The recent news that the Kurdish government in northern Iraq has imposed a variety of special taxes and fees on those who live in the town of Ankawa should raise an eyebrow or two.
Business owners in Ankawa — but nowhere else within the Kurdish-run area — will now have to pay a fee to renew their licenses to do business; before, the license renewal was free. Furthermore, a new 10% tax on the sale of property in Ankawa replaces a previous 6% tax. Nowhere else in the Kurdish-run area are such taxes and fees being imposed. Since Ankawa is 80% Christian, the only town in Kurdish Iraq with such a high Christian population, it is clear that the tax is really meant to fall almost entirely on Christians, without its being described as such. As one local official admitted, these fees and taxes constitute a kind of jizyah, the tax imposed on non-Muslims in a Muslim polity in order that they may continue to observe their religion.
The Kurds have worked closely with the Americans, to whose protection they owe a lot, and they traditionally have been far more secular than the Arabs — for Islam, as Anwar Sheikh has said, is the vehicle for Arab supremacism, and the Kurds have been on the receiving end of that Arab supremacism (182,000 were murdered by Saddam Hussein’s Arab soldiers during Operation Anfal). But even for our allies the Kurds, the jizyah is apparently still to be imposed on the local Christians.
But why now? Before, when ISIS was a much greater threat, having taken over fully one-third of Iraq’s territory, the Kurds desperately needed military assistance from the Americans. They could not afford to impose the jizyah on the Christians of Ankawa and thereby antagonize their American ally. But now that ISIS has been driven entirely from Iraq, the Kurdish reliance on the Americans is no longer quite so necessary, and they are, unfortunately, reverting to Muslim type — that is, imposing the jizyah on Christians living in the Kurdish-run areas, but disguising it as a tax, imposed not on Christians, but on residents of Ankawa, which amounts largely to the same thing.
The Kurds claim special fees and raised taxes are justified because Ankawa is a place especially favored by visitors. And it is so favored because, being a Christian town, it is peaceful and secure. It’s true, that foreign visitors, including Western journalists and tourists, find Christian-populated Ankawa a more inviting and well-run place to stay in than any Muslim-populated town. But that is no reason to impose new fees on businesses or to raise the tax on property sales in the town.
What the KRG (Kurdish Regional Government) has done reminds us that even among the most secular of Muslim allies of the West, the Kurds in Iraq, who have owed the autonomy they have enjoyed entirely to the American air cover provided from 1991 on, and who have been especially close military allies of the Americans since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the primordial tug of Islam remains.
Those who thought the Kurds would be different in their treatment of Christians, that they would never impose a jizyah tax, have been proven wrong. Though in disguised form, the taxes and fees that fall only on residents of Ankawa, which is 80% Christian, are in truth, as one Kurdish official admitted in a single explosion of candor, a jizyah tax. But the jizyah may have been sufficiently disguised — being imposed not just on Christians but on all business and property owners in Ankawa — so as not to anger the American ally, whose help the Kurds will still need in the final push against ISIS across the border in southern Syria.
Those who think the jizyah has fallen into desuetude, that it has no relevance today but is only raised as an issue by islamophobes, should look at what just happened to the Christians of Ankawa, not at the hands of Salafists, but at the hands of our long-term allies, the famously “moderate” Kurds.
Wellington says
Pertinent article to say the least. Thanks again, Hugh Fitzgerald.
The lesson to be learned: Any adult who voluntarily remains a Muslim should not be trusted by the rest of humanity. If one is a willing Muslim, that person should be suspect, though the reasons for such do vary. But what does not vary is that NO Muslim, even those who are temporary allies in some way or who foolishly think that Islam can be reformed, should ever be trusted. Oh yeah, a most important lesson to learn; arguably none greater in our time.
Paul Klee says
The Kurds are legitimate, longstanding American allies. Irrespective of their Muslim beliefs, they know that discrimination against Christians is contrary to their own strategic interests. Kurds are Kurds first and then Muslims. So this will get fixed.
Paddy says
They were also Kurds first when with Kurdish gusto they butchered the Armenians to gain favor with the Turks.
Wellington says
To put it mildly, Paul Klee, you are far more optimistic than I am about this. In fact, I will go so far as to assert that I think you are dead wrong. Never trust Muslims. Work with them at times if you must, but never trust them, speaking in the aggregate, or assume they will put something like ethnicity above adherence to their religion.
gravenimage says
True, Paddy and Wellington.
J D S says
Kurds impose special tax on Christians… Proof that Muslims are Muslims…..doing what Muslims do. and…THE WESTERN WORLD STANDS STILL!
somehistory says
And it is entirely possible that the moslim business owners will get their “taxes and fees” back in some form so they are not paying this islamic extortion.
Extortion. A crime in the U.S. punishable by prison time. Extortion in Iraq may not be punished in this instance with prison time for the perpetrators, but it is still immoral and criminal.
Everything done for islam is immoral, criminal and evil.
gravenimage says
Hugh Fitzgerald: Even the Kurds Now Impose a Disguised Jizyah
……………………….
Grimly, this should not surprise. While the Kurds–as a threatened group themselves–have been less murderous towards Christians and Yezidis, they are still pious Muslims. I have often noted this here.
And this is not new–before the rise of ISIS there was a story–also covered here at Jihad Watch–of Kurds beating Christians who had not voted the way the Kurds wanted.
The Kurds still over all represent less of a threat to Christians than do other Muslims in the region right now–not just ISIS, but mainstream Muslim Iraqis–but that does not mean that Christians are safe in Kurdistan, either, nor that they will ever really be treated as equals.
And this goes back even further: Kurds–despite being oppressed as well–avidly took part in slaughtering Christians during the Armenian Genocide.
somehistory says
All too true, G.
Edward says
Goes back further, to the very beginning. For one big example, Saladin was a Kurd.
gravenimage says
True, Somehistory and Edward.
Niemoller says
The Muslim Kurds are acting like Muslims? Who would have thought?
Martin says
It has gotten long past the point where the rest of the world should let the Muslims of all types (Sunni, Shia, Kurd, etc.) continue to kill each other as they have done for over 1,300 years without our non-Muslim interference. The West should only help our fellow Christians and accept only Christians as immigrants or refugees. That Islam ruins everything has been proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, time and time again.
j_not_a says
You know how our justine truedope insists that a Candian is a Canadian is a Canadian? Well, we should insist that a muslim is a muslim is a muslim.
Mockingjay says
Yeah.
– We shouldn´t be naive.
A Kurd is still a muslim.
An important thing to keep in mind.
Ernie says
” Armenian-Kurdish relations- Wikipedia ” states that Ottoman troops and Kurdish tribesmen killed thousands of Armenians when Armenians began their struggle for autonomy in 1894 …… I’m NOT surprised .
gravenimage says
Exactly what I was referring to in my post above, Ernie.
Indiana Tom says
Muslim Turds will be Muslims. I feel sorry for the Christians, but if the Muslims want to turn the Uma into a free fire zone and kill each other off, more power to them. I always thought the Iran Iraq war was a good deal and I really wanted to see it keep going. If ISIS and the Iranians kill each other off, good riddance. Turks and Kurds? Too bad.
mortimer says
The Kurds have shown ingratitude after so much has been done to save them from genocide. They NOW COMMIT GENOCIDE THEMSELVES.
The Kurds have revealed themselves as two-faced hypocrites who don’t deserve Western support.
Turkey will ANNIHILATE the Kurds if the West leaves.
This is typical Islamic INSANITY.
The only good Islam is no Islam. Muslims can be deprogrammed, but Western governments will have to do that job in order to defend the deprogrammers.
gravenimage says
When have Muslims *ever* been deprogrammed, Mortimer?
Proud Kaafir says
Walid Shoebat who through his website continuously used to write against Kurds. He always used to say Kurds are no better than anyone else. He sites incidents in the history. Many of his predictions based on Bible study has become true compared to western interpretations. He was a Muslim and he knows all their tactics and he understands history and geography of the region.
Mano says
It is time for a CHRISTIAN STATE only, to be established in the middle east. Only the US and RUSSIA can establish this. To hell with all the muslims, kurds, arabs, turks and other islam scum.
commonsense says
That Christian state did exist, for a while…Lebanon.
gravenimage says
Yes–and Muslims overran and largely destroyed it in the 1970s.
Baucent says
I seem to remember Saladin was a Kurd. Clearly some are devout muslims.
Edward says
Exactly, I was about to post something about Saladin and the Horns of Hattin. Glad at least one other person is aware of how far back this goes – ab ovo.
Paddy OConnor says
Let the Armenians be the judge of the Kurds who butchered them in the 1000’s to gain brownies from the Turks.
No Muzzies Here says
This should be a warning to the world about what happens when there are non-Muslims living in an area controlled by Muslims. Islam is a political movement with religious overtones.
Jacqueline says
This promise is not in the Koran. Muhammad himself promised this reward to violent jihadists and martyrs.
janwoG says
Do not forget that the Kurds participated to the genocide of Armenians along the Turks. Be clear, no future for non-Muslims in a Muslim majority country on short (Islamist regime) and long so-called moderate Muslim countries. Just recenty the former non Muslim Mayor of Jakarta has been jailed for blasphemy, for stating that those Islamist stating the Quran do not allow non Muslim having an authority position over Muslims in a Muslim society were liars. He was wrong because the Quran states just that. In the history, the Islamic Spain Andalusia practiced a dissymetric tolerance towards non Muslims (same about the blacks under segregation- Came the Almohad dinasty, which persecuted Jews and Christians and annihilated Christian remnants in Northern Africa. As nice a individual Muslim might be, Islam has always the potential to become toxic for non Muslims.
narahari says
NEVER, never, never trust a Muslim, however reformed he is, however good-natured he appears to be. For one day, he will show himself to be a true Muslim, and you won’t know which day it is.
Gerold says
They’re either at your feet or at your throat