Iraqi Kurds fear loss of freedom

While their leadership debates their future return to the Iraqi state, the new generation of Iraqi Kurds fear losing the free Kurdish lifestyle that they have become accustomed to over the past decade.

Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991 and the establishment of the safe haven in northern Iraq under a United Nations mandate, almost 3.5 million Iraqi Kurds have been conducting their affairs independently of Baghdad.

" Whoever is planning the future of Iraq should bear in mind the new generation of the Kurds - they have been living in freedom for the past decade and they won't give it up easily "
Awat, a Kurdish journalist in Sulaymaniyah

In addition to overcoming a legacy of oppression, the past 11 years of Kurdish self rule have created an atmosphere of "Kurdishness" and individual liberty that seem to be the foundation of "new Kurdistan".

These new factors will have to be taken into account in any future arrangements.

"Whoever is planning the future of Iraq should bear in mind the new generation of the Kurds," said Awat, a Kurdish journalist in Sulaymaniyah.

"They have been living in freedom for the past decade and they won't give it up easily."

Kurdish lifestyle

This summer, about 3,000 students from Salah al-Din University gathered in their caps and gowns in Irbil Stadium for their graduation ceremony.

They are among some 100,000 students who have graduated from the three Kurdish universities over the past 10 years.

They represent the new generation of Iraqi Kurds who hardly remember the oppressive rule of Baghdad.

"These graduates were 13 years old when we took control in 1991," said a university lecturer. "They don't speak Arabic."

The new generation have been living a completely Kurdish lifestyle. Kurdish political parties, whose membership was once secret and severely punished by Baghdad, are now recruiting thousands of new members.

" I don't know what the olden days were like, but I would definitely oppose any move that would endanger what we have today "
Young Kurdish soldier

The education, media, legal system and many other aspects of daily life have all been "Kurdicized". Parts of Kurdish history and culture, the reading of which was once a crime, are now part of the school curriculum and are being broadcast in the media.

"My father taught me about the old Kurdish revolutions, but my daughter is studying them at school," said Ali, father of three children, the eldest of whom was born after the Gulf War in 1991.

Emerging trends

This Kurdish lifestyle is coupled with an unprecedented freedom of expression, access to the outside world and an attempt to foster civil society.

Asos Hardi is the editor of Hawlati, one of the first independent weekly publications to criticise the Kurdish authorities.

Standing in court, in a libel case brought against him by the office of the prime minister, he told the judge: "Freedom is a pillar of democracy and we wanted to give voice to people who have been suppressed."

The prime minister's office lost the case and subsequently paid the costs.

Internet freedom

Unlike its Middle Eastern neighbours, there is no compulsory military service in Iraqi Kurdistan. Joining the army is voluntary.

"This is why the morale of our fighters is much higher than that of so many other armies," said Mariwan Karim Agha, a local commander in Irbil. "I can't force people to fight."

Another new trend in landlocked Iraqi Kurdistan is the unfettered access to the internet and satellite television.

Internet access is readily available at all three universities and at numerous internet cafes at a relatively inexpensive rate, and almost every Kurdish home is graced with a satellite dish on its roof.

Persistent fear

The UN programme for aid, rehabilitation and reconstruction in the area is one of the largest UN operations in the world. It is, however, being carried out with a small number of foreign UN personnel - the rest are local workers, mostly the new graduates.

"We are at a much more advantageous position than our fellow Iraqi Arabs," said a Kurdish UN worker in Irbil. "We are in touch with the outside world and we have gained a vast experience in modern techniques of administration."

The Kurdish leadership is calling for a federal system in Iraq with a Kurdish region in the north and another in the centre and the south of the country.

Amid all the talk about the future of Iraq, the one fear that haunts the new generation is the return to the old days, the horror stories of which are told by their parents.

"I don't know what the olden days were like," said a young Kurdish soldier. "But I would definitely oppose any move that would endanger what we have today."