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Farhad Shakely, Uppsala University, Sweden

This statement would probably be considered as an approval had it been made by a father about his son, but in the case of the Kurdish intellectuals it is far from being an appreciation, since in the modern world it is of the utmost importance for a nation and its intellectuals to be represented and heard of. The situation in this respect has always been entirely effected by the development of the political circumstances in Kurdistan and characterized, duly, by radical and unexpected changes.

The question of representation and being represented is, definitely, interlocked with politics and balance of power which are, at least outwardly, not relevant to the intellectuals and the arena of their interests and activities. The access to the mass media is one of the most vital conditions for the intellectuals to convey their massages and expose their attitudes. This is true even when the relations between the Kurdish intellectuals and their own society are considered.

From a historical perspective it is quite interesting to observe that the Kurdish intellectuals have participated actively in strengthening the political parties and in bearing them to a sort of power, but, as a reward they have been met with, to say the least, ungratefulness.

WHO ARE THE KURDISH INTELLECTUALS?

Contrary to many terms the "Intellectual" has very few definitions which are close or almost close in their meaning. There are, on the other hand, no clear criteria as to what categories or groups of people are included, or entitled to be included, in the framework of the intellectuals. These criteria, if there are any, are obviously different in different civilizations.

As far as the Kurdish society and the Kurdish intellectuals are concerned, it seems that the criteria have undergone changes in the course of time.

The common word for the intellectual up till the first years of the second decade in the present century was "Munawwar" 1 that was in use generally in the Ottoman empire. The munawwars were the mullas and their students in advanced levels, the educated sheikhs, Sufis and landlords. To these one could add those few who got their education at "modern" Ottoman schools at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, who usually integrated into the Ottoman administration and army bodies. At the beginning of the 20th century there were a number of Kurdish intellectuals in Istanbul who actively worked for the cause of their people. They built political organizations, but also published magazines and books. An important part of this elite was originally from Southern Kurdistan, who returned later to participate in the Kurdish administration under the leadership of Sheikh Mahmud or in the Iraqi government under British mandate. These intellectuals, although small in number, had a great effect on the political and cultural situation in Iraqi (and to a great extent Iranian) Kurdistan, which will be dealt with in another part of this paper.

The image of the Kurdish intellectuals has become complicated and many-sided in the last 3-4 decades, due to the rapid increase in their number, on the one hand, and their relations to the political bodies at the head of the Kurdish liberation movement on the other hand. The last factor has seemingly complicated the situation further with the transformation of the political parties from opposite organizations with freedom fighting followers into a regional government with own police, security service and prisons.

As Kurdish intellectuals are counted simply the Kurdish writers, poets, journalists and academics. This could be considered the general criteria according to which the Kurdish conception of the term is defined, but there are certainly many peculiarities that limit the boundaries of the intellectuals. These peculiarities can only be understood within the political, social, cultural and religious values in the Kurdish society and in the light of its historical development. Besides there are other limiting factors that are derived from the Westernized view on culture that gradually permeates the Kurdish society, especially in Diaspora.

The first thing that attracts our attention is that the people who are educated within the traditional system of education, i. e. the non-secular, are excluded. Presently the mullas, sheikhs and Sufis are not considered intellectuals unless they abandon their circles to join "modern" and "secular" cultural bodies. A great number of the leading intellectuals, nevertheless, are those who attended the traditional and religious education system. Most of them were gradually involved in political, and consequently cultural, activities and thus severed the ties with their religious background. The poets and writers Hazhâr (1920-1991), Hêmin (1921-1986), Jagarkhwîn (1903-1984), Jamîl Rozhbayânî (born 1912), Muhammad Malâ Karîm (born 1931) and Muhammad Amîn Bozarslan (born 1935) are known examples. The only exception, as far as I know, is indeed 'Alâ' ad-Dîn Sajjâdî (1907-1984) who, in spite of being a prayer leader almost all his life, was a leading intellectual and a celebrated scholar and cultural figure.

It is probably relevant to wonder if it is possible for an intellectual on the whole to combine intellectuality with inclining and adherence to religion - in this case Islam - without risking to be underestimated and his credibility questioned by his fellow intellectuals? The concept, thus, is clearly adjusted to the shifting attitudes and opinions in the society. It is, moreover, a result of the "Westernization" that has no economic, technological or scientific bases in Kurdistan. 2


1- It seems that the Kurds also have coined their own words that were used in Kurdish writings. In Kurdistan, the first Kurdish newspaper (1898), Miqdad Midhat Badir-Khan uses the word "Khwandâ", and Pîramêrd uses in Galâwêzh (nr. 3, March 1943) the word "Kwêndawâr". Both words mean "literate" or "educated".

2- The Iranian novelist and debater Jalâl-e Al-e Ahmad has properly discussed the question that he called Gharbzadagî (struck by the West) in many of his writings. See for instance Dar Khidmat va Khiyânat-e Rûshanfikrân, 2 volumes, Teheran 1357/1978.