our Lingua Franca. Actually it will be created or evolved by its own. It will just be like an assisted natural evolution of our language. All we need to do is to assist by some guidelines that`s all! It will be the language of the people by the people.

Linguistics scholars and philology teachers will just assist the language into its natural evolve with some guidelines and correct using of grammar and CORRECT introduction of foreign words into Kurdish..So the loanwords need to naturalize and comply with common global Kurdish spelling rules whilst few local exceptional pronunciations are justified.

As I said before the users of Bedir Xan Latin System in North and western Kurdistan, could gain easy access to publication on the Internet and electronic mail, published in Kurdistan Region as well as the capability of making their publications and books readable in the Kurdistan Region.

By this way even if we do not achieve the actual union yet, a psychological union, is much more effective than armed struggle! Our psychological union and independence is key to the actual independence! Just like when sport´s men have their inner game before the actual game.

I think we need to make this reform now and not tomorrow and to start promote it among our people we can start by the social tools on the web like Facebook and others and the Kurdish NGOs, and Institute Kurd de Paris and other institutions.

The Kurdistan Regional Government should introduce the reform right away into . In my opinion we need a 10 year´s introduction period when both alphabets are thought and gradually the Latin system would be the main writing system. The Person-Arabic Alphabet should be available for a longer period in the governmental institutions for the elders.

Few things to remember:

We should write foreign scientific words like or near their original writing when there is no original Kurdish words: arkeologî, mobîl, bîologî, dîgîtal, psikologî, stasion, demokratî telekom, Europa.

We must write the name of people who use a version of Latin alphabet as their original.

Names of Peoples who use the Latin form, like Chinese, Russian or Arabic we could use The English variation or any already established form to write it.

Unified Writing Different Pronunciations!

Unified way of writing should allow a different ways of pronunciations. W should be read As a (V) and (U) and even (B). For example when writing thwhich is ÇAW in South Kurdmancî and ÇAV in North Kurdmancî, a common way of writing should be ÇAW. pronounced in many Kurdish dialects such as the Silemanî dialect but it should be written anyway!

Again, unified script different pronunciation!

A Kurdish Academy of Language when formed must have representatives of all dialects and parts of Kurdistan. Not just South and North Kurdmancî, but also Zazakî and Goranî etc.. and keep the political parties far away please!

Lately and specially in the Silemanî region I have noticed that there is removal of the Arabic loan words in our language, just to let The Persian loan words sneak in. Please try to find words from the Zaza regions, North Kurdistan, Hewraman region or even far regions like Ezidi (Yazidi) Kurds in Sinjar, Georgia and Armenia.

Please keep the Kurdish language Kurdish!

When introducing Kurdish names into English we must use the Kurdish way of pronunciation. Examples:
Silemani, not As Sulaimaniyah. Hewler, not Arbil or Erbil. Akre, not Aqrah. Efrin, not Afrin.

Koye, not Koya or Koysanjaq. Not trying to stop the use of Non Kurdish names to Kurdish places in English would invite people to think that these places had a non Kurdish history or origin. Beware!

In Turkey it´s forbidden to write Constantinople, Smyrna and Ikonia instead of Istanbul Izmir and Konya so why should we let this happen while in contrary to the former mentioned cities, our cities and places are really ours!

Let us work together and make this dream about a unified Kurdish alphabet come true!

Scherco R. Baban, an independent researcher and analyst specializing in Kurdish Question and The Middle Eastern security, economical and cultural dynamics.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.

Copyright © 2013 iKurd.net. All rights reserved.

The post The Introduction of a Standard Kurdish appeared first on iKurd News.

Rizgar Khoshnaw | Exclusive to iKurd.net

I know how difficult it is to obtain a college a degree and how many hours one must dedicate daily to studies in order to achieve this goal since I have done it myself. It is absurd to see that young college graduates in Iraqi Kurdistan resort to driving a taxi for few dollars a day while most, so called “politicians,” are drowning in money.

College graduates are resorting to such degrading trade simply because there are no jobs for them either in the private sector or in the government. Whenever I travel to Erbil, I use taxis for my destination and always strike a conversation with them to find out more about life and what is going on.

Every single taxi driver complains about the fact that they hate driving all day for few dollars and that they have no other alternatives to entertain. I strongly suggest to anyone living and visiting Kurdistan to investigated this issue to see that I am 100% accurate.

The saddest thing about this situation is that this huge amount of money collected by the government, the KRG, belongs to everyone in Kurdistan since it is income generated from the State oil sales. But somehow some of these selfish “politicians” seem to never have enough of it. I do not know, and I wish to know, how these people sleep at night knowing that they are abusing their own people and power in such unjust manner. No one lives for ever and no one take the cash with them to their grave!

In the past fourteen years that I have been working/visiting Kurdistan, and being close to “certain” politicians for all these years, I have seen unbelievable amount of injustices, corruption, mismanagement and abuse. At the same time, I often read in some of the most popular and respected news papers, such as the Washington Post, around the world praising Kurdistan and its achievement and I always wondered how is that? Why are these news agencies are writing such “rosy” articles and it is 100% untrue?

Then I recently solved this dilemma when I found out that the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG (their representative in Washington, DC and other Kurdish politicians) are actually paying huge amount of money for such false and misleading advertisements!

Now I wish to make a very simple comparison to prove my point. I am going to compare Erbil, Kurdistan, the largest city in Kurdistan, to the one of the most populated cities in the world and at the same time, it is second largest city in the United States; Los Angeles, California.

Erbil:

1- Erbil covers an area of roughly six Kilometers by seven Kilometers (information gathered from Google earth web site)

2- Erbil population is 808,600 (information gathered from OCHA, a United Nations agency, study from July 2009)

3- The number of taxis in Erbil is over 35,000 ( that is thirty five thousand)

Los Angeles:

1- Los Angeles covers an area exactly 1,214 Kilometer Square (information obtained from Google and Wikipedia.org)

2- Los Angeles, population is 12,828,837 (information gathered from Wikipedia.org)

3- The number of taxis (nine different companies) in Los Angeles totals exactly 2,300 (two thousand three hundred) for all nine companies and this information can be found at Los Angels County (lacounty.gov) web site.

It does not take a Harvard Ph.D. in mathematics/statistics to figure out the ratio of taxi to people in these two cites!! It is easy to see that taxi driver occupation in Erbil is something that we should pay attention to and to determine/observe that not many Kurds are actually benefiting from the oil deals and revenues that we are seeing in Kurdistan. We all know who is benefiting in these deals, but no need to talk about this as I have covered this issue in my pervious articles.

On my next article, I will discuss another very well known and popular occupation in Kurdistan; Shoe shine !!

If KRG calls these “jobs” then they need to seriously begin to reevaluate their thinking and start to plan of creating “real” jobs in Kurdistan. And if KRG is unable to solve/tackle such problem, then they should not be surprised whenever their citizens begin to voice their concerns and make demands for better living conditions.

Rizgar Xoshnaw, a senior Kurdish writer based in Washington, a longtime contributing writer and columnist for iKurd.net.

Rizgar Khoshnaw, Washington, DC, he has lived in the US for the past 35 years. He attended North Carolina State University for a period of six years and obtained the degrees in Economics, business management and two years of Pre-Medical. He began to travel to Kurdistan fourteen years ago after being absent from Kurdistan for more than 23 years. from the first visit in 1997 to 2001, He traveled to Kurdistan 25 times to investigate the oil-for-food program and wrote a book (and had over 50 articles published) about the dishonest program. In the past eight years, he has been representing an American based company trying to implement certain projects.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.

Copyright © 2011 iKurd.net. All rights reserved

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