Kurdish Christians
Encyclopedia
Kurdish Christians are Kurds
who follow Christianity
and mostly live in the Kurdistan region. The word is derived from the Greek
words and . The Arabic word is also sometimes used. Kurdish Christians should not be confused with other historical Christian communities living in the area such as the Assyrians
, Armenians or Georgians
. The total number of Kurdish Christians today is uncertain but is probably in the tens of thousands, most of them living in Turkey.
succeeded in converting some sun-worshipping Kurds to Christianity in the fifth century.
Most Kurds converted to Islam
after the Arab conquest of the Sassanid Empire
. However, there were Kurdish converts to Christianity even after the spread of Islam. In the ninth century, a Kurd named Nasr or Narseh converted to Christianity, and changed his name to Theophobos
during the reign of Emperor Theophilus and was the emperor's intimate friend and commander for many years. During the same period, the Kurdish prince Ibn-ad-Dahhak, who possessed the fortress of al-Jafary, abandoned Islam for Orthodox Christianity
.
There were many Kurdish Christian communities and tribes reported by medieval writers as late as the 10th and 13th centuries AD. In the late 11th and the early 12th century AD, Kurdish Christian soldiers comprised 2.7% of the army of fortress city of Shayzar in present-day Syria
..
In the 19th century, several Christian villages existed in Kurdistan, whose inhabitants spoke only Kurdish
, and there were Muslim Kurdish tribes that recalled they were once Christians. Kurds who converted to Christianity usually turned to the Nestorian Church.. In 1884, researchers of the Royal Geographical Society
reported about a Kurdish tribe in Sivas which retained certain Christian observances and sometimes identified as Christian. It is also possible that many Kurdish Christians have been linguistically and hence ethnically absorbed by Semitic-speaking Christians of Mesopotamia, especially after Islamic expansions in Middle East.
In the early 20th century, a Lutheran mission from United States
and Germany
began to serve the Kurds of Iran. From 1911 to 1916, it established a Kurdish congregation and an orphanage. One of the most prominent Kurdish leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan
, Sheikh Ahmed Barzani
who was a brother of Mustafa Barzani
, announced his conversion to Christianity during his uprising against the Iraqi government in 1931.
In recent years many Kurds from Muslim background have converted to Christianity. After the Gulf War
in 1991, Christian agencies offered help to Kurdish refugees, who were amazed that the assistance came from Christians.
The Kurdish-Speaking Church of Christ (The Kurdzman Church of Christ) was established in Hewlêr (Arbil
) by the end of 2000, and has branches in the Silêmanî
, Duhok
governorates. This is the first evangelical
Kurdish church in Iraq. Its logo is formed of a yellow sun and a cross
rising up behind a mountain range. Kurdzman Church of Christ held its first three-day conference in Ainkawa north of Arbil in 2005 with the participation of 300 new Kurdish converts.
In Turkey, Christianity has attracted a number of converts both among Kurds and Turks in the past decade. In Iraqi Kurdistan, several evangelical groups have been formed. While in some cases they have faced intolerance by extremist Muslims, their activities are largely tolerated by the Regional Government of Kurdistan (KRG
) out of a desire to remain democratic.
Since 2001, Servant Group International has established three English
-language Christian schools titled Classical School of the Medes
in Iraqi Kurdistan
. By 2005 three campuses in Sulaimaniya, Irbil and Dohuk with a total enrolment of 700 students, were operational. Kurdistan Regional Government
has recently awarded legal status and an official permit to the Bible Society
to open a branch in the region. Kurdish converts to Christianity began to discuss petitioning KRG
for the right to change the religious status on their ID cards in 2007.
One of the best known Kurdish Christians is Daniel Ali
, who converted to Christianity in 1995 and has written two books in English on rejecting Islam. He entered the Catholic
Church in 1998. Another known Kurdish Christian is Majeed Rashid Mohammed. He established a network for former Kurdish Muslims with about 2,000 members today.
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
who follow Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and mostly live in the Kurdistan region. The word is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
words and . The Arabic word is also sometimes used. Kurdish Christians should not be confused with other historical Christian communities living in the area such as the Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
, Armenians or Georgians
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
. The total number of Kurdish Christians today is uncertain but is probably in the tens of thousands, most of them living in Turkey.
History
According to a legend, Mar SabaSabbas the Sanctified
Saint Sabbas the Sanctified , a Cappadocian-Greek monk, priest and saint, lived mainly in Palaestina Prima. He was the founder of several monasteries, most notably the one known as Mar Saba...
succeeded in converting some sun-worshipping Kurds to Christianity in the fifth century.
Most Kurds converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
after the Arab conquest of the Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
. However, there were Kurdish converts to Christianity even after the spread of Islam. In the ninth century, a Kurd named Nasr or Narseh converted to Christianity, and changed his name to Theophobos
Theophobos
Theophobos or Theophobus , originally Nasr, was a Persian or Kurdish commander in Byzantine service under Emperor Theophilos ....
during the reign of Emperor Theophilus and was the emperor's intimate friend and commander for many years. During the same period, the Kurdish prince Ibn-ad-Dahhak, who possessed the fortress of al-Jafary, abandoned Islam for Orthodox Christianity
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
.
There were many Kurdish Christian communities and tribes reported by medieval writers as late as the 10th and 13th centuries AD. In the late 11th and the early 12th century AD, Kurdish Christian soldiers comprised 2.7% of the army of fortress city of Shayzar in present-day Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
..
In the 19th century, several Christian villages existed in Kurdistan, whose inhabitants spoke only Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
, and there were Muslim Kurdish tribes that recalled they were once Christians. Kurds who converted to Christianity usually turned to the Nestorian Church.. In 1884, researchers of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
reported about a Kurdish tribe in Sivas which retained certain Christian observances and sometimes identified as Christian. It is also possible that many Kurdish Christians have been linguistically and hence ethnically absorbed by Semitic-speaking Christians of Mesopotamia, especially after Islamic expansions in Middle East.
In the early 20th century, a Lutheran mission from United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
began to serve the Kurds of Iran. From 1911 to 1916, it established a Kurdish congregation and an orphanage. One of the most prominent Kurdish leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
, Sheikh Ahmed Barzani
Ahmed Barzani
Ahmed Barzani , also known as Khudan , was the head of the Barzani tribe in South Kurdistan. Sheikh Ahmed is considered to be the architect of Barzan by bringing many different Kurdish tribes under his command and expanding Barzan region...
who was a brother of Mustafa Barzani
Mustafa Barzani
Mustafa Barzani also known as Mullah Mustafa was a Kurdish nationalist leader, and the most prominent political figure in the modern Kurdish politics. In 1946 he was chosen as the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to lead the Kurdish revolution against Iraqi regimes...
, announced his conversion to Christianity during his uprising against the Iraqi government in 1931.
Contemporary Kurdish Christians
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
in 1991, Christian agencies offered help to Kurdish refugees, who were amazed that the assistance came from Christians.
The Kurdish-Speaking Church of Christ (The Kurdzman Church of Christ) was established in Hewlêr (Arbil
Arbil
Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
) by the end of 2000, and has branches in the Silêmanî
Sulaymaniyah
Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with...
, Duhok
Dahuk, Iraq
Dohuk is the capital of Dahuk Governorate in Iraq. It has about 250.000 inhabitants, mostly consisting of Kurds, with an Assyrian minority...
governorates. This is the first evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Kurdish church in Iraq. Its logo is formed of a yellow sun and a cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
rising up behind a mountain range. Kurdzman Church of Christ held its first three-day conference in Ainkawa north of Arbil in 2005 with the participation of 300 new Kurdish converts.
In Turkey, Christianity has attracted a number of converts both among Kurds and Turks in the past decade. In Iraqi Kurdistan, several evangelical groups have been formed. While in some cases they have faced intolerance by extremist Muslims, their activities are largely tolerated by the Regional Government of Kurdistan (KRG
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
) out of a desire to remain democratic.
Since 2001, Servant Group International has established three English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-language Christian schools titled Classical School of the Medes
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. By 2005 three campuses in Sulaimaniya, Irbil and Dohuk with a total enrolment of 700 students, were operational. Kurdistan Regional Government
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
has recently awarded legal status and an official permit to the Bible Society
Bible society
A Bible society is a non-profit organization devoted to translating, publishing, distributing the Bible at affordable costs and advocating its credibility and trustworthiness in contemporary cultural life...
to open a branch in the region. Kurdish converts to Christianity began to discuss petitioning KRG
KRG
KRG may refer to:*Kurdistan Regional Government, in Northern Iraq*Kativik Regional Government, in Northern Quebec, Canada...
for the right to change the religious status on their ID cards in 2007.
One of the best known Kurdish Christians is Daniel Ali
Daniel Ali
Daniel Ali is an Iraqi Kurdish author, speaker and Islamic scholar. He was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and lived through the ethnic cleansing and Anfal campaign during the Baathist period from 1975 to 1988. He has written two books Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics Daniel Ali (born 1959) is an Iraqi...
, who converted to Christianity in 1995 and has written two books in English on rejecting Islam. He entered the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Church in 1998. Another known Kurdish Christian is Majeed Rashid Mohammed. He established a network for former Kurdish Muslims with about 2,000 members today.