Shabaks
 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 200,000–500,000 (2017 estimation)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Largest settlements: Mosul,Gogjali,Bartella[2][3] | |
| Languages | |
| Shabaki,Arabic,Kurdish[4] | |
| Religion | |
| Shia Islam(Twelver),[5]Sunni Islam |
Shabaks(Arabic:الشبك,Kurdish:شەبەک,romanized:Şebek) are a group of people who live east ofMosulinIraq.Their origin is uncertain and they are consideredKurdsby some scholars.[6][7][8]They speakShabakiand live in a religious community (ta'ifa) in theNineveh Plains.The ancestors of Shabaks were followers of theSafaviyyaorder, which was founded by the Kurdish mysticSafi-ad-din Ardabiliin the early 14th century.[9]The primary Shabak religious text is called theBuyrukorKitab al-Manaqib(Book of Exemplary Acts), which is written inTurkmen.[10]
Members of the three Kurdish tribesBajalan(or Bajarwans),Zanganaand Dawoody live in the same villages as the Shabaks and are commonly mistaken for being Shabak.[5]
Origins
[edit]The origins of the wordShabakare not clear. One theory is thatShabakis anArabicwordشبكthat meansintertwine,indicating that the Shabak people originated from many different tribes.Austin Henry Layardconsidered Shabaks to be descendants of Kurds who originated in Iran, and believed that they might have affinities with theAli-Ilahis.[6]Anastas Al-Karmalialso argued that Shabaks were ethnic Kurds.[11]Another theory suggests that the Shabaks originated fromAnatolianTurkomans,who were forced to settle in theMosularea after the defeat ofIsmail Iat thebattle of Chaldiran.[6]
Deportation and forced assimilation
[edit]After the 1987 census, the Iraqi regime started a revenge campaign against those Shabaks who chose to declare themselves Kurdish.[6]The campaign included both deportation and forced assimilation, and many of them (along withZenganaandHawramiKurds) were relocated to concentration camps (mujamma'atinArabic) that were located in theHarirarea of theKurdistan Region.An estimated 1,160 Shabaks were killed during this period. In addition, increasing efforts have been made to force the Shabaks to suppress their own identity in favour of being Arab. The Iraqi government's efforts offorced assimilation,Arabization,and religious persecution put the Shabaks under increasing threat. As one Shabak told a researcher: "The government said we are Arabs, not Kurds; but if we are, why did they deport us from our homes?"[6]Shabak politician Salim al-Shabaki, a representative of Shabaks in the Iraqi parliament, said "The Shabaks are part of the Kurdish nation", emphasizing that Shabaks are ethnically Kurdish.[12]
Hunain al-Qaddo, a Shabak politician, was quoted byHuman Rights Watchthat: "ThePeshmergahave no genuine interest in protecting his community, and that Kurdish security forces are more interested in controlling Shabaks and their leaders than protecting them. "[13]
Religious beliefs
[edit]Shabaks regard themselves asShia Muslims.[14]
Shabaks combine elements ofSufismwith their own concept ofdivine reality.According to Shabaks, divine reality is more advanced than the literal reading of theQur'an,which is known asSharia.Shabak spiritual guides are known aspirs,and they are well versed in the prayers and rituals of the sect. Pirs are under the leadership of the Supreme Head orBaba.[6]Pirs act as mediators between divine power and ordinary Shabaks. Their beliefs form a syncretic faith that is similar to the beliefs ofYarsanism.[9]
Shabaks also consider the poetry ofIsmail Ito be revealed by Allah, and they recite Ismail's poetry during religious meetings.[9]
Settlements
[edit]List of Shabak–majority settlements in theNineveh Plains:[5]
- Abbasiyah
- Ali Rash
- Badanat Sufla
- Badanat Ulya
- Basakhrah
- Basatliya Saghirah
- Baybukh
- Bazgirtan
- Bazwaya
- Chunji
- Darawish
- Dayrij
- Gogjali
- Gora Ghariban
- Judaydat
- Kahriz
- Khazna
- Kiretagh / Qaraytagh
- Manara Shabak
- Mufti
- Qara Shor
- Qara Tappa
- Sadah
- Salamiyah
- Shaqoli
- Shahrazad
- Sheikh Amir
- Tahrawa
- Tawajinah
- Terjilleh
- Tiskharab
List of mixed settlements in the Nineveh Plains:[5]
- Abu Jarwan (Shabak–Bajalan Kurdish)
- Bartella(Shabak–Assyrian)[15]
- Basatliya (Shabak–Kurdish)
- Bashbitah (Mixed Kurdish)
- Bashiqa(Shabak–Yezidi)
- Bir Hallan (Mixed Kurdish)
- Birma (Mixed Kurdish)
- Fadila (Mixed Kurdish)
- Hasan Shami (Mixed Kurdish–Arab)
- Jilu Khan (Mixed Kurdish)
- Kabarli (Mixed Kurdish)
- Kanunah (Mixed Kurdish)
- Kharabat Sultan (Mixed Kurdish)
- Khorsabad (Mixed Kurdish)
- Orta Kharab (Mixed Kurdish)
- Bakhdida/ Qaraqosh / Hamdaniyah (Assyrian-Shabak)[16]
- Qarqashah (Mixed Kurdish)
- Shamsiyat (Shabak–Turkmen)
- Summaqiyah (Mixed Kurdish)
- Tall Akub (Mixed Kurdish)
- Tallara (Mixed Kurdish)
- Topzawah (Mixed Kurdish)
- Tubraq Ziyarah (Mixed Kurdish)
- Umar Qabji (Mixed Kurdish)
- Umarkan (Mixed Kurdish)
- Yangija (Mixed Kurdish)
- Yarimjah (Shabak–Turkmen)
- Zara Khatun (Mixed Kurdish)
As of March 2019, all of the above settlements are under federal control and aredisputed territories of Northern Iraq.[17]
References
[edit]- ^"Crossroads: The future of Iraq's minorities after ISIS"(PDF).Minority Rights Group International.p. 9.Retrieved24 March2019.
- ^"Part I: ISIS exploited the marginalized minority groups of Iraq".Rudaw. 27 April 2017.Retrieved13 May2017.
- ^C.J. Edmonds (1967). "A Pilgrimage to Lalish". p. 87.
- ^Christine M. Helms.Arabism and Islam: Stateless Nations and Nationless States.p. 12.
- ^abcdعبود، زهير كاظم، (2009).الشبك في العراق(in Arabic). AIRP. p. 42.ISBN9789953362700.
- ^abcdefLeezenberg, Michiel (December 1994)."The Shabak and the Kakais: Dynamics of Ethnicity in Iraqi Kurdistan"(PDF).University of Amsterdam: 5–6.Retrieved30 March2019.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^Ahmed, M. (19 January 2016).Iraqi Kurds and Nation-Building.Springer.ISBN978-1-137-03408-3.
Since Shabak Kurds—a minority religious group—were legally deprivedfrom purchasing land in Mosul and those...
- ^Leezenberg (December 1994)."The Shabak and the Kakais: Dynamics of Ethnicity in Iraqi Kurdistan"(PDF).Retrieved23 August2024.
- ^abcAmal Vinogradov (1974)."Ethnicity, Cultural Discontinuity and Power Brokers in Northern Iraq: The Case of the Shabak".American Ethnologist.1(1): 207–218.doi:10.1525/ae.1974.1.1.02a00110.
- ^Martin van Bruinessen (2000).Mullas, Sufis and Heretics: The Role of Religion in Kurdish Society: Collected Articles.Isis Press. p. 3000.
- ^The Shabak, Bektashis, Safawis, and Kizilbash(1 ed.). Syracuse:Syracuse University Press.1987.ISBN0-8156-2411-5.
- ^"Shabak minority want only Peshmerga to liberate their homes".Rudaw.Retrieved2016-10-24.
- ^"On Vulnerable Ground".Human Rights Watch. 10 November 2009.
- ^Imranali Panjwani.Shi'a of Samarra: The Heritage and Politics of a Community in Iraq.p. 172.
- ^"'Trust is gone': Iraqi Christians fear returning due to Shiite militia ".The Daily Star - Lebanon. 12 February 2019.
- ^Erica Gaston (5 August 2017)."Iraq after ISIL: Qaraqosh, Hamdaniya District".GPPi.Retrieved25 March2019.
- ^"US State Dept. says Iraq's takeover of disputed areas caused 'abuse, atrocities'".Rûdaw. 14 March 2019.Retrieved25 March2019.
Further reading
[edit]- Ali, Salah Salim. ‘Shabak: A Curious sect in Islam’.Revue des études islamiques60. 2 (1992): 521-528. (ISSN0336-156X)
- Ali, Salah Salim. ‘Shabak: A Curious sect in Islam’.Hamdard Islamicus23. 2 (April–June 2000): 73-78. (ISSN0250-7196)