The constant systemic issues facing the Faili Kurds in Iraq

Dr. Ala Musa Hasan | Exclusive to iKurd.net

Since the 2003 occupation of the United State forces of Iraq, and the removal of Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party from the power, still up to date, under the current Democratic government, the Faili Kurds are still experiencing many systemic challenges, such as, isolations, deprivations, humiliations, misrepresentations, and discrimination.

Since the removal of the Baath Party and the establishment of the so called new Democratic Iraqi Government, the only positive improvement in the Iraqi regime was the creation of the Kurdish Regional Government.

Currently, the Kurdistan Government and its population are enjoying the semi-autonomous zone and its remarkable economic growth, but the same level of success and fate cannot be said to the Faili Kurds people living in the central part of Iraq.

Not to mentioned that the Faili Kurds are also members of the minority religious communities (Shiite faith). Under the current Democratic Iraqi Government, the Faili Kurds are still continually facing many substantial difficulties, ignorance’s, neglects, and discriminations.

Unfortunately, the Faili Kurds population is trapped along within the adverse four dimensions, such as, the two states borders (Iraq and Iran’s borders), religions faith (Shiite Muslim), distinctive ethnic groups (Faili Kurds), and the dominant governing political institutions (Arabs politicians).

These four unfavorable dimensions prevented the Faili Kurds people from reaching their goals and dreams, as well as, these four adverse scopes prohibited the Faili Kurds population to acquire their rights and dispensations that they are entitle to.

Currently, most Faili Kurds are desperate to return to their homeland (Baghdad), but, the current systematic and bureaucratic roadblocks that were created by new government and social organizations have prevented them from doing that, and it contributed to their continual predicament.

As a result, the Faili Kurds community is scattered and unable to band together in order to establish their effective group representation in order to resolve their most pressing issues. Such as, the recognition of the crimes that was committed against their community, and the reinstatement of their citizenship and their illegally confiscated funds and properties.

However, the Faili Kurds community has not been in actuality spared from the existed systemic discrimination and deprivation that was imposed on them by the current government and social instatutions.

In light of these events, the Faili Kurds community is very dissatisfied with the performance of the Iraqi Federal Government and the Kurdish Regional Government by not taking the proper measures to protect the rights and the privileges of the Kurdish minority communities living outside of Kurdistan area.

The returning Faili Kurds refugees have faced a bitter and ill-treatment by the current government and social institutions, as they found that the crime that was committed against them by the former regime was not truly acknowledged yet, and their rights and homes are being occupied by the Arabs, despite the October 2011 declaration by the Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s, which stated that all funds that was confiscated by the Baath Regime would be “paid back” to the Faili Kurds community, but no such progress has been made yet.

The under-representation of the Faili Kurds community in the current government and social institutions have contributed to a lack of sufficient governmental support of the Faili Kurds communities, and this is proving to be a cyclical issue.

The most pressing needs of the Faili Kurds are the return of their citizenship, dignity, respect, identity, funds, and properties, so they could move forward with their lives and forget the grievances that were committed against them by the former government. Therefore, many of the Faili Kurds were forced to emigrate to Europe and the United States, seeking for a life with dignity and respect for themselves and their children.

Thus, they were removed from the Baghdad political atmosphere. It would be nearly impossible for the refugees Faili Kurds people to return to their homeland if their political representation is not secured to handle their matters. Not to mentioned that some Faili Kurds are still do not have their citizenship restored yet, and thus, this enabled them from participating in government and social institutions and access their basic civil programs, as well as, their very existence is frequently denied.

The current main trouble facing the Faili Kurds community is the lack of representation of the greater issues within Baghdad and Iraq’s political alliance. Under threat of force, minority groups such as the Faili Kurds and other minority assemblies have been systematically silenced or coerced to align themselves with the larger political entities.

The current corruption and the bureaucratic red-tape that rules in the current Baghdad’s Government and its Social institutions echoes the treatment that was endured by the Faili Kurds under the Baath Regime. Therefore, under the current regime, we (Faili Kurds people) are continually living the precedent experiences, such as, exploitation, degradation, favoritism, falsifications, and the segregations that were imposed on us by the previous systemic regime.

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.