The new magazine ‘Israel-Kurd’ has caused a stir in northern Iraq. To the surprise of many in the Arab world, the second edition also recently made it into the kiosks.
By Mahnaz Murad
Although there are many who argue for a return of Iraqi Jews to Iraq, the subject has always been a taboo in the printed media. In Iraq, and also in the surrounding Arab world, the launch of Israel-Kurd was greeted with surprise. And even more astonishing was the appearance of a second edition on 22 July. Has press freedom in Kurdistan entered a new phase? Or is this magazine a political stunt designed for foreign consumption?
Building bridges
Israel-Kurd has 50 pages in Kurdish, the official language of semi-autonomous northern Iraq. Two pages are in English. The first impression is that it is aimed at building bridges between Israel and Kurdistan. The editors are also interested in the history of Kurdish Jews who emigrated from Iraqi Kurdistan to Israel in 1948, and their right to return to their country of origin. Articles and reports are anonymous; the publisher’s is Dawud Baghistani.
Impartial
Farhad Awni, leader of the Kurdistan Syndicate of Journalists, sees the magazine as evidence of press freedom: “Our media laws give every citizen who is a member of the Syndicate of Journalists the right to publish a magazine or newspaper within 24 hours, provided it is not in breach of the general conditions for press freedom. And we know that Dawud Baghistani, the magazine’s publisher, is impartial and not allied to any political party or faction. And he has a foreign nationality.”
Dutch journalist Judit Neurink, who gives media training in the city of Sulaymaniyah, says, “I was a bit surprised when I saw the magazine. It means that freedom of expression in this part of the world has improved and is making progress. It’s really unusual and nothing like this has happened before. The ultimate importance of the magazine will be determined by the readers.”
Politics
Nevertheless, political considerations do seem to play a role. Kurdish Iraq is increasingly positioning itself between Israel and the Arab world. Farhad Awni cites the recent visit by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, “which strengthens ties with the Arabs in general and the Palestinians in particular”. It is known that the late Kurdish leader Moustafa Barzani made two visits to Israel.
Native Kurds
Via his magazine, publisher Dawud Baghistani is inviting Jewish Kurds to return to Kurdistan, where they lived before their departure to Israel. Farhad Awni says, “He sees them as native Kurds and expects the return of Jews to Kurdistan to clear the way for Palestinians to return to Palestine.”
It remains to be seen whether Kurdish Jews will return. There are no reliable figures on the number of Jews from northern Iraq who emigrated. Perhaps they will be published in the third edition of Israel-Kurd, expected in September.
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as a kurd i love israel and thier religion i hope one day visit israel and meet our kurdish juif there
As a Jewish Iraqi Kurd living in Israel, on behalf of my family and I, thankyou to our Kurdish brothers and sisters who have not forgotten us.
Biji kurd u kurdistan!
as a kurd we love all jewish .love israel and kurdistannnnnnnnnnnnnnn
israel salutes its courageous kurd brothers in their fight for justice. long live kurdistan!
im relly love israle
If any people in the world deserve independence, it's the Kurds. If any people in the world have received the least support and interest for their legitimate aspiration, it's the Kurds.
The irony is that while the Kurds, an ancient people with a distinct language and culture has been arbitrarily split up among four failing states, the world pampers the "Palestinians," a KGB-concocted entity ruled by international terrorists. This is politics. This is not justice.
god bless israel god bless kurd very where one kurd e freedom
Be strong my friends & don't give up. I wish you luck in your fight & I hope that soon you will get both your freedom & independence. no man should live in fear and justice will be done with the turk fars & arab.
take care!
your friend in Israel
iam a kurdiah muslim but i know that the arabyan used the islam rilegen for kill us like anfal and turkysh used for armanyan.
As a Jewish person and a supporter of Kurdistan, I hope you can declare independance. You've got to have more confidence in yourselves. You'll never ever get another chance like this. Iraq as we knew it is over. Once the allies have gone it will never hold together. There's so much mindless terrorism in the rest of the country. Get away from those losers. Just declare independance and build a really strong border, a wall if necessary. I wish you all the luck in the world.
Kurdistan walateki xoshe. We the Kurd's of Judeia Sumeria want to know what will become of the thousand's of Kurdish resident's who live and work in the Israeli controled Palestinian West Bank?We have been here since we came here with the Great Kurdish Warrior and General Salah EL Deen EL Iobi who liberated Jerusalem from the Crusader occupier.My first issue is this why did the Israeli Army issue us Palestinian I.D. Cards as if were Arab's?We are mistreated and hated by the Arab Palestinian population and they attack us when ever they feel like it just because were Kurd's and knowing that Israel has good relation's with the Kurd's of Iraqi Kurdistan,Israel is helping the Pesh Merga's as well but it care's nothing for the Kurd's of Israeli Judeia Sumeria in town's like Ramallah and Hebron Jerusalem were in great number's so why hasn't the Israeli government reached out to us in friendship.There are over 150.000 Israeli Kurd's living in Israel proper around Bait Safafa Jerusalem and we wish to join our Kurdish brother's in Israel and live our lives in peace some day because Israel is and should be a friend to all the Kurdish people. Supas and Toda Raba in Hebrew ! Xwahafiz
Anyone who likes it or no israel exists n i hope one day we kurds have an independant kurdistan n be a spike in da eyes of our racist blocked minded enemies (turk fars arab) enemies BOO
yahoodi1
there are many Moroccan Jews who decided to go back to Morocco as they did not feel safe in israel . many prefered to go and live in America , and europe , canada . Other jews went back to Russia
i would like to comment abit about our jewish brothers sisters here . KURDISTAN (not north iraq) its always been and will be a home for kurdish jewish , they are welcome home at any time they would like to ...I am as a muslim person and proud of it and at the same time I respect jewish , christianity, yezidi, asyrian...etc..we are all kurds and we are all same ..
we never had or have problems with any religions... all we need is INDEPENDANCE GREAT KURDISTAN ..
thanks to Dawud Baghistani for publishing this impartial magazine
biji kurdistan
You are 100% right it's the heartland of Assyria and it's always been the Assyrian homeland for thousands of years and it will always stay that way,,for your information Assyrian is not a religions,,its the name of a nation that's still alive and kicking,,do you have any idea why in the world all the names of the citis and towns in what you call kurdistan are all Assyrian name and they have Assyrian history???I recommend that you a little reading on the history of this land you are claiming to be kurdistan where i'ts in fact always been Assyria before,now and for ever will be. I also respect the kurdish people and I do want them to be happy and to live freely in the land of Assyria like many others do....sopas berm.
Assyrians were not a nation, it was an amalgamation of Arameans and Subartus and their God was Ashur.
and the so called assyrian nowadays are just arameans who want to claim an imaginary identity
Its inetersesting today some Arabs claim that Iraq is their country, yet when The Jew and Kurds were there, there were no traces of Arabs, they only intered Iraq arround 1500 years ago and intruduced their language to the south. Kurds, Jew, Chaldean are the owner of the country. But unfortunatly its the mentality of Arabs, any place they vist they claim it theirs, they still believe Soain is Their's or What so called Phalastaine is there's. Actualy even Phalastine was an ancient Jewish country, however the Arab as usual are confused and think its their's.
hi isral brather you welcome any time to kurdistan. kurd.israllllllllll
The Jewish Kurds were not expelled by Saddam Hussein , at the time he was not even in Power . the jewish agency needed MAN POWEr and also to Populate Israel , they Needed people and they bribed the Leaders in iraq to let them take as many jews . Sami NAQQASH An Iraqi Jew says (On a documentary on tv , available on Youtube) he was Handcuffed to be taken to israel . he never wanted to go to Israel . while in Israel he only wrote and spoke in Arabic , and produced lots of work (plays ) in Arabic . the agency even caused terror to force People to go to Israel . ( Naiem Giladi an Iraqi jew says Mordechai Ben Porat bombed a jewish cafe in Baghdad to cause fear so people go to israel . they needed as many people to create a homeland .
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