LONDON — A newly-formed youth group, Kurdish Unity, is pressing the British government to provide military support to the Kurds and Yezidis as they face unprecedented threats by Islamic militants.
The group is staging a “Solidarity Against ISIS” campaign in Britain that they are hoping will push the British parliament to arm the Kurds. The poorly armed Kurdish forces have lost several battles in Nineveh province against Islamic State (IS/also known as ISIS) extremists, who last week forced about 40,000 Yezidis to flee to Shingal mountain where they have faced a dire humanitarian situation, with many dying from exposure and thirst.
Britain began to deliver humanitarian aid on Saturday night, following America’s decision last week to launch air force strikes on IS positions and to deliver food, water and other aid by airdrop to stranded Yezidi refugees. Combined with Peshmerga rescue efforts on the ground, tens of thousands of Yezidis have been rescued.
The Kurds have said they don’t have the heavy weaponry to fight IS, which seized state-of-the-art US artillery when the Iraqi army fled Mosul in June. The UK government has indicated it might arm the Kurds, and is facing increasing pressure from MPs across the political spectrum to launch military strikes against IS. The US has begun sending weapons to the Kurds, the Associated Press reported Monday.
IS, an extremist Islamist militia straddling the Syria-Iraq border, has attacked and driven out Christians and Yezidis, who are ethnically Kurds but belong to an ancient and secretive religion. Militants have killed hundreds of Yezidis and kidnapped about 500 Yezidi girls and women, according to Rudaw reports. IS, which has beheaded and crucified minorities and detractors in Syria, considers Yezidis polytheists, a crime punishable under Sharia law.
On Friday, Kurdish activists, including a contingent from Kurdish Unity, demonstrated outside Downing Street, where the British prime minister has his official residence.
In a statement, Kurdish Unity told Rudaw: “A united front would provide the Kurdish community in the UK with a stronger voice towards the UK parliament, charities and other minority community organizations.”
“Only by overcoming the old political divisions in the Kurdish community can we raise awareness [in Britain] about the important issues facing Kurdish people, including what is happening now in Iraq,” said Ziryan Kamal, a computer science student and board member of Kurdish Unity.
Echoing the need for unity, Narin Afraseab, a member of Kurdish Unity, expressed dismay at the poor turnout to the Downing Street demonstration.
“We need to do more. There were only about 300 people at the protest on Friday, mostly from our people [Kurdish Unity] or from outside London. Just look at what Stockholm and Denmark did.”
In Stockholm, the Swedish capital, and in Denmark, large demonstrations have attracted famous Kurdish singers and widespread support. In Germany, Kurdish activists are staging a hunger strike to put pressure on the European Union (EU) to provide military support to the Yezidis, and protesters have gathered outside the EU’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
Kurdish Unity is officially apolitical but at a meeting of young members, many voiced strong criticism of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which leads the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), claiming it has not done enough to help the Yezidis. Kurdish Unity has no Yezidi members on its board.
Adnan Kochar, chairman of the Kurdish Cultural Centre in Kennington, south London, called for broad reforms in the KRG. Unlike the Turkmen, Syriac and Assyrian minorities, Yezidis do not currently have a quota of parliamentary seats in the KRG.
Kurdish Unity's first task is to address the long-standing divisions among London's Kurdish community.
Founded in 1984, the Kurdish Cultural Center has little contact with its rival, the Kurdish Community Center. The Kurdish Community Center was on the brink of financial ruin until former Iraqi President and Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani bailed it out, and then suffered fractious political wrangling leading to resignations by two chairmen in close succession.
According to a statement, Kurdish Unity has “helped establish links between the Kurdish Cultural Centre and the Kurdish Community Centre to move forward with [the Solidarity Against ISIS] initiative together.”
With significant obstacles to unity within the Kurdish community in London, however, can Kurdish Unity bring pressure on the British government?
“It is not just about putting pressure on Britain,” Haz Babataher, a law student and co-founder of Kurdish Unity, told Rudaw. “Kurdish Unity seeks to build bridges among the diaspora community in Britain, between the Kurds from Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq; between the older generation and the younger people. Only then can we achieve anything."
