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Battle for the Mountain of the Kurds: Self-Determination and Ethnic Cleansing in Rojava
In early 2018, Turkey invaded the autonomous Kurdish region of Afrin in Syria and is currently threatening to ethnically cleanse the region. Between 2012 and 2018, the “Mountain of the Kurds” (Kurd Dagh) as the area has been called for centuries, had been one of the quietest regions in a country otherwise torn by civil war. After the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the Syrian army withdrew from the region in 2012, enabling the Party of Democratic Union (PYD), the Syrian sister party of Abdullah Öcalan’s outlawed Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to first introduce a Kurdish self-administration and then, in 2014, to establish the Canton Afrin as one of the three parts of the heavily Kurdish Democratic Federation of Northern Syria, which is better known under the name Rojava. This self-administration—which had seen multiparty municipal and regionwide elections in the summer and autumn of 2017, which included a far-reaching autonomy for a number of ethnic and religious groups, and which had provided a safe haven for up to 300,000 refugees from other parts of Syria—is now at risk of being annihilated by the Turkish invasion and occupation. Thomas Schmidinger is one of the very few Europeans to have visited the Canton of Afrin. In this book, he gives an account of the history and the present situation of the region. In a number of interviews, he also gives inhabitants of the region from a variety of ethnicities, religions, political orientations, and walks of life the opportunity to speak for themselves. As things stand now, the book might seem to be in danger of becoming an epitaph for the “Mountain of the Kurds,” but as the author writes, “the battle for the Mountain of the Kurds is far from over yet.”
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 21, 2020
I read Thomas Schmidinger’s ‘The Battle for the Mountain of the Kurds: Self-Determination and Ethnic Cleansing in the Afrin Region of Rojava’ in preparation for his US speaking tour that was promptly cancelled because he was not allowed to board a plane to come to the US after being extensively questioned. The US state department’s prohibition on Schmidinger travel is a ringing endorsement of the power and importance of his work and Kurdish movement.
Although Schmidinger’s book is short, he covers a lot of ground on the history and make up of the region. He provides details about the population demographics, language, religious affiliations, a brief overview of the very long history of the area, and the immediate history of the twentieth-century leading up to the current context.
I initially was put off by all the historical detail dating so far back that it seemed inconsequential to what is happening right now. It wasn’t till I got to Schmidinger’s explanation of Kurdish Democratic Confederalism that I began to understand that the Kurds themselves see this historical trajectory as extremely important to their current and future project of building a free society. For example, the variety of religious affiliations inform their need to be non-sectarian in their political systems; likewise, the historical role of patriarchy informs their need to be feminist or extremely egalitarian in the (re)structuring of their everyday lives and political institutions. I also came to appreciated Schmidinger’s deep dive when I read Abdullah Öcalan’s own work where Öcalan also references this long history to explain his vision for the future.
Although Schmidinger’s book is short, he covers a lot of ground on the history and make up of the region. He provides details about the population demographics, language, religious affiliations, a brief overview of the very long history of the area, and the immediate history of the twentieth-century leading up to the current context.
I initially was put off by all the historical detail dating so far back that it seemed inconsequential to what is happening right now. It wasn’t till I got to Schmidinger’s explanation of Kurdish Democratic Confederalism that I began to understand that the Kurds themselves see this historical trajectory as extremely important to their current and future project of building a free society. For example, the variety of religious affiliations inform their need to be non-sectarian in their political systems; likewise, the historical role of patriarchy informs their need to be feminist or extremely egalitarian in the (re)structuring of their everyday lives and political institutions. I also came to appreciated Schmidinger’s deep dive when I read Abdullah Öcalan’s own work where Öcalan also references this long history to explain his vision for the future.
October 12, 2023
"If Kurdistan is a body, then Afrin is its heart!"
This city, known by various names such as Afrin, Kurd Dagh, çiyayê kurmênc, and Efrîn, is a testament to the rich heritage of our ancestors.
During the Syrian war, Afrin was a safe haven for the internally displayed until March 6, 2018, when it faced a Turkish offensive, altering its course.
This book serves as a valuable resource for gaining insight into the history of the Kurdish people in Rojava and understanding the current situation.
This city, known by various names such as Afrin, Kurd Dagh, çiyayê kurmênc, and Efrîn, is a testament to the rich heritage of our ancestors.
During the Syrian war, Afrin was a safe haven for the internally displayed until March 6, 2018, when it faced a Turkish offensive, altering its course.
This book serves as a valuable resource for gaining insight into the history of the Kurdish people in Rojava and understanding the current situation.
March 28, 2021
This book was recommended as a good overview of the situation on the group in Syria and the terrible situation in the areas under Turkish control. It focuses on Afrin, which just marked its third anniversary of Turkish occupation and the situation has not improved since this book was published. Overall, this is a good source of information on the turmoil in Syria since Turkey decided to start ethnically cleansing border towns in the name of national security. The book does highlight the lies the Turkish government told the Turkish people and the rest of the world. It also makes the real reason for the invasion clear: Erdogan is a weak president and as long as there is a war, he can have all political criticism within Turkey silenced. The book also points to some sort of deal between the United States and Russia to create "spheres of influence" in Syria. It had been so long since I heard that term used about a current situation that I had to make sure that I understood the term correctly. I did and it made me very sad that countries still play these games with the lives of innocent people.
There is a lot of background information at the beginning of the book, which will help if you don't know anything about Syria. The northeastern part of Syria is actually more diverse ethnically and religiously that most Americans realize. The plight of the Yezidis in Afrin, but only briefly. At the time the book was published, it was not clearly understood how many Yezidis remained in Afrin. Three years later, it still isn't clear. Yazda reported last week that any Yezidis in Afrin are hiding or pretending to be Muslim due to the ongoing persecution and forced conversions forced on them by the Turkish militias.
Parts of the book are very dry and full of statistics. Those are necessary to tell the full story. The best part of the book is at the end when the author shares his interviews with citizens of Afrin. Most of those interviews were done before the Turks invaded. The book is short and a fairly easy read, but it is very academic. So, one must be prepared for that before starting it. I think it is very unfortunate that the effect of this book is similar to that of Daughters of Kobani. It makes you very sad for the people of northeastern Syria, very angry at Erdogan, and very annoyed that the world has done so little to help people that only want the ability to determine their own future.
There is a lot of background information at the beginning of the book, which will help if you don't know anything about Syria. The northeastern part of Syria is actually more diverse ethnically and religiously that most Americans realize. The plight of the Yezidis in Afrin, but only briefly. At the time the book was published, it was not clearly understood how many Yezidis remained in Afrin. Three years later, it still isn't clear. Yazda reported last week that any Yezidis in Afrin are hiding or pretending to be Muslim due to the ongoing persecution and forced conversions forced on them by the Turkish militias.
Parts of the book are very dry and full of statistics. Those are necessary to tell the full story. The best part of the book is at the end when the author shares his interviews with citizens of Afrin. Most of those interviews were done before the Turks invaded. The book is short and a fairly easy read, but it is very academic. So, one must be prepared for that before starting it. I think it is very unfortunate that the effect of this book is similar to that of Daughters of Kobani. It makes you very sad for the people of northeastern Syria, very angry at Erdogan, and very annoyed that the world has done so little to help people that only want the ability to determine their own future.
April 18, 2020
I’m just a regular American who watched a couple of recent documentaries on Syria and decided to expand my knowledge of the conflict occurring there. This book provided a pretty thorough overview of the Syrian Kurds in the enclave of Afrin. Thomas Schmidinger, the book’s author, doesn’t go directly into the conflict, but provides an overview of the different groups in the area, Afrin’s long and interesting history, and democratic confederalism in the canton of Afrin. For someone with little knowledge of Afrin beforehand, this book provided enough background to begin to get an understanding of its history and politics. The large number of competing political parties and acronyms were confusing at points, and may require you to read slowly/do some Googling depending on your knowledge of the area.
I found the final parts of the book (the war against Afrin and voices from Afrin) to be the most interesting, specifically when it comes to the international community’s failure to act to protect the people of Afrin. I did feel like the final parts were a bit rushed, however. There were a few typos here and there and I would have liked more information about the actual war since I had to get through so much background information to reach that point.
Overall, though, it was a concise book packed with information. It’s well worth a read - just make sure you do some Googling after finishing the book to get the most up-to-date information since it ends in 2018.
I found the final parts of the book (the war against Afrin and voices from Afrin) to be the most interesting, specifically when it comes to the international community’s failure to act to protect the people of Afrin. I did feel like the final parts were a bit rushed, however. There were a few typos here and there and I would have liked more information about the actual war since I had to get through so much background information to reach that point.
Overall, though, it was a concise book packed with information. It’s well worth a read - just make sure you do some Googling after finishing the book to get the most up-to-date information since it ends in 2018.
July 16, 2021
The story of the Kurdish women and men who defended their homelands against the brutal Turkish army and Turkey's vile al-Qaeda linked Syrian "rebels" who were utilized as mercenary shock troops.
Tragically, the U.S. and NATO turned blind eyes to the Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide, Kidnappings and Human and Sex Trafficking that occurred in 20218, killing some 500 civilian men, women, and children, while displacing some 300,000 Kurds, Yazidis, and a handful of Christians.
Today, the small number of Kurds and Yazidis who remained in the Afrin/Kurd Mountain region continue to be subjected to murder, kidnappings for ransom, and kidnapping of women and girls for trafficking by the Turkish Army and Syrian rebels.
Tragically, the U.S. and NATO turned blind eyes to the Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide, Kidnappings and Human and Sex Trafficking that occurred in 20218, killing some 500 civilian men, women, and children, while displacing some 300,000 Kurds, Yazidis, and a handful of Christians.
Today, the small number of Kurds and Yazidis who remained in the Afrin/Kurd Mountain region continue to be subjected to murder, kidnappings for ransom, and kidnapping of women and girls for trafficking by the Turkish Army and Syrian rebels.
May 1, 2022
A good book to understand what happened in the canton of Afrin up to 2018 and the Turkish unlawful war and ethnic cleansing. Reading this during the Russian war on Ukraine give also good perspective on the hypocrisy of the west that totally ignored the aggression and crimes of Turkey, and its collaboration with jihadist and IS.
August 1, 2019
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January 1, 2024
Concise. Enlightening and good. Was an easy read and learned a lot. Great effort was put into the book
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews