Today, Friday, PUK diplomat Sadi Ahmed Pira led a PUK delegation to participate in the SI congress in Spain’s capital. "The XXVI [26th] SI Congress will be held in Madrid, Spain, on 25-27 November, hosted by the Spanish Socialists Workers' Party, PSOE," the Socialist International (SI) said in a statement on its website.

The congress would last two days, with the participation of many socialist parties around the world. The PUK is a principal socialist party in Iraq. The PUK delegation is also scheduled to meet with the Spanish Prime Minister and then hold several meetings with the leaders of other participant political parties.

Former PUK General Secretary and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani served as IS deputy general secretary for over a decade and now President Jalal Talabani is the honorary president of the group, with the PUK being an active SI member.

 

 

Today, Thursday, PUK President Talabani chaired a summit that included all parties of the Kurdistan region except the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Director of PUK Bureau of Kurdistan region diplomatic affairs, Salar Sarhad, said in a statement that "his bureau has invited the first person of all political parties in the Kurdistan Region to meet and discuss the situation in the Kurdistan region."

Leaders of the Goran Movement Omar Said Ali, Kurdistan Justice Group Ali Bapir, Islamic Union of Kurdistan Salahadin Bahadin, and Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party Mohammed Haji Mahmoud were greeted by President Bafel in Dukan, in Sulaimani.

Sarhad said the leaders discuss disputes between the Kurdistan region and Iraq; the PUK works to join efforts with the parties in the region to resolve the problems per the constitution to serve the people's interests.

"The topics under discussion are all national and topics concerning the public," KurdSat English reporter Rebaz Hiwa in Dukan said.

PUK efforts led to the overturning of some decisions against Kurds in the disputed territories; yesterday Kurdish language was restored to medical licenses following calls from PUK MPs and leaders. 

The Director of the Health Surveillance Department in Kirkuk told Kurdsat English that after the Iraqi Ministry of Health removed Kurdish writing on health licenses in Kirkuk province, and only Arabic was available on them," the decision was overturned after public outcry and pressure from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

KurdSat reporter in Kirkuk Omar Ghareeb noted that the Iraqi Health Ministry did not explain why it had removed Kurdish from medical licenses, and the head of the Kirkuk health department, who is a Turkmen, abided by the ministry's decree.

The reporter said that the decision to restore Kurdish would be effective today. The decision of the Ministry of Health states that both Arabic and Kurdish must be written per the Iraqi constitution and the law on official languages in Iraq.

General Board for Kurdistani Areas Outside the Region, a department dedicated to monitoring Kurds in the disputed territories, released a statement on the issue and said, "After the removal of the Kurdish language from the Kirkuk Health Directorate, we as the General Board of Kurdish Areas Outside the Kurdistan Regional Government immediately informed all Kurdish factions in Baghdad and all parties involved in this unconstitutional act." The board took the matter to Iraqi courts and demanded an explanation.

"Fortunately, after the efforts of the Kurdish factions and the new Iraqi government, the Ministry of Health decided to restore the Kurdish language to official documents," the board added. The board also noted that the decision is a way to settle the remaining issues between the central government and the government in Erbil. 

"We hope the joint struggle of all our factions in Baghdad will achieve the last terms of al-Sudani's [government] agenda." The PUK participated in the al-Sudani government by placing some terms for implementing its government agenda, guaranteeing the constitutional rights of the Kurdish people in the disputed territories.

The Kurds lost control of the disputed territories and later some of their rights to their language, property, and freedom following the 2017 independence referendum in which the Iraqi militia attacked Kirkuk.

The worship of the natural world manifests itself in Kurdish culture in various forms. A notable example is a veneration of old and sacred trees called Darê Mirazan or Dara Miraza, which translates into English as "The Tree of Wishes" or the Tree of Miracles. The sick visit them, believing that they have healing powers, and star-crossed lovers who feel the trees could help change their destiny or anyone who wishes their specific desires gets fulfilled. They tie a piece of their clothes onto the tree, with the idea that now the person has tied a part of themselves onto the tree for blessing or healing.

It was believed that inside the trees dwelled the guardian spirits called Dêw, meaning demon. The Dêw was associated with fertility, guidance, power, and protection. Therefore, the veneration of the trees was accompanied by sacrifices to the Dêw to ward off evil forces and bad luck.

Zoroastrians considered these practices evil; Zoroastrian clergy persecuted the followers of Mithraism for they were accused of demon worship, or following the God of darkness, instead of worshipping the God of light, Ahura Mazda. An accusation that is also directed against Kurds in early Christian and Muslim sources, as in medieval and late medieval accounts. In the 17th century, French traveler Pierre d'Avity went so far as to claim "the land of Curds, which is called the devil's country." The followers of Kurdish sects such as Yarsani, Reya Haqi, and Yezidi, remnants of Mithraism, are still accused of devil-worshipping.

In some places, usually in late autumn, specific sacrifice festivities are celebrated under Dara Miraza. The sacred character of these particular trees depends on the site where they grow, their age, size, or any other attributed features.

 

A 19th-century traveler, in his account of Kuzulbash Koords, or Alevi (Rêya Haqī) Kurds in northern Kurdistan, noted that "they are known to worship stones and ancient trees. They say that some prophet or saint has doubtless sat beneath that tree; therefore, it's sacred! With their remarkable notions of defied prophets, it would not be strange if they fancy that by contact, they impart of their divine nature to the old tree." 

 

Armenian writer and priest Hovhannes Muradian wrote in the 1860s that "in Kurdistan, the worship of trees and water is immeasurable." More recently, among the Rêyā Haqî Kurds in Dersim, Ahmet Gültekin describes rituals at sacred, protected sites called Jiares, which include trees, forests, mountains, rocks, caves, rivers, lakes, fountains, fire, soil, wild animals, or the sun and moon. They also tie offerings to trees."

All of this evidence attests to the vast scope of Kurdish nature spirituality which powerfully holds nature to be sacred and sees it as connected to the Creator.

The Kurdish Jews also practiced similar customs in Kurdistan. According to Haya Gavish, in Kurdistan, Tu-bi Shevat was a unique festival that symbolized fertility. Many magical customs were practiced on this day. Women linked their fate to that of the fruit trees; they believed that the rainwater inseminated the trees and, therefore, they, too, would become pregnant that night. They used to scatter raisins and sweets around the trees to enhance their fertility, hug the tree trunks, and recite a particular poem."

These traditions were still widely practiced in the 20th century. The Christian missionaries, the Wigrams, observed that among the Kurds, "the oldest faith of the land, the aboriginal tree-worship, still lingers in the villages. And indeed, is only despised by the townsfolk when the foreigner is within hearing [...] A rag from the garments of any sufferer from any disease has only to be tied to one of its branches to secure relief infallibly." Orientalist G.C. Driver in the 1920s encountered "a few whole Kurdish tribes which worshipped the trees of the forest and had altars formed of blocks of stone, like dolmens or menhirs, in the secret recesses of their country, Kurdistan." Likewise, French orientalist Thomas Bois who traveled through Kurdistan in mid-20th, noticed the worship of the powers of nature and the persistence of ancient beliefs that the guardian spirits, whether good or bad, haunted certain trees and springs; he noted: "these beliefs [which were common in ancient times] have not altogether disappeared, and there is today in Kurdistan many trees and many springs which are considered sacred."

In Sulaimani and Kirkuk, Bois observed the magical rites in which the Kurds engage to bring rain or cause it to cease in the event of a drought "the women also do their part in combatting the drought. 

They also go together in a band into the country to an ancient and venerable tree in the shade of which they comfort themselves; after having donned their finest clothes and with necessary kitchen utensils and provisions, they dance around the saucepan until the meal is ready. After dinner, they pour water over the prettiest dress of the company and await the rain. Then, if no rain falls before it is time to return, they pour water over one another's clothes and return completely soaked to their homes."

 

The veneration of animals and trees is also reflected in traditional Kurdish clothes' designs; he noted, "the designs are varied and colors singularly fresh and bright. Among the motifs of decoration, animals, and trees, more or less stylized, figure largely. Tress and spiders frequently appear."

Knowledge of the Tree of Wishes among younger generations of Kurds is little. Such practices continue to disappear as fewer people are interested in them. 

In the past years, Erbil authorities, after public outcries, have shut down some restaurants and hotels that played Saddam Hussein praising songs as back background music. But they were only closed for several days, failing to prevent its repetition. On November 10, a mall in Erbil was shut down for having played a song admiring former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Many Erbil restaurants have only Turkish, Arabic and English on their menus even though the majority of the city speaks Kurdish, causing concern among activists.

“In fact, it needs time until we can have all businesses to use the Kurdish language, and a large number of businesses have begun to use the Kurdish language,” Mayor of Erbil Nabaz Abdulhamid told KurdSat English. The mayor also noted that places that serve the people would be obliged to have the Kurdish language on their advertisements and menus when renewing their licenses, because if they don’t have Kurdish language on their front billboard and menu, they would not be allowed to do business. “We continue to monitor these places,” Abdulhamid added.

Bashdar Hassan, an Erbil-based lawyer says that a Turkification process is ongoing in Erbil, while not much is done to stop it. “There is a Turkification campaign underway in Erbil in particular, and the Kurdistan region in general, I am aware that [in Ebril] services in cafes and restaurants are done in Turkish rather than in Kurdish.”

KurdSat English reached out for many places that have Turkish on their menus but refused to comment. The streets of Erbil are filled with commercials in English, Turkish and Arabic languages, while the least are in Kurdish.

Erbil is home to a large number of Arabs from Iraq and other places of the Middle East, also a significant number of Persians have also moved to the city in search of jobs, although instead of learning Kurdish, Kurds have to learn their languages.

The Cooperation Center for Iranian Kurdistan's Political parties (CCIKPP), today in a statement called on political parties, activists and civil society groups across Iran to stage a general strike on Thursday to “support the unity and support of the Kurdish people [in Iran].”

The center also asked people to support the anti-government sit-ins, protests and the disobediences , and asked independent media to play its role through covering the events, as Iranian security forces continue to crackdown on protesters.

An incipient group that calls itself "Revolutionary Youth in Iran” also asked Iranians to shut down their businesses and avoid normal life in support of Iranian Kurds that continue to clash with security forces.  

The CCIKPP has deep roots within Iranian Kurds, and has mobilized its supporters during the recent unrest, leading the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to strike its bases in the Kurdistan region. Iranian Kurds have answered the center’s calls for strikes in Iran and many consider them representatives of Kurds in the Islamic Republic.  

 

Today, Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani arrived in Kuwait and is set to meet with Amir of Kwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Sudani will discuss economic coordination, investment, energy, security and border issues with Kuwait officials, according to Iraqi media.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani on Monday paid his first foreign visit since taking office, in his trip to Oman, the PM met with the King of Jordan and discussed their diplomatic relations.

Today, Wednesday, deputy chairperson of the PUK parliamentary group in the Iraqi Council of Representatives Karim Shukr told KurdSat English that "we as the PUK have had our card regarding the disputed territories when we negotiated taking part in the Al-Sudani government, and other allies with some terms regarding Kirkuk and the disputed territories." Traditionally, the PUK has gained majority of the votes in Kirkuk and disputed territories, and has come to represent a large majority of the people in the areas. 

"Some demands that we put into the government agenda have been bringing back the high committee for article 140, that was ignored for a while," Shukr said. The article 140 of the 2005 Iraqi Constitution requires holding a plebiscite for the disputed lands between Baghdad and Erbil and have their people decide if they want to join Erbil or Baghdad. 

"[we] have worked to transfer services of teachers serving in the disputed territories to the Federal Ministry of Education." The PUK MP added. 
Most ministry education employees are serving with the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Education, but for the past seven years the Kurdistan region has failed to properly pay for its employees, causing a set back for the Kurdish language education in the disputed territories. 

Earlier this week, PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani met with Iraqi Education Minister to address the problems facing Kurds in the disputed territories and issues effecting the people of the area, the education minister promised to followed up on PUK demands on Kurdish language education in the disputed lands. 

"We also worked to return lands [that belonged to the Kurds] distributed to migrant Arabs in Kirkuk and disputed territories that were granted to Arabs by the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC),” the PUK MP noted. The RCC was set up after the 1968 Baathist coup and tried to Arabize people of the disputed territories.  

Since the 2017 Kurdistan region independence referendum, Peshmerga forces have lost control of the disputed territories, and Kurdish rights in the area took a large hit, and many of their constitutional rights are ignored, such restricted use of the Kurdish language and its education, preventing Kurdish farmers from working on their fields and giving lands belonging to Kurds to other minorities.

Kurdsat English reported in Erbil’s Prde subdistrict said that the pounding took place at 2:33 am, today, with three missiles, which were fired from Sardasht, and landed in in a remote area without any people or structures.

Videos published online showed missiles flying over Qaladiza in Sulaimani towards Prdre in Erbil. 

The missiles caused no casualties, but the offices and schools in Prde were evacuated and work was canceled for the rest of the day, the reporter added.

Iran frequently bombs bases of Kurdish opposition groups that fight against Iran. Although, since the unprecedented recent protests that has swept across Iran, Tehran has launched some large-scale attacks on the bases of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups that have been in the Kurdistan region for the past two or three decades.

The September 29 missile and drone attack that hit several locations in Erbil and Sulaimani left many dead and injured, and caused hundreds of refugees. Iranian authorities have been told repeatedly to hold off their attacks.

Earlier this morning, around 2 am, a gas cylinder exploded at a bakery in Duhok city’s Grebase neighborhood, the upper floors of the bakery were a dormitory, the blast destroyed the second and third floors, leaving two students and three police officers dead, and damaged nearby property with vehicle glasses shattered around.

One of injured whose body was burned by 95 percent, today, November 25 lost his life in a hospital in Turkey. 

Lieutenant Colonel Ali Barwari, deputy director of Duhok emergency police was among the killed, while thirty-two were injured from the explosion with some in critical condition, one of the injured lost his life at hospital today.

For several days students have complained of gas leaks as the gas cylinder was on the dormitory floor. According to witnesses, students and other inhabitants of the building reported irritating gas leaks and called on the police, as many left the building fearing a blast, tens of students, police and other residents gathered in front of the building went the gas went off. Front windows of the building was pushed out as scaringly bright flames burst through them, the moment that blast goes off was posted online.

Director of Duhok Civil Defense Hasib Khurshid told KurdSat English that immediately following the incident they had warned people to turn off their Natural Gas Heating Systems and use alternative heating sources, the calling was in the light of the recent gas leak blasts that have killed many people in the Kurdistan region.

PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani sent his condolences to the victims, and the said “the major incident in Duhok tonight, brough great sorrow to our hearts,” and declared PUK’s readiness to offer relief. Deputy Prime Ministry of the Kurdistan region Qubad Talabani also expressed his sympathy with the victims and wished the injured speedy and full recovery.

Sulaimani sympathized with Duhok and its top officials expressed their wishes to help the people of Duhok. KurdSat Broadcasts Corporation (KBC) blackened its logo to honor the victims.  Governor of Duhok declared two days of mourning and said they had launched an investigation into the incident.

Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called on the authorities and the people to “totally” cease using Natural Gas Heating Systems in the Kurdistan region until further notice.

In just one week, gas leak explosion has killed 21 people and injured 43 others. Experts say that the explosion are caused due to negligence in maintenance, installment and poor-quality equipment, as the Kurdistan region lacks enough regulations regarding these new gas furnaces that run off natural gas, are usually supplied from already filled gas cylinders positioned on rooftops without proper safety measures.   

Last Friday, a gas cylinder exploded in Sulaimani’s Kaziwa street, leaving 14 family members and a gas furnace technician dead, causing people and authorities to be more vigilant regarding gas systems installed on households and buildings.

Although the Sulaimani blast drew public scrutiny to what government official have done to improve safety standards, it was not enough to prevent its repetition.

President of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Jalal Talabani with the Iraqi Minister of Education Ibrahim Namis Al-Jubouri to discuss efforts to improve teaching in the disputed territories between the Kurdistan region and Iran, and focused on creating favorable conditions in schools for both students and teachers.

President Bafel Jalal Talabani said that Kurdish language education in the disputed territories shall be improved and their guarantee their legal right by transferring their service to the Iraqi Ministry of Education, such steps would bring significant progress to education in the disputed territories. A recent decision by Kirkuk’s acting governor banned billboards in Kirkuk language and its use for public displays.

President Talabani also said that a government’s task is to a create a good condition for schools, students and teachers to help educate people, as it is a fundamental pillar in every country.  

The Iraqi Education Minister praised and welcomed President Talabani’s remarks on education in the disputed territories, and promised to follow up on issues facing education in the area, and form a committee to further look into the situation and address them.

The PUK has usually fought against discrimination against minorities in the disputed territories and helped for equal opportunity for all peoples of the region, and has stoop up against recent moves to downplay the use of the Kurdish language in Kirkuk and disputed territories. 

Since the 2017 independence referendum, the use of Kurdish language and education in the disputed territories has been downplayed. A recent decree from Iraqi Ministry of Education asked schools to ignore Kurdish language class and let students pass even if they fail in the Kurdish language class, even though it was canceled after public outcry.

As control is loosened over the Kurdish cities of Iran, the Iranian military has deployed many helicopters to monitor urban situation. According to Hengaw rights group, some helicopters were seen today over Mahabad and Baneh. Iranian security forces have reportedly fired at a crowd of people in Mangur street in Piranshahr, in West Azerbaijan, Hengaw reported.

The fate of several people detained in Kurdish cities remains unknown, including a 13-year-old child from Jawanro.

Forty foreigners had been detained for “taking part in the anti-government protests,” Masoud Setayeshi said in a regular news briefing, state media Mehr News reported. Many foreign representative offices in the country had advised their citizens to leave the country.

The months long protests have turned into an active resistance against the Iranian government, as young protesters demand more openness and freedom. Iran's World Cup team declined to sing their national anthem before their opening World Cup match on Monday in a sign of support for mass protests after many fans accused the squad of siding with a violent state crackdown on the unrest.

The two presidents talked of joining hands to maintain stability, and sovereignty of the country. The two leaders discussed issue of refugees, and the difficult living conditions refugees face in their camps, and discussed ways to work together to improve their living conditions and make joint efforts to ensure the safe and secure return of the refugees and their homes.

President Rashid and Barzani discussed security, political and economic developments, while confirmed their support the central government in implementing its program, which aims to meet the needs of Iraqis and improve their living conditions.

The presidents also touched on the disputes between the central and Erbil governments and ways to stabilize the disputed territories. The leaders agreed that joining forces and coordination between all Iraqi forces is a good way to fight terrorism in Iraq.

The presidents also said that Iraq's relations with its neighboring countries should be based on mutual respect and common interests, as Turkey and Iran continue to violate Baghdad’s sovereignty.

The unprecedented meeting follows Iran’s continued bombing of the Kurdistan region that takes a large toll on the region. Calls on Iran from the Kurdistan Regional Government and Federal government to stop its bombardment of the region has gone unanswered, and Tehran continues to bomb the region, citing the presence of Kurdish Iranian opposition groups in the area.