MIDDLE EAST HISTORY POLITICS CULTURE XIII MIDDLE EAST XIII | Page 156

VARDAN GALSTYAN
(IOS of NAS RA)
THE PROBLEM OF THE IDENTITY AND ASSIMILATION OF THE KURDS
IN AZERBAIJAN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE INDEPENDENCE
REFERENDUM IN IRAQI KURDISTAN
The independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan on 25 th September
became a peculiar event for researching the modern problems of the Kurds in
Azerbaijan. Before and after 25 th September some Azerbaijani Kurds put the
flags of Iraqi Kurdistan and its leader Masut Barzani on their social network
profiles. Those activities provoked the severe reaction of the majority of the
Azerbaijani part of social networks. The users who associate themselves with
Azerbaijani Turks blamed the supporters of the Kurdish referendum for being
sympathizers of terrorism and separatism. It became clear that for many
Azerbaijanis even the fact of the existence of Kurds in their country is
something unusual and absurd. That opinion is the result of the long-term
state policy of ignoring the ethnic, cultural and linguistic rights of the Kurds
in Azerbaijan since the sovietization of the territory.
This article is an attempt to represent the history of the discrimination
of the Kurds in Azerbaijan and to analyze the possible struggle of this ethnic
minority for its rights nowadays.
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