Kurds in the Netherlands
Regions with significant populations
from 40,000 up to almost 100,000[1][2][3][4]
Languages
Kurdish and Dutch
Religion
Sunni Islam, Alevi
Related ethnic groups
Iranian peoples, Kurdish diaspora

Kurds in the Netherlands may refer to people born in or residing in the Netherlands of Kurdish origin.

There are different accounts for the actual Kurdish population within the Netherlands. "The number of Kurds in the Netherlands is not clear, as the Kurds hold different nationalities (Turkish, Iranian, Iraqi and Syrian) and are categorized on the basis of their nationalities in governmental statistics; the figures run from 15,000 up to almost 100,000."[1] Other sources claim that the number of ethnic Kurds in the Netherlands is around 70,000 people.[5]

The Kurdish community in the Netherlands among which the Turkish Kurds and Iraqi Kurds make up the largest group of Kurds in the Netherlands, exceeding the numbers of Iranian Kurds and Syrian Kurds.

Immigration history

In the Netherlands, Kurdish immigrant workers from Turkey first arrived in the second half of the 1960s.[6] Thousands of Kurdish refugees and political refugees fled from Turkey during the 1970s and onward, from Iraq and Iran during the 1980s and 1990s, and from Syria especially during the Syrian Civil War.[6]

Political activism

On 6 October 2014, the Kurds in the Netherlands "stormed the national parliament building in The Hague on Monday night in a protest against ISIS" offensive on the Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab, known in Kurdish as Kobani.[7]

On 13 May 2015, "Dutch police raided a secret meeting of members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the Netherlands".[8] The office of Dutch prosecutors explained "that the Kurdish PKK recruits young Kurds in the Netherlands for its armed struggle against the Turkish army".[8]

On 8 June 2015, the Kurds in the Netherlands celebrated the success of "the left-wing pro-Kurdish party, which won 13 percent of the votes in the Turkish parliamentary elections, leading to much joy and celebrations among Kurds.".[9] The Kurdish minority within the state of Turkey "who want more autonomy for Turkish Kurdistan, but Turkey refuses to give it".[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Turkish and Kurdish Identity and Nationalism in the Netherlands by Tenzin Wangmo". Humanity in Action. 2016-12-15. Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  2. ↑ Wal, Cyril Rosman & Carla van der (October 11, 2019). "Inval veroorzaakt onrust tussen Koerden en Turken in Nederland". Het Parool.
  3. ↑ "Groeperingen in de Turks-Nederlandse gemeenschap". Kennisplatform Integratie & Samenleving. January 24, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Kurdish rebel leader hoped to take refuge in the Netherlands after long association". www.irishtimes.com.
  5. ↑ "Kurds in Netherlands". WereldJournalisten.nl. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  6. 1 2 "The Kurdish Diaspora". Kurdish Institute of Paris. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  7. ↑ Reuters Editorial (2014-10-06). "Kurds in Netherlands storm parliament in protest against Islamic State". Reuters. Retrieved 2017-03-03. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  8. 1 2 "Dutch police raid Kurdish PKK meeting, hold 55 for questioning". Ekurd.net. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  9. 1 2 "Kurdish in Netherlands celebrate Turkey election results | NL Times". Nltimes.nl. 2015-06-08. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.