Iraq's Feyli Kurds form a new political party

BAGHDAD,— A new political party advocating for the rights of the Shiite Feyli Kurds is scheduled to launch in Baghdad on October 5.

Munir Haddad, the leader of the Feyli Kurds National Movement, expressed that the current political leadership fails to adequately represent this minority community.

“A specific group is monopolizing the Kurdish Feyli cause without truly representing the interests of the Kurdish Feylis,” Haddad told Rudaw TV.

The Shiite Feyli Kurds, who have a historical presence in southern Baghdad and other disputed regions near the Kurdistan border, have a significant population in Iran as well.

Over the years, they have played a vital role in the business sector and have been staunch advocates for Kurdish independence. However, their Shiite faith made them targets during the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein. In 2011, the Iraqi Parliament officially recognized the atrocities committed against them as genocide.

The forthcoming party aims to provide a dedicated platform for the Feyli Kurds, who have long been marginalized within the broader Kurdish and Shiite political landscapes.

Under Saddam’s Baath regime, the Feyli Kurds experienced severe persecution, marked by widespread displacement and the confiscation of property.

The Revolutionary Command Council Resolution 666 was particularly devastating, stripping many Feyli Kurds of their Iraqi nationality.

Between the 1960s and 1980s, as many as 1.4 million Feyli Kurds were deported to Iran, and thousands were killed. Even today, many in this community struggle to obtain citizenship documents and feel overlooked by both the governments in Erbil and Baghdad.

“Since the liberation of Iraq in 2003, the Feyli Kurds have faced ongoing marginalization,” Haddad remarked. “Despite our representation across various political factions—whether Kurdish, Shiite, liberal, or leftist—many of our rights continue to be overlooked.”

The historical homeland of the Feyli Kurds includes contested areas like Khanaqin and Mandali, which are situated along the Iranian border.

The persecution of the Feyli Kurds was not only widespread but systematic, culminating in their expulsion and exile from their ancestral lands during the Saddam regime, particularly between 1970 and 2003.

The regime’s campaign against them intensified in 1979, leading to widespread executions and further disenfranchisement.

Estimates suggest that between 300,000 to 500,000 Feyli Kurds were forcibly deported to Iran due to these campaigns, with at least 15,000 individuals reported missing and their remains yet to be discovered.

The recognition of the 1980 massacre of the Feyli Kurds as genocide by the Iraqi Parliament serves as a solemn reminder of the community’s suffering and the urgent need for political representation.

As the new party prepares for its launch, hopes are high that it will address the long-standing issues facing the Feyli Kurds and restore their rightful place within Iraqi society.