Islamism in Kurdistan dates back to as early as the 1920s. Islamism is a political movement which aims to implement Islam into political systems. The history of Islamism in Kurdistan is not contiguous and has a different history depending on which part of Kurdistan.
Background Islamism in Kurdistan has an early history. During dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the overwhelming majority of Kurds had fought hard to save it.McDowall, David (1996). A Modern History of the Kurds. London: I.B. Tauris. pp. 131–137. .Gingeras, Ryan (2022). The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire. Dublin: Random House. pp. 204–206. . The Ottoman authorities viewed Kurds as a Muslim minority loyal to the empire and treated them equal to other Muslims.Denise Natali (2004) "Ottoman Kurds and emergent Kurdish nationalism", Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies,13:3, 383-387, DOI: 10.1080/1066992042000300701 However, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and was replaced by the Republic of Turkey. The new Turkish state, founded upon secularism and Turkish ethnic nationalism, instantly targeted its Kurdish population, going as far as denying its entire existence and killing those who resisted the Turkification. The Kurds were also persecuted in the newly made Syria and Iraq, both also ruled by secular nationalist regimes. The Islamist Kurds fought to separate from the newly made countries, and establish their own country which would return Islamic rule to the Middle East. Islam historically was the mainstay of the Kurdish independence movement, and it remained so until the Kurdish independence movement was later dominated by secular nationalists.Van Bruinessen, M. (1991) "Religion in Kurdistan." Kurdish Times. New York, vol.4, nos 1-2. pp.5-27 This was evident during the Sheikh Said rebellion and Mahmud Barzanji revolts, and also the revolts led by Osman Abdulaziz, Mashouq al-Khaznawi, Sheikh Ubeydullah, and Simko Shikak.
Iraqi Kurdistan Political Islam in Iraqi Kurdistan was largely introduced by Osman Abdulaziz. He was loyal to the Muslim Brotherhood and was based in Halabja. Prior to Osman Abdulaziz, the religious Kurds were not as involved in politics. Muslim Brotherhood ideas were also first brought into Iraqi Kurdistan in the early 1940s by Kurds who studied in Baghdad.Karadag, Lokman. 2017. Kürt Siyasal Hareketinde Islami Bir Aktör:Kürdistan, pp. 64-66 Despite some Kurds holding high positions in the Muslim Brotherhood, the Muslim Brotherhood remained unpopular with Kurds.Siwayli, Idris. 2017. Iraqi Kurdish case in Muslim Brotherhood agenda, pp. 4 Mustafa Barzani and Jalal Talabani both knew Osman Abdulaziz and highly respected him. During the First Iraqi–Kurdish War, Barzani allowed Osman Abdulaziz and his followers to freely operate in KDP territory, and in 1974, Osman Abdulaziz went on a diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia on behalf of Barzani.Obeid, Adel Ahmad. 2010. 'L'islamisme en mutation : Une étude pluridisciplinaire sur la mouvance islamiste kurde, pp. 17-18Obeid, Adel Ahmad. 2010. 'L'islamisme en mutation : Une étude pluridisciplinaire sur la mouvance islamiste kurde, pp. 43-44 During the 1970s and 1980s, the main Islamist groups in Iraqi Kurdistan were two independent Muslim Brotherhood factions, one for Sorani Kurds (Halabja, Sulaymaniyah, parts of Kirkuk and Erbil), and one for Kurmanji Kurds (Duhok, parts of Nineveh and Erbil).Karadag, Lokman. 2017. Kürt Siyasal Hareketinde Islami Bir Aktör:Kürdistan, pp. 69-83
During the Iraq-Iran war, many Kurdish Islamists from Iraq sought asylum in Iranian Kurdistan, where they were hosted by Iranian Kurdish Islamists. Iran attempted to convince the Iraqi Muslim Brotherhood to fight for Iran, as there had been moments in which the Muslim Brotherhood supported the Iranian Revolution and called for unity between Sunni and Shias, however their relations worsened when Iran accused the Muslim Brotherhood of supporting Saddam Hussein during the war.Nada, Youssef, with Thompson, Douglas. 2012. Inside the Muslim Brotherhood, 59-64
Another instance was when Iran ignored the 1982 massacre by the Assad regime, in which Said Hawwa criticised Iran.Aslan, Yakup. 2014. Bir Rüyanin Ardindan Gerçeklesen Sessiz Devrim, pp. 192 During the Iran-Iraq war, the Muslim Brotherhood had an increase of Arab nationalism, causing its Kurdish members to split from the Arab members. After splitting, Osman Abdulaziz founded the Kurdistan Islamic Movement, which was the originator of many Kurdish Islamist movements.Romano, David. 2007. An outline of Kurdish Islamist groups in Iraq', pp. 8Obeid, Adel Ahmad. 2010. 'L'islamisme en mutation : Une étude pluridiscipli- naire sur la mouvance islamiste kurde, pp. 54-59Shareef, Mohammed. 2015. 'Kurdish Islamists in Iraq: from the Muslim Brotherhood to the So-Called Islamic State: Continuity or Departure?, pp. 20-21 The IMK fought in the Iran-Iraq war, when Osman Abdulaziz famously declared a Jihad and had thousands of Islamist Kurds in his group, although the IMK only became a significant group when Osman Abdulaziz declared a second jihad during the 1991 Iraqi uprisings. Many Islamist Kurds who were living in exile in Iran, or fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan, returned to Kurdistan and joined Osman Abdulaziz. Among them were Mullah Krekar returning from Afghanistan, and Ali Bapir returning from Iran.Romano, David. 2007. An outline of Kurdish Islamist groups in Iraq', pp. 8-10Shareef, Mohammed. 2015. 'Kurdish Islamists in Iraq: from the Muslim Brotherhood to the So-Called Islamic State: Continuity or Departure?, pp. 27-31Obeid, Adel Ahmad. 2010. 'L'islamisme en mutation : Une étude pluridiscipli- naire sur la mouvance islamiste kurde, pp. 80-87 Many Kurdish Islamists had been in Afghanistan where they either fought the Soviets or received training from the Taliban or Al-Qaeda to utilise in Kurdistan. The IMK sent Kurds to Osama bin Laden, in which they told him about the atrocities that Saddam Hussein was committing in Iraqi Kurdistan. After al-Qaeda relocated to Khartoum, Sudan, in 1991, an al-Qaeda instructor visited Iraqi Kurdistan to train the IMK rebels in 1992.Beyond Iraq: The Future of World Order, 2011, pp. 114, Kurdish Islamists would regularly send delegations to Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, and Osama bin Laden had noticed the factionalism among Kurdish Islamists and advised them to solve their differences and reunite.Schanzer, Jonathan (January 2004) "Ansar al-Islam: Back in Iraq :: Middle East Quarterly". Middle East Quarterly. Archived from the original on 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
Unlike other Islamist Kurds, Salahaddin Bahaaddin, who remained in the Muslim Brotherhood, refused to rebel against Baathist Iraq and called for an Islamic nonviolent campaign instead.Obeid, Adel Ahmad. 2010. 'L'islamisme en mutation : Une étude pluridiscipli- naire sur la mouvance islamiste kurde, pp. 58 Salaheddin Bahaeddin was isolated from other Islamist Kurds, and in 1994 he formed the Kurdistan Islamic Union. Osman Abdulaziz was gaining popularity, and the IMK was rapidly gaining power. Eventually, a conflict erupted between the IMK and the Kurdistan Regional Government led by the PUK and KDP. Later, the conflict ended as part of the truce, the IMK was allowed to participate in the KRG and became its third significant party.Faleh A. Jabar and Hosham Dawod, The Kurds: nationalism and politics (London: Saqi), 203-230.
A significant amount of IMK members who viewed democracy as haram left the IMK and split into many different factions. Mullah Krekar later emerged as a leading figure for Kurdish Islamists. Unlike the mainstream Salafi Islamism which mostly advocated for a global caliphate, Mullah Krekar presented a form of Salafi Islamism where it was focused on Kurdish affairs. He was an avid supporter of Kurdish independence and he did not plan on expanding his control past Kurdistan. He held other nationalist views, however he abandoned the components of nationalism which conflicted with religion.Gade, Tine; Palani, Kamaran (22 May 2022). "The hybridisation of religion and nationalism in Iraqi Kurdistan: The case of Kurdish Islam". Third World Thematics: A TWQ Journal. 5 (3–6): 221–241. doi:10.1080/23802014.2022.2070269. hdl:11250/2999460. S2CID 249036504."Does Kurdish jihadist group threaten Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in north Syria? - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". http://www.al-monitor.com. 20 June 2021. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (11 May 2014). "Key Updates on Iraq's Sunni Insurgent Groups". Brown Moses Blog. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
Mullah Krekar was joined by many other Salafi Kurds, including his own Islah group, the KJG, and Jund al-Islam (a merger of the Tawhid Islamic Front, the Islamic Resistance Movement, and the Second Soran Unit). They later captured land in 2001 in Hawraman and formed the Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan. In the Islamic Emirate, Islah and Jund al-Islam merged to form Ansar al-Islam."Ansar al-Islam in Iraqi Kurdistan." Human Rights Watch, Date unknown. Web. 18 October 2010. Ansar al-Islam grew very quickly and had big influence. Ansar al-Islam attacks were so effective that they led to the formation of CTG Kurdistan by the KRG. Ansar al-Islam maintained its control over the Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan until a US bombing campaign during Operation Viking Hammer ended the Islamic Emirate, and Ansar al-Islam dissolved. In 2005, Ali Bapir, known for his hatred of the KRG and democracy, took part in elections for the KRG parliament, and the KJG became the third Islamist party after IMK and KIU.Obeid, Adel Ahmad.'L'islamisme en mutation : Une étude pluridisciplinaire sur la mouvance islamiste kurde, pp. 22-23Obeid, Adel Ahmad.'L'islamisme en mutation : Une étude pluridisciplinaire sur la mouvance islamiste kurde, pp. 80-83 The Kurdistan Brigades and Ansar al-Islam both sought to remove all non-Muslims and their influence from Kurdistan. Ansar al-Islam specifically targeted Franso Hariri, an Assyrian Christian, and killed him after 2 failed attempts on his life earlier.Education for Peace in Iraq Center > 08/23/02 ( DNN 2.0.3 )
After the fall of the Islamic Emirate, Abu Abdullah al-Shafi'i founded Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna, while Mullah Krekar left for Norway where he founded and led Rawti Shax until his arrest in 2015. Later, Jama'at Ansar al-Islam was founded, although it had no relation to Mullah Krekar. When the Islamic State in Kurdistan first emerged in 2014, Jama'at Ansar al-Islam and the Kurdistan Brigades both fought against the Islamic State. After months of fighting, the Islamic State won. Both the Kurdistan Brigades and Jama'at Ansar al-Islam drastically declined, and Jama'at Ansar al-Islam relocated to Jabal al-Akrad. In a 2010 interview, Mullah Krekar complained about Arab jihadists, claiming that when they asked for help, the Kurdish jihadists generously offered help in the Sunni Triangle, while when the Kurdish jihadists asked for help, the Arab jihadists only made excuses to avoid helping.Brynjar Lia; "A Kurdish al-Qaida? Making Sense of the Ansar al-Islam Movement in Iraqi Kurdistan in the Early 2000s", pp. 5
Iranian Kurdistan