Monday, August 20, 2007

Re: An Israeli in Kurdistan

by Michael Rubin from National Review

Fewer young people in Iraqi Kurdistan, for example, can point out (or are even aware) of Erbil's Jewish quarter. In the last year, many Jewish buildings in Kuysanjaq have fallen victim to the developers' bulldozer. And in Sulaymaniyah, the destruction of old building in the former Jewish area is a historian's nightmare. Memory is being erased. Second, as corruption among the major political parties increases in Iraqi Kurdistan, so too does Islamist influence. Erbil has grown steadily more conservative over the past five years. Many of the mosques in Erbil and Dahuk are built with the assistance of Saudi NGOs. WAMY and IIRO have active presences (even if the KDP keeps a close eye on both). On the PUK side, such sentiment permeates the region around Halabja around which there is still heavy Iranian penetration.

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