Why is the Faili Kurds people are situated to the worst ethnic...

Iraqi Kurdish Faili refugees in Iran. Photo: Archive

Dr. Ala Musa Hasan | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The question that every Faili Kurds tend to ask themselves is that, “Why is the Faili Kurds people are exposed to the worst ethnic disposition operation in Iraq? I asked myself this question many times while I was unreasonably incarcerated at Abu-Ghraib Jail, and every time that this question comes to my mind, I tend to come up with a diverse answers each time.

I still do not know what is the real answer for this question and I do not know if I will ever come up with a satisfying answer for this question. Many of the Faili Kurds tend to look for the simplest causes for their exposure to the worst ethnic disposition operation, because they find it a lot easier to digest, but is that really the right question to ask?

In my opinion, I really believe that the Faili Kurds community should not focus on the causes of their misery, but their focal point should be on the outcome. Every Faili Kurd person should ask him or herself “What can they do as a Faili Kurds Community in order to stop this madness? And “How can they guarantee that this lunacy will not happened to their new generations”? I think that it is very important and beneficial for them to focus on the outcome and the prevention course for their constant issues, rather than keep dwelling on the causes and the past. They need to move forward for the benefit of their children and their new generations and not to be stagnant for ever.

The most common reason that the Faili Kurds people can think for the very first question as follow:

One of Saddam’s reasons for treating the Faili Kurds so ruthlessly, could be the nationalism ideology of the Baath Party. The Baath Party was existed during the World War II. The Baath party believes in the Nazism principles (believes in the Arab ultra-nationalism philosophy).

Saddam was very influenced by the elite mentality of his group, and he was inspired by the Nazism’s and Stalinism’s ideology of national superiority and dictatorial regime. Therefore, he was so daunting with the concept of the Arab Superiority and he leaned to overlook the rights of the minority people.

Another Saddam’s reason for treating the Faili Kurds so brutally could be the Faili Kurds achievement in Baghdad’s economy. The Faili Kurds were able to attain a huge success rate in the commercial field in Baghdad’s market, and that was the seat and the center of power in Baghdad’s economy. Therefore, Saddam’s goal was to demolish the Faili Kurds domination in the economy, through a mass deportation act.

Another Saddam’s reason for treating the Faili Kurds so cruelly could be the Faili Kurds resistance to the Baath insurgency that occurred during the beginning of the 1963. During that time, the Baath Party carried out a bloody and cruel insurgency against the Iraqi president AbdulKareem Kasim, but the Faili Kurds youths stood up in the face of the Baath’s insurgency around the Kurdish quarter in Baghdad. Thus, Saddam did not forget the Faili Kurds resistance nor he forgives them for that.

Another Saddam’s reason for treating the Faili Kurds people so viciously could be their faith affiliations. The Faili Kurds people are belonging to the Shiite faith, and the majority of the Iraqi officials in the former Iraqi government were from the Suni faith.

The Suni faith was the dominant faith in the Iraqi government at that time, and most of the Iraqi officials who ruled the country were from the Sunni triangle of Iraq. Saddam also had a plan to attack Iran for his personal revenge from the Iranian people and as part of his preparations for the war on Iran, his plan was to create a social and economic instability in Iran by deporting almost 500.000 of Faili Kurds people to that country.

These are the most comment reasons that everyone including the Faili Kurds people could come up with for their suffering during the 1980’s event and it is still continued up to date. The Faili Kurds community did suffer the most horrible oppression act under Saddam Hussein and his Baathist government.

Although, they should not keep dwelling on the past, and I do not mean by this that they should forget about the Faili Kurds Holocausts, but what I intended to say is that they should be more proactive and focus on their future outcome and solutions.

At present time, many Faili Kurds are spread over many parts of the world. A large number of Faili Kurds are still living in Iraq, especially in Baghdad area, but a conspicuous numbers of them have chosen a life in exile, such as, Iran, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, England, Holland, Canada, France, Australia, and United State.

Most Faili Kurds feels that they being betrayed by other political parties of Iraq’s government. Because they placed so much faith in the current Iraqi Kurdish and Shiite parties, and they assumed that these parties should do more to address the injustices that was committed against them.

However, those political parties have no intention to move forward with the Faili’s issues, but their response was that the Faili Kurds themselves should delegate and advocate for their own issues.

If the Faili Kurds rely on other political parties to take up their case and grievances, they will get nowhere. Because after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Faili Kurds did not go on with their issues and concerns as a large community, but they went on with their matters and distresses as a several political powers participating in diverse political parties, so their division among parties created a kind of weakness.

Relying on other political parties and politicians to address their issues and concerns will be a waste of time, because they will be forgotten most of the time. It is their issues and concerns and they are the one should Handel them not others.

The best way to do this is that the Faili Kurds themselves should take up their cases, their grievances, their demands, and their rights, as one community, not as a divided political movements. This is the only way that they can reach their voices to the whole world in order to pursue with their aspirations, goals, demands, and concerns, because no one else will do it for them.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that the Faili Kurds community should not rely heavily on other political parties, such as, the Shiite or the Kurdish political parties, because all these political parties have their own issues, agendas, and visions, and they tend to focus on their own plans, not others.

The Faili Kurds community should form their own political party and take up their cases, their grievances, their demands, and their rights, as one community, not as a divided political movements. This is the only way that they can reach their voices to the whole world in order to pursue with their aspirations, goals, demands, and concerns, because no one else will do it for them.

Dr. Ala Musa Hasan, a Canada-based Faili Kurd, PHD Candidates in Clinical Psychology.

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