Kurds in Lebanon

Lebanese Kurds
Kurds in Lebanon
Kurdish women in Beirut
Total population
75,000 - 100,000[1]
70,000 (estimate 2020)[2]
Regions with significant populations
Beirut
Languages
Arabic and Kurmanji Kurdish
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Kurds
 
Part of a series on:

Kurdish history and Kurdish culture
People
  • List of Kurds
Population
  • Homeland
  • Kurdistan
  • Turkey (Northern Kurdistan)
  • Iran (Eastern Kurdistan)
  • Iraq (Southern Kurdistan)
  • Syria (Western Kurdistan)
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Kurds in Lebanon are people born in or residing in Lebanon who are of full or partial Kurdish origin. Estimates on the number of Kurds in Lebanon prior to 1985 were around 60,000.[3] Today, there are tens of thousands of Kurds in Lebanon, mainly in Beirut.[4]

History

Most Kurds in Lebanon have come in recent decades, but the Kurdish community of Lebanon dates back to the 12th century, when Lebanon was ruled by the Kurdish Ayyubid dynasty.[5] The Ottomans also sent loyal Kurdish families to modern-day Syria and Lebanon, where they got administrative roles.[5] These Kurdish groups settled in and ruled many areas of Lebanon for a long period of time.[6]: 27 

The Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, where many Syrian Kurdish refugees have taken shelter.

The first modern wave of Kurdish immigration to Lebanon was in the period of 1925-1950 when thousands of Kurds fled violence and poverty in Turkey.[7] The second wave of Kurds entered in the late 1950s and early 1960s, most of whom fled from political repression in Syria and Turkey.[5] During the early 1990s, the Lebanese government destroyed many squatter quarters in Beirut, where many Kurds lived, leading to the emigration of nearly one quarter of Lebanon's Kurdish population.[5]

During the Lebanese Civil War, Kurds fought for the Lebanese National Movement.[8]

Current status

As of 2012, around 40% of all Kurds in Lebanon do not have Lebanese citizenship.[5]

Notable People

Politician

Sports

Prominent families

See also

References

  1. ^ "Document - Gale Academic OneFile".
  2. ^ "Lebanon".
  3. ^ "People: Information & Library Science: Indiana University" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2014. [permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Historical Dictionary of Lebanon - Page 125 by Asʻad AbuKhalil
  5. ^ a b c d e "Kurds in Lebanon endure poverty, grapple with assimilation". Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  6. ^ Lokman I. Meho; Kelly L. Maglaughlin. Kurdish Culture and Society: An Annotated Bibliography.
  7. ^ A Modern History of the Kurds - Page 485 by David MacDowall
  8. ^ "Kurds in Lebanon endure poverty, grapple with assimilation". Ekurd.net (via The Daily Star Lebanon). 9 February 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.

External links

  • The Kurds in Lebanon: a social and historical overview
  • Lokman I. Meho and Farah W. Kawtharani. "The Kurdish community in Lebanon" (PDF).
  • Kurdistan Democratic Party Lebanon
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Religion1
Christianity
Islam
Other
Ethnic minorities, refugees and foreign nationals
1 The Lebanese people has the most religious diversity of all peoples in the Middle East, comprising 18 recognized religious sects recognized by the Constitution of Lebanon.
2 Under the terms of the Constitution of Lebanon, the Druze community is designated as a part of the Lebanese Muslim community.