Routledge Handbook on the Kurds by Michael M. Gunter

Author:Michael M. Gunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis (CAM)
Published: 2019-04-02T16:00:00+00:00

Iran

As mentioned earlier, the foundation of the Mahabad Kurdish Republic in 1946 in Iran resulted in a female branch of the founding Kurdish Democratic Party. Mojab points out that this women’s branch was a top-down male initiative rather than the result of a feminist struggle. Her general criticism of Kurdish nationalist movements and parties everywhere has been that they have ignored class and gender inequalities.94

There is comparatively little academic or journalistic coverage on Kurds in Iran, perhaps due to the fact that the country has always allowed certain linguistic and cultural rights.95

Nevertheless, just as in the other countries discussed, Kurdish women face severe double discrimination in Iran. As Kurds, they are mostly Sunni Muslims (as opposed to the dominant Shi’a) and non-Persians. According to Yıldız and Taysi, “due to ongoing discriminatory state activities, the Kurds of Iran experience a lack of representation within political and military establishments, the denial of language rights and the underdevelopment of their region leading to economic marginalisation”.96 During the Iran-Iraq War, the Kurdish areas were attacked by both Iraqi and Iranian forces,97 and the Iranian government still fears Kurds as both an internal and external threat to the country’s unity.98

As women, Kurdish women are first of all oppressed by legislation in wider Iran that discriminates against women systematically.99 Such legislation then reinforces the traditional Kurdish gender regime, meaning that women have no legal resort to protest against their treatment. In addition, as seen in other examples earlier, the Kurdish nationalist movement glorifies women as embodiments of the “honour, culture and tradition” of family and nation.100 There are many incidents of honour-based killings (which are condoned under Iranian law) and a disproportionately high number of female suicides in the Kurdish area of Iran. Like in Iraq, self-immolation is a common way of committing suicide.101,102,103

Compared to the other countries mentioned, Kurdish women in Iran seem to have much less freedom to become active in the nongovernmental sector. A fact-finding mission to Iran by the Danish Refugee Council found that there are generally few NGOs in Iran; when “non-political activities, such as NGOs working on the environment, conditions for women etc. in the Kurdish area of Iran” are concerned, these NGOs are kept under close surveillance.104

Pro-Kurdish political involvement is only possible in secret. All underground pro-Kurdish parties also recruit women as members, and there are also women among the Peshmerga.105 In 1991, the clandestine Kurdish party Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) announced that it would seek Kurdish autonomy within Iran but, while supportive of the Kurdish nationalist struggles in other countries, would reject violence.106 In 2004, a new militant group with relations to the PKK was formed: the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK, Partiya Jiyana Azadîye Kurdistanê). It is said to have around 3,000 guerrilla fighters, with nearly 50% of them women.107 The PJAK have trained in Iraqi Kurdistan and also have Kurds from other countries in their ranks.108

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