Who are Kirkuk-Arabs?
Al-Hayat had nothing new to report about Kirkuk except the week old news about the Hawija [Kirkuk suburbs], tribes ready to confront the Kurds.
Member of the “Iraqi List”, Osama Al Hujaifi revealed that the Americans are excising pressures on the Kurds.
Newspaper albayyna reported about what kind of pressure; it was a direct warning, saying:
The Americans warned Barzani of the consequences of dictatorship, sectarian and discrimination mentality, shifting everything to the Kurds interests.
Azzaman added more; the decision to adjourn the meetings on Kikuk until September is dictated by U.S. ambassador, British ambassador and the UN:
Iraqi sources asked to stay anonymous revealed to the newspaper that the American ambassador Robert Ford, the British ambassador and the UN participated in the parliament discussion and proposed to postpone the decision.
Who are Kirkuk-Arabs?
A misleading campaign started by the Kurdish parties and adopted by the western media calling Arabs in Kirkuk as “strangers” brought to the city by Saddam in his Kirkuk-Arabazation campaign.
It is true, there were displaced families, and that includes Arabs, Turkomen and Kurds, not only for political reasons, but for administrative and economic reasons also.
Whole villages removed and families displaced because they live beside oilfields, irrigation project or gas sources…etc. Therefore these families and villagers are compensated and relocated into other areas.
Driven by the separation project of their leaders, what happened is that only the Kurds demand the “right to return”.
Ba’ath party issued a law saying that all Kudish families settled in Kikuk after 1957 must return to their original area, that means the following:
These Kurdish families are already displaced from their homes in Kirkuk’s neighboring provinces.
It is true, there was an Arabazation campaign in 1986, but the Arabs immigrated to Kirkuk at that time are the 20% - 15% of the Arabs in Kirkuk province. The 80% of Kirkuk-Arabs are tribes lived in the province for centuries.
Three Immigrations
The 17th century
While the Kurds - North Iraq - recent Kurdistan - were supported by the Ottoman Empire to play a vital role as the first defense line against the growing power of Qajar Empire - Persia - recent Iran -, the area between Kirkuk and Tikrit was the Ottomans weakest line.
The Ottomans started to attract Arab Tribes from surrounding areas to immigrate to “Kirkuk province” to play the same defense role of the Kurds, most of these tribes are Sunnis.
Among these tribes are:
- Jubour - stationed in Hawija, one of the most powerful tribes.
- Obaid - Originally from Samara, derived away to Kirkuk by the “Shimr” tribe, stationed in Himreen Valley.
- Nua’im - Stationed in Kirkuk, some of the tribes became Turkomen.
- Hamdan - Stationed in Dibs area.
- Hadidi - First stationed at the outskirts of Kirkuk city, later they moved inside.
Early 20th century
Oil discovery in Kirkuk provided work opportunities for people from west and Middle Iraq, most of them Shiites brought as unskilled workers. Also mostly Shiites army troops brought to the area to provide security to the oil fields, stationed in Kirkuk with their families after the finish of the military housing project.
Shiite Arabs integrated very easily in the region because of the already existence of Shiite Turkomen in Kirkuk, there are even few Shiite shrines in Kirkuk.
Late 20th century
These are the “strangers” Iraqi Arabs who came later in 1986, following the decision (42) of the Revolution Command Council, which authorized the governor of Kirkuk to give each family willing to settle in Kirkuk a piece of ground and 10,000 dinars to build a house.
These are mix af Sunnis and Shiites, there are even Christians among the immigrants, came from various regions to Kirkuk. Known as “The Arrivals”, they are about 20% - 15% of the original Kirkuk-Arabs.
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