ABSTRACT
This chapter explains who the Kurds are, along with their geography, history, and contemporary status. It discusses the Kurds' minority status and why most Kurds do not like being labeled a minority. The choice of Kurds in the Middle East has generally been either to assimilate or to resist central government authority. The Kurds of Kurdistan thus found themselves divided by the new modern states of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The problem of crushing even the mildest minority demands proved especially acute in the Middle East due to an array of factors. The minority status can be seen by many Kurds as an impediment to either assimilation or full participation in the political system as Kurds. Kurdish festivals, music, and similar markers of a distinct Kurdish identity were likewise banned, to the point that state officials even denied the very existence of a Kurdish minority in Turkey.
