The documentary King of Kurdistan (Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji 1878 – 1956) just released by London film maker Richard Wilding shows that the Kurds are still facing the same intractable problems which confronted them 100 years ago.
“The Kurds in Iraq face the same challenges now as they did in the 1920s,” Wilding said. “They are still surrounded by much more powerful neighbours. They are still divided among themselves rather than displaying political unity or stability.”
The seven minute documentary sponsored by the Sheikh Mahmoud Foundation to mark the 100th anniversary of the Kingdom of Kurdistan launched at the House of Commons in London provided a penetrating flash of insight into Barzanji’s life.
The defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I left Britain controlling the three Ottoman provinces of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. However, because the British occupied Mosul after the armistice was signed, Turkey continued to claim Mosul province until 1926.
Britain sought to counter these claims by setting up Kurdish entities in Mosul province to be loosely attached to whatever administration might ultimately be established in the rest of Mesopotamia.
In 1919, Britain appointed Shaikh Mahmud, from one of the leading Sufi dynasties of Kurdistan as ruler in Sulaimani. But Mahmud found the restrictions placed upon him too severe and led a Kurdish revolt. After suffering an initial defeat the British returned with reinforcements, defeated Shaikh Mahmud and exiled him to India.
The following year, Britain installed Amir Faisal of the Hijaz as King of the newly created state of Iraq. However, the Kurds in Sulaimani did not recognise this new ruler in Baghdad or accept their inclusion in the new Kingdom and Turkey encouraged a series of Kurdish tribes to rebel. Britain needed a Kurdish leader to quash the unrest and act as a bastion against Turkish incursions into Iraq.
After considering other options, the British reluctantly brought Shaikh Mahmud back from exile, with assurances of good behaviour. The rapturous reception that greeted him on his return to Sulaimani encouraged Mahmud to lead a second rebellion with even higher ambition. In October 1922 he proclaimed Sulaimani as the capital of Kurdistan, formed a cabinet and declared himself King. From March 1923 to mid-1924, the British retaliated against Sheikh Mahmud’s perceived insolence with aerial bombardment, and thus ended the Kurds’ first attempt at full-fledged sovereignty.
Commenting on the documentary Karwan Jamal Tahir the High Representative to the United Kingdom of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said: “Sheikh Mahmud’s uprising and revolt is an important part of Kurdish history. The British as a colonial power, had a mandate in the region after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, the colliding interests of the major powers were not in favour of the Kurdish nation, despite Winston Churchill, the Colonial Secretary at the time, supporting the idea of an independent Kurdish state. Sheikh Mahmud was therefore forced to lead an uprising against larger imperialist forces who denied the Kurds their independence. As a great Kurdish leader from history, Sheikh Mahmud pre-dates divisions within the Kurdish nation over more recent decades, transcending modern politics and uniting all Kurds. It is hugely encouraging that historians from both Kurdistan and the UK continue to study and teach about the heroes from our past.”
A delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan which included descendants of some of the people connected to Shaikh Mahmoud in the 1920s, and also some prominent business people and academics from attended the launch in the House of Commons Churchill Hall held in coordination with the Sheikh Mahmoud Foundation and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. Also present at the launch were British MPs including the Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi Rt Hon Rosie Winterton, Rt Hon، Brendan Lewis، Rt Hon Fiona Bruce and a significant number of Kurd’s friends and the Kurdish diaspora.
Relatives of Cecil Edmonds, Major Noel and A. M Hamilton were also present. Cecil Edmonds, author of Kurds, Turks and Arabs: Politics, Travel and Research in North-Eastern Iraq 1919 – 1925 was a British political officer and adviser to the Ministry of Interior in Iraq. Major Noel was a political officer on special duty in Kurdistan in 1919. A.M. Hamilton was a New Zealand civil engineer, notable for building the Hamilton Road through Kurdistan.
Jack Lopresti MP, Chairman of the APPG, stressed that relations between the UK and the Kurdistan Region are significant and crucial for both sides. He said that his country considers the Kurdistan Region as a faithful ally. He also emphasised that the group will continue to support Kurdistan Region and defend its constitutional rights within federal Iraq.
At the end of the event, Sheikh Mahmoud Kaka Hama Abdulkarem delivered a speech on behalf of the Kurdistan Delegation in which he called on the UK government to further support the Kurdistan Region and its legitimate rights and to prevent the past hardships from happening to the Kurds again.
The video shown in the Houses of Parliament is a short preview of a full length documentary Wilding is making about Shaikh Mahmoud and the past 100 years of Kurdish / British relations. “I have already done the research, developed the script and done some of the filming, and will complete the project when funding allows,” Wilding said.
He presented some of his research findings at two seminars at the University of Cambridge and at the Royal Association for Asia Affairs which were also addressed by Dr Ako Shwani, from Sulaimani University giving two different academic perspectives, the English and Kurdish, focused on the stage in history where Sheikh Mahmud rose against the British mandate and led a revolt, and proclaimed the first Kingdom in Kurdistan. They assessed the causes and the consequences of the revolution and the role of Britain in the region and in suppressing King Mahmoud’s efforts to build a state for the Kurds. The Kurds are still dreaming of an independent state, look back on the kingdom that once was and take pride in having tired.
