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I'll be the first to admit I know absolutely squat about the Kurdish people . . . but they sure seem to have some cojones while others around them tremble in fear. They fought So-Dumb Insane and now they're taking on the Mullah-Wullahs of Iran.

I say give them some high-dollar weapons, a little training, cook up some popcorn, pull up a chair, and watch the fur fly.

Yippy-ky-yay!

A Kurd you may of heard of.
http://mb-soft.com/believe/txh/saladin.htm
Saladin
General Information
{sal'-uh-din}

Salah ad-din, Yusuf ibn Ayyub, known as Saladin in the West, b. c.1138, d. Mar. 4, 1193, a Muslim warrior and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, was a staunch opponent of the Crusades. Of Kurdish descent, Saladin was raised in northern Syria, where members of his family were prominent government and military leaders under the rule of the Zangid dynasty.

In 1152 he joined the staff of his uncle Shirkuh and later accompanied (1169) Shirkuh, who headed a Zangid army, to Egypt, where he helped the Fatimid rulers resist the Crusaders. Shirkuh was appointed (1169) Fatimid vizier but died two months later; Saladin, officially installed as Shirkuh's successor, effectively repulsed the Crusaders. He solidified his power base in 1171 when he overthrew the Fatimid dynasty, returning Egypt to Islamic orthodoxy and becoming sole ruler there.

At the death (1174) of Nur Al-Din, the Zangid ruler, Saladin set out to conquer the Zangid kingdom in Syria as a preliminary to the holy war (jihad) against the Crusaders. Launching the jihad in 1187, Saladin was victorious at Hattin, recaptured Jerusalem, and drove the Crusaders back to the coast. These events prompted the Christians to mount the Third Crusade (1189-92), pitting Saladin against Richard I of England. The Crusaders succeeded only in capturing Acre, and the Peace of Ramleh (1192) left the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem with only a small strip of land along the Mediterranean coast.

Saladin not only vanquished the Crusaders but also restored Egypt as the major power in the Middle East. Within Egypt he established a stable dynasty, encouraged education, and reformed the financial structure to support the armed Kurdish and Turkish cavalry. Saladin also initiated a prolonged period of economic prosperity, population growth, and cultural revival. After he died, however, the Turks -- especially the Mamelukes -- began to predominate.

Michael W. Dols

Bibliography:
Ehrenkreutz, Andrew S., Saladin (1972); Gibb, H. A. R., The Life of Saladin: From the Works of 'Imad ad-Din and Baha 'ad-Din (1973) and Saladin: Studies in Islamic History (1974); Newby, P. H., Saladin in His Time (1984).