Religion

Kurds are a religiously heterogeneous people. There have been various faiths among the Kurdish.

The majority of the population are Sunni Muslims, mostly Shafi’i and Hanafi. In Southern Kurdistan (KRG), the Hanbalis are a widespread school of Sunni Islam.

Roundly 10% of the Kurdish people are Shia. They live mostly in the southeastern Kurdistan. In addition, around 15% of the Kurds are adherent to Alevism (Raa Haq), especially in the province of Dersim and their surroundings.

Furthermore, the Yezidis are ethnic Kurds, they can be found in the KRG and former USSR countries. Yarsanis, including the Shabaks and Kakayis, form approximately 8% of the Kurdsish population.

There are also a few Zoroastrians, Christians and Jews. And many Druze are of Kurdish origin.

Kurdish people are predominantly secular.  In Kurdish societies, women have much greater freedom than women in other societies in Middle East. By the way, number of atheists, agnostics and others with no religious affiliation growing in Kurdistan.

ISLAM   YEZIDISM  | ZOROASTRIANISM  |  YARSANISM  |  JUDAISM CHRISTIANITY  |  DRUZE