The reasons behind KDP attack on Islamic Union headquarters

By Kamal Chomani:

Elections victories in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt by Islamic Brotherhood parties have created a serious threat for the two ruling Kurdish parties and, in particular, for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The recent setting on fire of the Kurdistan Islamic Union’s (KIU) headquarters in Duhok should be analyzed according to its ‘time and location’ in order to understand the reasons behind this attack.

According to the political parties’ ‘clout division’ of the Kurdistan region’s four provinces, Duhok belongs to the KDP, Sulaymaniyah to the Gorran Movement, Kirkuk to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Arbil is at the centre of a conflict involving almost all the parties. Arbil cannot be considered as one party’s city in terms of clout since there is serious competition. In each city in which one party has the majority, there is also a second party – a different one for each city.

The KDP cannot accept any rival in Duhok as a counterpart. Neither the Gorran movement nor the PUK can seriously confront the KDP and their increased strength doesn’t compare to the growth of the KIU which, over the past five years, has thrived in Duhok and shown that it is the real local rival to the KDP.

The KIU’s vote in the elections has dramatically increased during this period.

In the January 30, 2005 elections, the KIU got 19,000 votes.

In the December 15, 2005 elections, the KIU increased its votes to 32,000 votes.

In the July 25, 2009 Kurdish general elections, the KIU sustained its position and got 32,000 votes. (Even though the Gorran Movement emerged as the main opposition party, this didn’t affect the strengthening of the KIU).

In the March 7, 2010 Iraqi General Election, the KIU secured its best-ever result with 63,000 votes.

The increase over five years is 44,000 votes!

This shocked the KDP. First, because the KIU doesn’t have a long history and is not in power to distribute positions and money like the KDP does. Second, because, for the KDP, Duhok is the heart of the party and no one should be allowed to get stronger than it.

Duhoki people join the KIU because of two main reasons.

First, from 1994 (the year that the KIU was founded) there was the Kurdish civil war between the two ruling parties and people in Duhok who were not KDP members and were against the existing political situation wanted to change the corrupt and fascist policy of the KDP. At that time support for the PUK was harshly prohibited, even though the party had left Duhok. When the KIU emerged, the KDP didn’t make too many obstacles because it wanted to boast of a diversity of political parties in the area and because the KIU is not an armed force – they do not believe in arms. Eventually people joined the KIU, not only to express opposition to the KDP but also because they believed in the KIU’s ideology and policies and wanted to pursue a civil, legal and political struggle to change the situation.

Second, in general, Duhoki people are more conservative than the people of Sulaymaniyah.

The KDP has been frightened by the increasing Islamic clout in the area (with the Islamic Group, led by Ali Bapir, also active in Duhok). When Bashar Al-Asad is toppled and the Islamic Brotherhood parties win power in Syria, following their successes in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt, this will encourage the Islamic parties and people of Kurdistan. These changes will definitely inspire the Islamic parties and people to continue their freedom struggle to tackle the corrupt and undemocratic system of the Kurdistan region.

The record of Islamic parties in power in the Middle East and North Africa will be significant for Kurdish people. If they do well in terms of providing more services, more freedoms and a democratic governance, this will boost their support in Kurdistan.

The systems arising from the Arab revolutions will show us whether or not the Islamic parties will promote ‘fundamentalist rule’ and pose a threat to democracy and individual freedoms.

The KDP is afraid of renewed demonstrations in the Kurdistan region. The only force that can protest in Duhok against the current situation is the KIU. The opposition parties have already announced their disappointment with the continued unsolved problems and corruption. Their speeches indicate that they are reorganizing to resume the protests if they do not get what they ask for.

In conclusion, the KDP set the KIU’s offices on fire to tell the KIU’s supporters: “Even when you have done nothing we can set your offices on fire and capture some of your leaders. If you have any desire to do what the Islamic Brotherhood has done elsewhere in the region, we will be harsher against you”.