PM Barzani Emphasizes Protection of Kakayis’ Rights

[Anthea]

Protection of Kakayis’ Rights

Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday received a senior delegation of the Kakayi community, discussing the importance of preserving rights of all communities in the Region

The delegation was led by senior Kakayi leader Said Raheem Said Azim. The focus of the meeting was an in-depth discussion on the overall situation of the Kakayi community, both within the Kurdistan Region and in the disputed Kurdish areas, PM Barzani’s office said in a statement.

“The leaders deliberated on the challenges faced by the religious group, with particular attention to their status in Iraq,” the statement added.

Kakayis, often identified as Kurdish, follow distinct spiritual beliefs rooted in Sultan Sahak's teachings from the 14th century. These beliefs go beyond the current borders of the Kurdistan Region and Iranian Kurdistan.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/833347

Who are Iraq's Kakai?

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ako Shawais, the first political representative of Iraq’s Kakai minority, discusses why this sect is so secretive and its careful struggle for political and religious rights

HALABJA, Iraq — The Kakais are one of the religious minorities scattered throughout northern Iraq in the provinces of Sulaimaniyah and Halabja, in the Ninevah Plains of Ninevah province and in villages to the southeast of Kirkuk.

Historians and researchers disagree on their classification, as mystery and secrecy shroud this sect. Kakais have kept their beliefs hidden, and this secrecy has prevented them from forming their own independent political parties and gaining representation in the parliaments of the central Iraqi government and Kurdistan Region.

Kakais ethnically associate themselves with Kurds, but a group of them proclaims that the Kakais are a distinct community and demands political representation. The population has won a quota-mandated seat in the Halabja provincial council, occupied today by Ako Shawais.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... quota.html