Stephen Mansfield's The Miracle Of The Kurds

Imagine a small, yet strong group of people living in mountainous regions in the Middle East. For centuries, these people have developed their own culture and identity. Yet, they are not acknowledged as their own sovereign and the nation that lays claim to them viciously persecutes them. For the Kurdish people of northern Iraq, the disdain of their neighbors has plagued them for centuries. On March 16, 1988, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered a series of chemical attacks on the Kurdish people. Thousands died during the attacks and in the weeks following them. Thousands more fled to the mountains or sought refuge abroad. To say that the devastation in Halabja marred the history of the Kurdish people would be an understatement. The population of Kurdistan …show more content…
A strong Kurdish identity helped the Kurds on their path to recovery. One of the defining features of the Kurds is their strong unity with their culture and traditions. The Kurds are proud of their heritage. Even when they fled to foreign nations, the Kurds shared their culture with one another and with those from other cultures. Stephen Mansfield, the author of The Miracle of the Kurds, frequently mentions how the Kurds are eager to share parts of their history and their customs with Americans. The generosity and kindness they show their fellow Kurds, they extend to Americans. For example,“A Nashville aid worker’s wife was sick… and a dozen of them showed up at the man’s house with food enough to feed a village” (66). The Kurds are much more gracious with their time and resources than most Americans. The Kurds are unified with their own people, but also with people that are not their own. Despite having been persecuted and hated for centuries by nations, the Kurds want to extend open arms. This spirit helped them recover from the devastation of Halabja because the friends they