Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government Vol. 27, No. 3, 2021
https://cibg.org.au/
P-ISSN: 2204-1990; E-ISSN: 1323-6903
DOI: 10.47750/cibg.2021.27.03.339
Copyright © The Author(S) 2021. Published By Society Of Business And Management. This Is An Open
Access Article Distributed Under The CCBY License. (Http://Creativecommons.Org/Licenses/By/4.0/)
The Rights of Minorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG) in light of Multicultural Citizenship Theory
EBAD ROUHI
1
, HEMIN QASIM BAYZ
2
1
Departmant of Law, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran
2
Departmant of Law, Sanandaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj, Iran
Email: ibadruhi@gmail.com
1
,hemnqasm14@gmail.com
2
Abstract: Like the other communities in the world, Kurdistan has several different groups
which have their own unique identity and cultures. At the same time, in the absence of external
intervention, they largely are living peacefully together. The Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG) and the Kurdish sovereignty, within their means and authority, have tried to maintain
and promote these peaceful circumstances. Thus, it has taken some practical steps and put some
efforts to prove it’s believes in such a peaceful coexistence. It has regarded all the different
components and determined their legal and political positions. To promote peace and
coexistence every legal effort should be driven by the Constitution of the Kurdistan Region
Government (KRG). Kurds who have suffered marginalization, Anfal campaigns and genocides
as a minority group within a larger framework, by a dominant culture and people, should take
lesson from these experiences when establishing authorities and legal governance ensuring no
KRG identify, culture or minority faces this history of suffering. The idea and theory of
multicultural citizenship is one of the theories that can become a foundation to protect the
ministries’ in any given country which is culturally diverse. Therefore, by accepting Kurdist an
as a community with diverse cultural and multi ethnical should consider these differences at
time of drafting its Constitution. The Kurdistan Region Constitution, as a modern Constitution,
should officially recognize and abide by the principle of multicultural citizenship and on the
principle of respecting the differences, and provide the opportunity of meaningful legal and
political participation for the majority and minority. Will Kymlicka and Iris Marion Young as
two theorists in area of citizenship rights have thoroughly discussed and analyzed the topic of
diverse and multicultural citizenship. They have reinforced their theory in relation to the theory
of equal citizenship. Thus, they have offered a new legal framework to protect the rights of
minorities, which by looking at the cultural form of the KRG using this theory as a principle in
the Constitution be useful. Therefore, in this research, this idea would be analyzed in details and
would be interpreted in the context of the KRG for drafting a modern Constitution.
Keywords: Citizenship Rights, Multiculturalism, Multicultural Citizenship, Distinct Citizen,
Kurdistan, Minority Rights
INTRODUCTION
The constitution of any country is the criteria for the contract of coexistence of the people or the nations.
Through taking a look at this contract one can understand the legal and political circumstances in the country
and to what extent the authorities believe in coexistence. Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish people that have
experience multiple catastrophes, through struggle and persistence, have reached a phase to write down a
Constitution and to proof it believe in coexistence and respect to the culture and identity of its population.
Kurdistan owns many different minorities and cultures. The differences appear to be based on languages,
dialects, religions, sects, ethnicity, races, geography and environment. When drafting an agreement which would
be named Constitution, these differences and diversity should be accommodated without excluding or
marginalizing any groups. Kurdistan Region is dominated by Kurdish identity, but there are many other
components which have their own identity and cultures. Their characteristics differ from the characteristics of
the majority in the society. If the matter is looked at from a human rights perspective, or from a citizenship
perspective, would bring different results and consequences. Human rights are based on equality without taking
any characteristics into consideration. It is a text for everyone equally. However, based on the principle that
humans are inherently equal and they have many differences in their daily lives, and have become owners of
many differences and characteristics which can’t be considered the same. Therefore, the term of citizenship
rights came in to being to respond to the question relative to these differences. Equal township, diverse
citizenship or diverse cultural citizenship are among the legal, political and philosophical ideas that could be