Cultural Identity of Women in Iraqi-Kurdistan Region
Throughout history, cultures have been shaping societies and influencing the citizens in
various ways of treatment. Woman as an individual has been treating violently in societies and
has been distinguished from man due to different ideas and cultures. Kurdish society is not
expected from the oppression and the discrimination of women. Regarding to women identity in
the Kurdish culture, there are two different descriptions of how to define women. In each society,
there is a group who believes in traditional way (conservatives), and the other group of people
(liberals) whose think in a more modern way. To know which group works better in Kurdish
society and to answer the question of are women human, the idea of humanism should be
included, and the answer changes depending on which group you belong to. Conservatives and
liberals are two examples that clarify the cultural identity of Kurdish society and how Kurdish
culture and traditions shaped the role of women.
Based on humanism idea, all sexes equally have the same rights and position in a society.
Humanism avoids gender bias and focuses on the humans’ response to make their own life better
and a gentler society through compassion and critical thinking (The Amsterdam Declaration,
para 6). Humanism helps the development of human being as a whole and does not depend on
sex. Andrew Copson, a humanist and one of the British Humanist Association, believes that girls
and women should be equal to men everywhere and have same political, economic and legal
right (Beeching, para 4). However, conservatism, which mostly derive from the Islamic idea,
stands against the idea of considering women as equal to men.
The Kurdish culture was mostly shaped by Islamic religion. The Islamic religion (the
1400s idea) is not that would be followed today because Islam came in a time when Arabs buried
female kids immediately after they born. Islam stood against these horrible Arab ideas and has
been trying to redesign these faulty cultures. However, at that time, the idea of Islam had not to
give the equal right of both sexes because Islam wanted to increase the number of followers.
Conservatives blindly followed the Islamic idea without focusing on why Islam formed and
conservatives in Kurdistan define women in a way that Islam did in 1400 years ago.
Conservatives only follow the Islamic idea depending on that they will be punished in the
judgment day. As a result, they have to follow what holly book (Quran) says to save themselves
in the life after death. Also, due to the cultural identity and structure of Kurdish society, women
still are victim to honor killings. Conservatives are rooted in the cultural practices and social
structure (Greaves, pg.58). The Sunni Muslims, majority of Kurds, are related to Shafi’s school
and conservatives based on the Shafi’s idea. Therefore, conservatives follow the the Islamic idea
