ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the emergence of Islam in Kurdistan and how the Kurds embraced Islam as a religion. It looks at why and how the new religion helped the Kurds prevent their identity and language from disappearing under the occupation of foreign invaders. The role of the Kurds during the Islamic empires will be briefly covered, including during the collapse of the last empire. The Kurdish movement from religious nationalism to a dichotomy between religious and secular nationalism will then be discussed. Other subjects, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the rise of Marxism and socialism, and some Islamic groups among the Kurds, will be highlighted.
