Jews and Turkmen Can Prosper Again in Tuz Khurmatu – With Turkey Annexing North Iraq
Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
November 08, 2008
As the book bears witness to the Turkmen identity of the Northern Iraqi city, it consists in an excellent refutation of disastrous plans that provide for the formation of a fake state ´Kurdistan´ which will plunge into strife and disaster the subjugated non-Kurdish nations and ethno-religious groups, either those identified as other (Turkmen, Aramaean, Jewish) or those labeled "Kurds" (Zaza, Sorani, Yazidi, Ahl-e Haq, Feyli, etc.).
In the present article, I publish further chapters from the book, and more specifically those dedicated to religious issues and Tuz Khurmatu´s various groups, the Sunni and Shia Turkmen, and the Jews who have been forced to emigrate.
The Turkmen historicity of many lands falsely claimed as ´Kurdish´ will be one of the obstacles to the evil plans of the Apostate Freemasonic Lodge to set up a bogus-state called Kurdistan that will be the Hell-on-Earth.
The Turkmen City of Tuz Khormatu
By Mofak Salman Kerkuklu
1.4 Religion of the Turkmen
The old religions of the Turkmen were Al_Shamaniya, Judaism, Buddhism and Zaradishet but the Turkmen converted to Islam after Islamic forces conquered central Asia. The majority of Turkmen are Muslims, but there are also about 30,000 Christian (Catholic) Turks living in Iraq. They are called the Kala Gaweri.[1]
The Muslim Turkmen can be divided into two Muslim faiths: Shi´aa and Sunni. The Sunni Turkmen can be divided into Hanafi and Shafei. The different Muslim and Christian sects helped Turkmen to be more dynamic in Iraqi society.[2]
The Turkmen accepted mixed marriage more easily with Arabs and Kurds; therefore, there are a large number of Arab tribes who have originated from Turkmen, such as the Albayat.[3] There is no difference at all between Sunni and Shi´aa Turkmen in dialogue, language or culture. Intermarriage between the Shi´aa and Sunni Turkmen is very common. However, the overwhelming majority of Turkmen living in Tuz Khormatu are of the Shi´aa sect.
During the Ba´ath regime a large number of Turkmen in Tuz Khormatu, Basher Taza Khormatu and Yaychi, and other areas of Turkmeneli, were forced by the regime to leave the region because of their religious beliefs or political views and the overwhelming majority of these deported people were Turkmen. The Iraqi regime has continued in the oppression and the random arrest of Turkmen, and this has led these people to flee to avoid trial and imprisonment by the Iraqi regime.
The majority of Shi´aa Turkmen have escaped to Iran and settled in the holy cities of Qom and Asfehan in Iran. In addition, a large number of Turkmen joined the Iraqi opposition group in Iran, which was supported, financed, controlled and trained by the Iranian security forces Passdar and Pesij. In addition, a huge number of Turkmen have joined the Iraqi opposition militia, named Quwat Bader (Bader Militia Force), and fought in the front‐line against the Iraqi regime during the first Gulf War. They also carried out military activities in Iraq against Saddam Hussein´s security forces.
During the Iraqi and Iranian war (the first Gulf War), a large number of Turkmen, and especially the Shi´aa, were accused of being members of the Hizbul Aldawa (Dawwa Party). They were arrested and executed by the regime. Moreover, a large number of Shi´aa Turkmen were also imprisoned and executed in the Abu Ghuraib prison in Baghdad.
The overwhelming population in Tuz Khormatu is religious; often families visit the Takya in the evening. The Takya is a religious place that has been used by the locals to study reading, writing and the Koran. The Tekya is also used as a place for religious gatherings. There are several Tekyas in Tuz Khormatu, such as Tekya Deda Gheb, Tekya Baba Ghulam, Tekya Sayid Ali, Tekya Sayid Qilinder, Tekya Seyid Hayder and Tekya Sayid Ibrahim. Moreover, there are several shrines and temples in Tuz Khormatu, such as the sepulchres of Imam Ahmed, Sheik Muhsin (sultan Shah Mowsumma), Murtada Ali, Sheik Ahmed Abdul Gafer Al_tayar, the Shrine Imam Hassan, the Haci Bag Graveyard and the Baba Ghulam Graveyard. There are also several historical mosques in the district, such as Othman Camesi, Husseinieh Tuz Al_kabir, Yeni Damler Jamesi, Baghdadi Camesi and Cumhuriya Camesi.
During the Ashoura, which is a religious festival among the Shi´aa, the fronts of the houses in Tuz Khormatu are covered with billboards and coloured flags. The overwhelming colour that is used is black. Also the shrine of Imam on the top of the Tuz Khormatu is covered with coloured flags and flowers. In addition, during the Ashoura, the families in Tuz Khormatu prepare food, which is delivered to the local people and to the neighbourhood. Ashoura is a religious custom but the Iraqi government (in the Ba´ath regime) prohibited this religious festival.
2.1 The Jews of Tuz Khormatu
The Turkmen in Tuz Khormatu are especially tolerable towards other religious. The Iraqis experienced coexistence of religion, when the Turkmen enjoyed a unique and successful Iraqi civilisation. This was particularly true for the Jews, who lived and worked in the district of Tuz Khormatu for many decades without being discriminated against or facing any type of racial or religious persecution. Historical records in the city of Tuz Khormatu with a Turkmen majority have shown fairness and transparency on the basis of citizenship in Iraq.
Before the Jewish immigration to Palestine, there were approximately 600 Jews resident in Tuz Khormatu between 1945 and 1952. At present, there are only a handful of Jewish women living in Tuz Khormatu. They have married and converted to Islam. These women have lived happily and have assimilated and been adopted into Turkmen society.[4] These Jewish women had children and grandchildren and have become fully integrated; they have preferred to live and settle with their husbands in Tuz Khormatu without being subjected to pressure or inducements. These families have also refused to immigrate to Israel when a large numbers of Jews in Iraq were forced out by the various Iraqi governments.
The Turkmen of Tuz Khormatu have never shown any hatred or any kind of racial or religious discrimination, hostility or perception of inferiority towards the Jews when they were living in Tuz Khormatu, contrary to what is happening in the most advanced countries and in Western countries, where incidences of racial discrimination are very common.
The Jews settled and worked in almost every part of Iraq. They were heavily involved in commerce and business. Nevertheless, there are also a sizeable number of Jews living in Turkmeneli in general and in Tuz Khormatu in particular. In the east of the city of Tuz Khormatu, in the Chakla neighbourhood, opposite the Dew Muhammad primary school, there is an abandoned building, characterised by faced high arches, with huge columns built in stone and plaster, and the internal corridors and hallways are covered with beauty and secrets. This building was named the Torah (synagogue) and was used by the Jewish community for practicing their worship. This temple is believed to have been constructed in 1890.
Only a few metres have separated the school from the synagogue. There is a small river adjacent to the temple called Buyuk Arkh, which means ´the Large´ in the Turkmen language. A small bridge was used to cross the river. The synagogue building consists of a number of rooms with a very huge room forming the hall. The temple is built with a large high rise roof standing on two large wide pillars, while lines painted on the ceiling and an altar in the form of a cylinder indicate the inner sanctuary. This room overlooks the river. There is no doubt that the temple was chosen to be constructed next to the river; it is clear that the river was to be utilised for religious purposes.
According to Jewish belief, it is necessary that there is water close to the temple and to the homes of Jews and places where they gather. The Yahudiler Mahallesi (which means Jewish neighbourhood) is located near the Temple Torah (synagogue), and is still referred to as the Yahudiler Mahallesi today. However, the presence of Muslim neighbours near the temples was not an obstacle or problem for the Jews. In contrast, the Muslims were not constrained to be settled near the Jewish synagogue. However, many prominent figures and well known Turkmen in Tuz Khormatu have settled next to the synagogue, such as Sadiq Almukhtar, the mayor of the locality, Mohamed Dew, whose home is adjacent to the temple and Osta Jihad, who is one of the well known builders of the city of Tuz Khormatu.
2.2 Jewish social life
Although Jews tended to compartmentalize themselves in social terms to a certain extent, their shops and homes have overlapped with Muslim homes and shops, and they have completely integrated in society. The presence of the Jewish religion among the community has elevated society in terms of peace, harmony and mutual understanding. The Jews have lived happily among the Turkmen without persecution or oppression by the Turkmen and the Turkmen have felt the Jewish community is a valuable asset for society in terms of administration and promoting local business.
The Jewish community in Tuz Khormatu have never been subjected to any type of blackmail or confiscation of freedom of action in commerce and identity privacy or any other work affecting funds. Despite the Jewish domination of the district of Tuz Khormatu, in both financial and administrative positions in that period, unlike other towns where the Jews were subjected to persecution, oppression and blackmail and even their shops were looted by Arabs: this looting is known as ferhoud.
The prominent Iraqi writer and researcher, Mr Rashid Alkhyoon, in his book Religions and Sects in Iraq, did not even mention the arrival of Jews in Tuz Khormatu, but he described the Iraqi Jews as producers in the fields of industry and finance and said that their presence in Iraq had created some type of social balance, equality and diversity within Iraqi society.[5]
2.3 Migration of the Jews
In addition to Mr Rashid Alkhyoon´s statement that the Iraqi Jews are linked to Iraq more than they are to the Promised Land (Israel), what happened to the Iraqi Jews was a Zionist plan: this also culminated in what is known as ferhoud. The Iraqi Jews had their citizenship revoked, and this helped tremendously with the migration of the Jews from Iraq. The migration of the Jews has caused the knowledge and the experience of Jewish craftsmen and technicians to be moved from Iraq to Israel and other countries: in other words, the Jewish migration was a great technical loss for the Iraqi people.
The migration of the Jews from Iraq has affected the spirit and morale of the society. Moreover, the Turkmen writer, Salahaddin Naji Oglu, stated in his book, Tuz Khormatu Qadiman and Hadithin (Tuz Khormatu in the Past and Present). The writer clearly emphasised in his book that the Jewish families who settled in Tuz Khormatu came from the mountain regions of Kara Dag east of the Tuz Khormatu, as well as the cities of Kirkuk and Mosul in the period immediately following the trip of the famous traveler, Gladiolus James Rich, in 1820. The Jews in Tuz Khormatu chose the east side of the river Buyuk Arch starting from Khan Gulu (Khan Lake) and ending at the lake of Baglar Tuker on the river itself and the Jews have settled in the area between those two points, which is named the Chakla neighbourhood. The Jewish community in Tuz Khormatu settled in more than 50 houses built of stone and white plaster in the Cakala and Mustafa Agha neighbourhoods.
The Tuz Khormatu welcomed many Jewish families, including the families of Abdel Miran, Ilyas, Abd Kuehl, Eliahu Qassab and Kor Ahion. Most Jews were employed: Abd Saleh, Zion Sakali, Saleh Dawood, Murad Shaul, Daniel, Kechel Faraj, Nisan, Khalaf Altonji, Aba Minh, Uzun Iszhak, Dalal Baruch, Moshe, Meiza Bayagji, Cohen Abed, Abdel Sayon, Yousif Murad, Eliahu, Zion Khormatli, Yousif Bazaz and others.[6]
The Jews in Tuz Khormatu spoke in their mother tongue, Hebrew, and the Turkmen language. The Jewish men wore flake in general whereas the Jewish professionals and freelancers were dressed with Al_Sayeh and flake (costume and jacket) similar to that worn by the Turkmen while the Jewish women wore a uniform similar to the dress of Turkmen women uniforms of Tuz Khormatu.
The Jews in Tuz Khormatu worked in trade, marketing, agriculture and business. In addition, numbers of free professionals emerged including Elias traders who built a commercial complex, named after Elias.
The Jews in Tuz Khormatu played a very active role in trade and agriculture in the region through barter trade and the purchase and marketing of agricultural products. In general, trade in Tuz Khormatu was confined to the Jewish community. One of the most famous Jewish traders in Tuz Khormatu was Abdel Miran who owned real estate, farming lands and orchards.
Even now, one of the most famous orchards in Tuz Khormatu is named for his father, Miran Bangi.
2.4 Jewish religious festivals
The Jewish community lived and worked in Tuz Khormatu in peace and harmony and they have practised their religion freely without interference from the Turkmen community. They have celebrated their religious feasts and holidays throughout the year including:
1. The Feast of Tabernacles (Cherdag Bayrami): This feast commences between the end of the month of November and the end of the winter, and lasts for four days.
2. Saturday Eid: This religious festival is carried out on the Saturday of each week.
3. Eid Hamann (Minister of Pharaoh).[7] The Jews lived happily in Tuz Khormatu with unrestricted social courtesy and excellent public relations with the Turkmen. Their interests with others were based on mutual respect, and they worship and performed religious rites at the temple. They have celebrated their festivals, wedding ceremonies and other Jewish events by gathering in their houses. The Jews in Tuz Khormatu were well dressed, educated and housed; in addition, they were employed in high government positions.
The Jews in Tuz Khormatu would celebrate marriages this way: the father of the bride would be completely responsible for covering the entire wedding expenses and arranging the ceremony. During the wedding ceremony, the bride would leave her father´s house and go towards her groom´s house accompanied by a religious figure (Torah teacher), who would carry a five‐branch candelabra. The Torah teacher would chant: Asmar Jema, Ghazal bench shemma. On the seventh day of marriage both the groom and the bride would attend temple (the Synagogue) for ablution in its basin in a method called Altmos.
In Tuz Khormatu, a number of prominent women's names are used by the Jews, including Minh, Dehle, Makhmur, Krjeh, Shusha, Hannah and Dalloulh, as well as other names.[8]
Notes
1. Aziz Kadir Samanci, Political History for the Iraqi Turkmen, page 34, first edition, 1999. Published by Dar Al-Alsaqi, London, United Kingdom.
2. Hassan Kurt Ozman, The Turkmen in Iraq and Human Rights, page 17, first edition, 2002. Published in Ankara, Turkey.
3. Salim Matter, Al-QUDS Al-Arabi, volume 15, issue 4464 Friday 26th September 2003. North of Iraq and ethnic cleansing and Kirkuk history and Turkmen right.
4. Zahid Albayati, Alyahub fi Tuz Khormati Namuthejan, Monday, 20/11/2006, Turkmen Times website.
5. Salahaddin Najioglu, Tuz Khormatu Kadiman and Hadithin, published in Tuz Khormatu, Iraq, 16/3/1972. Najioglu is author of the book Tuz Khormatu Old and New.
6. Zahid Albayati, Alyahub fi Tuz Khormati Namuthejan, Monday, 20/11/2006, Turkmen Times website
7. Zahid Albayati, Alyahub fi Tuz Khormati Namuthejan, Monday, 20/11/2006, Turkmen Times website.
8. Ibid.
Note
Picture: Jewish Synagogue in Tuz Khormatu, photo by Mahmud Zahid Albayati, from the book "The Turkmen City of Tuz Khormatu" by Mofak Salman Kerkuklu
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