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] and hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who are of Kurdish origin but assimiliated with the locals and consider Arabic to be their mother tongue.
 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 |
History
editMost 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 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
editAs of 2012, around 40% of all Kurds in Lebanon do not have Lebanese citizenship.[5]
Notable People
editPolitician
edit- Kamal Jumblatt, 20th-century Lebanese politician and author; founder of the Progressive Socialist Party
- Taymur Jumblatt, Lebanese politician
- Walid Jumblatt, Lebanese politician
Sports
edit- Hassan Oumari, Footballer
- Joan Oumari, Footballer
Prominent families
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Document - Gale Academic OneFile".
- ^ "Lebanon".
- ^ "People: Information & Library Science: Indiana University" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2014. [permanent dead link]
- ^ Historical Dictionary of Lebanon - Page 125 by Asʻad AbuKhalil
- ^ a b c d e "Kurds in Lebanon endure poverty, grapple with assimilation". Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ Lokman I. Meho; Kelly L. Maglaughlin. Kurdish Culture and Society: An Annotated Bibliography.
- ^ A Modern History of the Kurds - Page 485 by David MacDowall
- ^ "Kurds in Lebanon endure poverty, grapple with assimilation". Ekurd.net (via The Daily Star Lebanon). 9 February 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
External links
edit- 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