Kurdish population of Nashville

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Nashville, Tennessee

The single largest community in the United States of ethnic Kurds exists is in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] This enclave is often called "Little Kurdistan" and is located in South Nashville.[2] The majority of Nashville's "Little Kurdistan" comes from Iraqi Kurdistan, however there are sizeable communities of Kurds from Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey.[2] It has been estimated that there are 15,000 Kurds living in Nashville,[2] although more recent estimates place the number at around 20,000, the largest in the country.[3]

Population and demographics[edit]

It is estimated that there are 15,000 Kurds in Nashville.[2] However, the US census does not take official data on the number of Kurds living in the United States.[4] In the 1990s, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) fingered Nashville as a center of resettlement and issued them federal funding to resettle the Kurds who came to Nashville.[5] Nashville has since become a hub of refugee resettlement for other communities as well.[5]

History[edit]

Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, the Kurdish people were separated into many nation-states.[6] While Kurds are in Iran, Turkey, and Syria, the majority of Kurdish population in Nashville is Iraqi.[7]

Distribution of Kurdish People in the Middle East

Iraq[edit]

The Kurdish portion of Iraq is oil-rich and much of the strife between the Iraqis and Kurds has been regarding this issue.[8] This reached its epoch during Saddam Hussein's reign in the 1980s who started the anfal campaign.[6] Iraq began this campaign to stop the Iraqi Kurds from aiding Iran in a war between the countries.[8] This, however, changed into a genocide which killed 50,000–100,000 Kurds.[6] During this genocide, 3,000 to 4,000 Kurdish towns were destroyed, and 1.5 million Kurds were displaced.[8] The American-led Gulf War restored peace to the Kurds after Resolution 688 of the UN established a no-fly zone.[6] Moreover, the Gulf War, as covered by Western media outlets such as CNN, led to the "Kurdish Question" becoming a global issue. While the coverage was originally focused on the Iraqi treatment of the Kurds, CNN covered Turkish military's treatment as well which was negatively received.[9]

Waves of immigration[edit]

The majority of Kurdish immigration happened following Saddam Hussein's genocide in the anfal campaign.[7] Somewhere between 750 and 3000 people came during this largest wave but likely the lower end of that range.[10] There were two other waves of Kurdish immigration to Nashville that preceded this were during the First and Second Iraqi-Kurdish conflicts in the 1970s.[2]

Culture[edit]

Little Kurdistan[edit]

Little Kurdistan is located in the south of Nashville.[2] Unlike other enclaves in major cities like Chinatown or Little Italy, Little Kurdistan is centered around a strip mall, a mosque, and a few stores.[11] While small, the Kurds of Nashville are hoping to create a semblance of their home country in the United States.[11]

Religion[edit]

Many Kurds are Sunni Muslims, but they are not a religious monolith. There are a number of Kurds who are Shi'a Muslim, Alevi Muslim, Jewish, and Yarsani.[7] In Nashville, the Salahadeen Center of Nashville is the hub of religious life for many of the Kurds living in Little Kurdistan.[11]

Politics[edit]

Domestic[edit]

Despite holding a strong minority in the city, the Kurds of Nashville do not hold prominent political office; however, the director of the Salahadeen Center, Nawzad Hawrami, is on Nashville's New American Advisory Council, which informs Nashville's local government of pressing issues regarding refugees and immigrants in the city.[12] Moreover, historically, the Kurds in Nashville have been long time Republican voters and proponents of American foreign policy.[13]

International[edit]

Nashville is deigned as one of the few international locations where Kurds can cast their ballots in Iraqi elections.[14] In 2005, Kurds were able to vote in democratic elections for Iraq as long as they were able to prove Iraqi citizenship and US residency.[15] Prior to the vote for the independence of Kurdistan, many Kurds protested in downtown Nashville against the Iraqi government and advocating for a Kurdish nationstate.[16]

Controversy[edit]

Gang violence[edit]

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a Kurdish gang—Kurdish Pride Gang—formed.[2] By 2006, the Nashville police had designated 24 individuals as members and many arrests were made for their violence.[2] However, the Kurdish community strongly rebuked the gang and urged for peace led by leaders in the community including a college professor and Nawzad Hawrami, the director of the Salahadeen Center.[17] These actions in conjunction with anti-gang related policing in 2012 disrupted Kurdish Pride.[18] While it was believed that the gang activity lessened following these actions, in 2018, the first Kurdish police officer was arrested for allegedly being a part of Kurdish Pride.[18] Metro Police have not given numbers at how many members still exist.[18]

The withdrawal of troops from Kurdistan[edit]

On October 6, 2019, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, informed the US that the Turkish army would be invading Northeast Syria, where many Kurds live.[19] The next day President Donald Trump announced plans to remove troops from the regime which left the Kurds at risk to Turkish aggression.[19] The US House of Representatives in a bipartisan show of support to the Kurds condemned President Trump's actions.[19]

In Nashville, the hundreds of Nashville's Kurdish population protested downtown against President Trump's action.[20] They were joined in protest by Democratic Congressperson Jim Cooper.[20] Both of Tennessee's Republican senators also rebuked President Trump's withdrawal.[21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Weiss, Nerina (1 June 2018). "The Many Layers of Moral Outrage". Conflict and Society. 4 (1): 58–73. doi:10.3167/arcs.2018.040105. S2CID 158491602.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Sawyer, Ariana Maia. "Who are the Kurds, and why are they in Nashville?". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  3. ^ "Nashville has nation's largest Kurdish community. Here's how it commemorated it Saturday". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  4. ^ Cornfield, Daniel (2003). Final Report of the Immigrant Community Assessment (PDF). Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee.
  5. ^ a b Winders, Jamie (June 2006). "'New Americans' in a 'New-South' city? Immigrant and refugee politics in the Music City". Social & Cultural Geography. 7 (3): 421–435. doi:10.1080/14649360600715151. S2CID 144957649.
  6. ^ a b c d Alinia, Minoo (2004). Spaces of Diasporas: Kurdish identities, experiences of otherness and politics of belonging (Thesis). hdl:2451/44173.
  7. ^ a b c Arpacık, Demet (16 August 2019). "Redefining Kurdishness in the U.S. Diaspora: The experiences of Kurdish Students and Their Parents in Nashville Schools". Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies: 44–56. doi:10.29333/ejecs/252.
  8. ^ a b c Albert, Craig (6 March 2018). "No Place to Call Home: The Iraqi Kurds under the Ba'ath, Saddam Hussein, and ISIS". Chicago-Kent Law Review. 92 (3): 817–839.
  9. ^ Bilgin, Fevzi; Sarıhan, Ali (2013). Understanding Turkey's Kurdish Question. Lexington Books. pp. 209–210. ISBN 978-0-7391-8402-8. OCLC 852158421.
  10. ^ Dahlman, Carl Thor (2001). Iraqi Kurdish refugee migration to Britain and the United States: Globalization, governance, and geopolitics (Thesis).
  11. ^ a b c Wininger, Steve (2019). Kurdish Culture and Identity: Building the Homeland in Tennessee (Thesis).
  12. ^ "Nashville > Mayor's Office > Diversity and Inclusion > New Americans > New Americans Advisory Council". www.nashville.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  13. ^ Thangaraj, Stanley Ilango (16 August 2019). "Kurdish Matters: Signaling New Epistemologies of Difference". Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies: 1–10. doi:10.29333/ejecs/240.
  14. ^ Wilson, Brian. "Thousands of Iraqis come to Nashville to cast votes". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  15. ^ Davey, Monica (18 January 2005). "Iraq Expatriates Sign Up to Vote in 5 Cities in U.S." The New York Times.
  16. ^ "Nashville Kurds Protest Iraqi Government". WTVF. 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  17. ^ Emery, Theo (15 July 2007). "In Nashville, a Street Gang Emerges in a Kurdish Enclave". The New York Times.
  18. ^ a b c Allison, Natalie. "How active is Kurdish Pride Gang in Nashville? After officer's arrest, question remains". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  19. ^ a b c "President Trump Announces U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Syria". American Journal of International Law. 113 (2): 394–400. April 2019. doi:10.1017/ajil.2019.10. S2CID 181752821.
  20. ^ a b Timms, Mariah. "'Let us be heard': Hundreds of Nashville Kurds protest downtown over Trump's actions in Syria". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  21. ^ Allison, Natalie. "U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Lamar Alexander oppose president's withdrawal of troops in Syria". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
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