Kurdısh Dıaspora Issues
Mohammad Salih Mustafa
Department of International Relations and Diplomacy, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq
Correspondence: [email protected]
Abstract
The plight of Kurdish refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom is highlighted in this paper, focusing especially on those whose asylum applications have been refused by the Home Office. Possible solutions are suggested that satisfy the asylum seekers themselves, the UK Home Office, the Kurdistan Region and Iraq – their home country. These include the way in which the Kurdistan Region and Iraq can benefit from the presence of asylum seekers while they are in the UK and how it could invest in them on their return. Although this paper concentrates on the Kurdish diaspora in the UK, it applies, too, to the wider Kurdish diaspora in Europe and elsewhere in the western world. Also addressed in this article are some of the ongoing issues that affect the Kurdish community, and have the direct consequence of supressing them and preventing them from realising their future potential. Equally, a continuation of these problems without resolution will affect future generations and their loyalty to their home country. Resolving these troubles would, without a doubt, be considered an achievement both for the region and the Iraqi government. For this study, the researcher has adopted a qualitative method of naturalistic observation through living in the UK and engagement as an activist among the Kurdish community in London for many years.
Keywords: Kurdish Diaspora, British Kurds, Kurds in the United Kingdom, Kurdish Refugees, Kurdish Asylum Seekers, Kurdish Migrants
Doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.23918/ejmss.V2i1p78
Published: May 16, 2021
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