Apr 14 2008
An American alliance with the Kurds?
Following the invasion of Iraq statements like this have appeared all over the Internet:
As a minority in Muslim societies, the Kurds often tell their children that Islam was forced on them by Arab conquerors. In recent years, many have returned to the original religion of Zoroastrianism, a condition that suggests a greater ethnic rather than religious identification. [1]
I wonder what the background to this is? Since Zoroastrianism is a non-proselytising religion and conversion numbers as one of the most heated debates within the Zoroastrian community, it is unlikely that official conversions take place among the Kurds. The recent and ongoing conflicts between the Yazidis and Muslims demonstrate that the current sectarian climate in Iraq is near boiling point, and that conversion carries grave repercussions and is thus virtually unthinkable. As the title of this particular post suggests, all these statements seem to be politically motivated. Now, I do not understand politics, nor do I desire to understand or analyse politics. I only wonder, if it is true that conversions take place, who is the religious authority that converts these “many” Kurds who “have returned to the original religion of Zoroastrianism”? In which part of Kurdistan do the conversions take place? What are the numbers of people converted? Does anyone know? Strange news, isn’t it?