 | |
| 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 | |
| Majority:Shia Islam[5] Minority:Sunni Islam,Yarsanism[6] |
Shabaks (Arabic:الشبك,Kurdish:شەبەک,romanized: Şebek) are a group native to theNineveh Plains inIraq. Their origin is uncertain, although they are largely consideredKurds by scholars.[7][8][9] They speakShabaki, a branch of theZaza–Gorani languages, one of the main Kurdish variants alongsidecommon Kurdish. Shabaks largely followShia Islam, with smallerSunni andYarsani minorities.
The origins of the wordShabak are not clear. One theory is thatShabak is anArabic wordشبك that meansintertwine, indicating that the Shabak people originated as a confederation of many tribes of different ethnicities.[7] Others claim that the word Shabak came from the Persian "shah" and Turkish "bek", meaning "master of kings", eventually beingArabized to "Shabak".[10]Austin Henry Layard considered Shabaks to be descendants ofKurds who originated in Iran, and believed that they possibly had affinities with theAli-Ilahis.[7]Anastas Al-Karmali also argued that Shabaks were ethnic Kurds.[11] Another theory claimed that Shabaks were local ethnic Kurds who were influenced by many cultures due to the ethnic and religious diversity of theNineveh Plains, which was historically one of the most diverse regions in Iraq.[12] In 2019, Hussein al-Shabaki, a Shabak politician, claimed that the Shabaks were simply Kurds of various Kurdish tribes, and that the term "Shabak" in reality was the historical name of the region they lived in.[13] Another theory suggests that the Shabaks originated fromAnatolianQizilbashTurkomans, who were forced to settle in theMosul area after the defeat ofIsmail I by theOttomans at theBattle of Chaldiran.[7] Other theories supported the Qizilbash theory, although claimed that the Shabaks specifically descended from Qizilbash Kurds, as the Qizilbash confederation did include Kurds and other Non-Turkic minorities.[14] In the 1990s, Turkish sources began denying the existence of the Shabaks, claiming they were simply part of theIraqi Turkmen.[15]
Most Shabaks belonged to theKurdish tribes ofZangana,Bajalan, Rojbayani, Dawudi,Lak, Omerbal,Shekak, and Zirari, among others. Some individual Shabak families are of Arab or Turkmen origin who assimilated due to living in close proximity.[16][17]
After the 1987 census, the Iraqi regime declared Shabaks to be Arabs. Many Shabak community leaders protested, insisting that they were Kurds, after which the Iraqi regime began a campaign against Shabaks.[18] Many Shabaks chose to abandon their traditions, stop identifying with Kurds, and assimilate into the Arab identity to avoid being targeted.[19] The Iraqi government fabricated lineage documents to portray the Shabaks as Arabs.[20] The campaign included both deportation and forced assimilation, and many of them (along withZengana andHawrami Kurds) were relocated to concentration camps (mujamma'at inArabic) that were located in theHarir area of the northern Iraq. 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?"[7] Shabak politician Salim al-Shabaki, a Shabak representative in the Iraqi parliament, said "The Shabaks are part of the Kurdish nation", emphasizing that Shabaks are ethnically Kurdish.[21] Furthermore, he claimed that Shabaks were direct descendants of the original Kurds.[22]
Hunain al-Qaddo, a Shabak politician who advocated that Shabaks were a distinct ethnic group, claimed that "thePeshmerga have no genuine interest in protecting his community, and that Kurdish security forces are more interested in controlling Shabaks and their leaders than protecting them."[23] Meanwhile, Salim al-Shabaki claimed that it was actually the Iraqi Shia militias who had no interest in protecting the Shabaks and only wanted to distance Shabaks from other Kurds. He also accused the Shia militias of committing atrocities against Shabaks.[24]
Religion was a factor in the identification of Shabaks. Around 70% of Shabak Muslims followed Shia Islam, and around 30% followed Sunni Islam. Shia Shabaks were divided between those who identified as Kurds and those who identified as a separate group, while Sunni Shabaks identified as Kurds and were heavily Pro-KRG during the Iraqi conflict. Many of the Sunni Shabaks migrated to the KRG and integrated well. Shia Shabaks were divided between those who supported the KRG and those who supported Iran-backed militias.[25]
In the 1990s and 2000s, Shabaks were also targets ofTurkification by Turkish groups and theirIraqi Turkmen allies. The Iraqi Turkmen National Party (ITMP) actively ran a campaign aimed at convincing Shabaks that they were Turks. In addition to Shabaks, the ITMP claimed that all Yarsanis were Turks, and that Yarsanism was a Turkic religion. After the Anfal campaign, the ITMP received aid consisting of food packages from Turkey. The ITMP caused controversy as they did not give any aid to the Shabak victims unless they signed documents agreeing that they were Turks. By 2003, the Turkification attempts had stopped, as they never had a lasting effect on the Shabaks.[26]
Shabaks had tensions with Sunni Arabs, which was worsened by Saddam Hussein, and further worsened by the rise of theIslamic State in 2014.[27]
The situation of Shabaks andFeyli Kurds in Iraq was identical, and both groups complained about being alienated from Sunni Kurds who saw them as Shia, and from Shia Arabs who saw them as Kurds.[28]
During the2017 Kurdistan independence referendum, there were Shabaks who supported independence and called for their native region in theNineveh Plains to be included.[29]
Historically, the native Shabaki faith was a syncretic religion based on theGhulat sect ofShia Islam, with similarities toYarsanism,Yazidism,Christianity, andAlevism. Shabaks were divided between those who followed the traditional Shabaki faith, and those who followed Yarsanism. The Shabaks gradually left their traditional faith and increasingly converted to orthodoxTwelver Shi'ism afterWorld War I, while the Yarsani Shabaks continued adhering to Yarsanism and remained a significant part of Shabak society.[6]
The Shabaki faith combined elements ofSufism with their own concept ofdivine reality. According to Shabaks, divine reality was 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.[7] The primary Shabak religious text was called theBuyruk orKitab al-Manaqib (Book of Exemplary Acts), written inTurkmen.[30] Pirs act as mediators between divine power and ordinary Shabaks. Their beliefs form a syncretic faith that is similar to the beliefs ofYarsanism.[31][32] While the Shabak faith was already similar to Yarsanism, some Shabaks adhered to Yarsanism. In the 1990s, the Yarsani Shabaks received attention when a Western travelogue visited theNineveh Plains and interviewed the Yarsani community there, mostly made up ofGurani Kurds. He later came across a Yarsani Shabak family who introduced him to the Yarsani Shabak community, who made up a significant part of both the Shabak and Yarsani communities.[6] Historically, the Shabak and Gurani Kurds were rarely distinguishable. They had close ethnic and linguistic ties, and some Shabaks gradually integrated into Yarsanism, becoming adherents of the religion while retaining significance in Shabak society. The Gurani Kurds and the Shabaks did not regard each other as foreigners, and thus the Shabaks were accepted into the Yarsani religion which did not accept converts. They were able to marry within the endogamous Yarsani community. The large community of Yarsani Shabaks was rarely noticed until the 1990s, due to being indistinguishable from both the Shia Shabaks and the Yarsani Guran.[33] TheShabaki language is a branch of Gorani and mutually intelligible with it, and the Shabaks were often considered ethnic Kurds closest to the Guran, also with similarities toSouthern Kurds.[34] Historically, the Gorani languages were referred to as "macho", meaning "I say" in Gorani. Shabaks, Guran, and Kurds in general used the term "macho" for the Gorani languages collectively, and the terms Shabaki, Hawrami, and Gurani, were rarely used.[35][36][37]
Historically, the Shabaks enjoyed positive relations with theYazidis. Despite the affinity of Shabaks withHussein ibn Ali and the affinity of Yazidis with theUmayyad dynasty, religious differences caused no tensions between Shabaks and Yazidis, who actually often participates in the religious ceremonies of each other.Yazidi holy sites also had a holy status in the traditional Shabak faith.[38][39] Shabaks and Yazidis often hosted festivals together in which women were allowed to participate alongside men.[40] In the 1890s, Ottoman authorities humiliated Shabaks and Yazidis, often inviting them to Mosul to force them into Sunni Islam.[41]
Shabaks also considered the poetry ofIsmail I to be revealed by Allah, and they recite Ismail's poetry during religious meetings.[31] Most Shabaks identified as Shia Muslims.[42]
List of Shabak–majority settlements in theNineveh Plains:[43]
List of mixed settlements in the Nineveh Plains:[43]
As of March 2019, all of the above settlements are under federal control and aredisputed territories of Northern Iraq.[46]
Since Shabak Kurds—a minority religious group—were legally deprivedfrom purchasing land in Mosul and those ...