Disgusted with ISIS, some Kurds turned away from Islam following the fall of Mosul in 2014. Many became atheists, while others sought comfort in Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism, according to converts, was the “original” religion of the Kurds before they embraced Islam. In 2015, two Zoroastrian centers opened in Sulaimani, both of which are recognized by the Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq. Notably, neither has tried to recreate Zoroastrianism the way it is currently and has been historically practiced in Iran and South Asia. Instead, they have created their own versions of Zoroastrianism, which is nationalist, postmodern, and liberal. Kurdish Zoroastrians argue that the reason Kurds are “backward” is Islam. They seek to rectify the present situation through a Kurdish “authenticated” and “original” form of Zoroastrianism. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork at these two centers, the present article examines this new religious movement in Sulaimani, an important city in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. It analyses the rise and distinctiveness of Kurdish Zoroastrianism looking at how Zoroastrian Kurds articulate their views on Islam, women’s rights, human rights, and Kurdish independence.

中文翻译：

---

“琐罗亚斯德是一个库尔德人！”：伊拉克库尔德人中的新琐罗亚斯德教

在2014年摩苏尔（Mosul）倒台后，一些库尔德人对伊斯兰国（ISIS）感到反感，他们远离伊斯兰教。许多人成为无神论者，而另一些人则在琐罗亚斯德教中寻求安慰。根据convert依者的说法，琐罗亚斯德教是库尔德人接受伊斯兰教之前的“原始”宗教。2015年，苏拉马尼开设了两个琐罗亚斯德教徒中心，这两个中心都得到了伊拉克北部库尔德地区政府的认可。值得注意的是，他们都没有试图以目前和历史上在伊朗和南亚的做法来重造琐罗亚斯德教。相反，他们创造了自己的琐罗亚斯德教主义，这是民族主义，后现代主义和自由主义的。库尔德人琐罗亚斯德教徒认为，库尔德人“落后”的原因是伊斯兰教。他们试图通过库尔德人的“琐罗亚斯德教”的“已认证”和“原始”形式来纠正当前状况。本文利用这两个中心的民族志田野调查，考察了苏莱马尼的这一新的宗教运动，苏莱马尼是伊拉克北部库尔德地区的一个重要城市。它分析了库尔德人琐罗亚斯德教派的兴起和独特性，着眼于琐罗亚斯德教徒库尔德人如何表达他们对伊斯兰教，妇女权利，人权和库尔德人独立的看法。