Ease off of them hammers. These are *Kurds*. They are not only very liberal by Middle East standards, but have quietly been working with Israel for their mutual benefit.
They are very pro-United States, and were very disappointed that the US did not establish a major base in their territory.
The Kurds’ enemies are the Arabs, Turks, and Iranians, all of whom would gladly obliterate the Kurds (and the Kurds have allegedly even provide passage through Iraq for Israelis enroute to Iran for, you know, this and that.)
Add to that the Kurdish “eccentricity”. During the Saddam years, Kurdish families of means sent their sons West to Europe and the US to become both educated and wise in the ways of technology, diplomacy and politics. And after Saddam fell, these men, many with advanced degrees, came home and became the new leaders of Iraqi Kurdistan.
The eccentric part is that the Kurds wanted the smart, well spoken men as leaders, instead of the usual Imam-types. And that wisdom has paid off in spades for the Kurds. Kurdistan has been economically developing at a very fast clip, into a modern, western style semi-country. They are effectively autonomous as part of Iraq.
Their growth in their capital city, Erbil, has been compared to that of Dubai.
If you ever get a chance to hear one of their leaders speak, do so, as they are both erudite and speak in impeccable English. And they actually have something intelligent to say.
I agree with you about the Kurds. A lot of admirable things about them and they’ve been tragically oppressed.
I agree with you about the Kurds. A lot of admirable things about them and they’ve been tragically oppressed.
Well then, the Kurds do not sound like very good Muslims, do they?