My first impression of Halabja is of narrow, mostly empty streets; I imagine everyone is inside somewhere, out of the blazing sun. I have a chance to interview Mayor Nuxsha Nasih, who made headlines in 2016 when she became the first woman to be appointed mayor here.
A road trip through Iraqi Kurdistan: checkpoints and deep political divides
Halabja is known for its excellent pomegranates, but it is best known as the site of a devastating 1988 chemical attack that killed thousands of Kurdish civilians, and injured thousands more.
The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 3: Safety Zone
When a wave of Kurdish refugees came to Nashville, they quickly got to work.
The Country In Our Hearts, Ep. 2: The Ones Who Face Death
WPLN reporter Rose Gilbert takes a journey through the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan and into generations of one Kurdish family.
Introducing ‘The Country In Our Hearts’ podcast series
In 1988, hundreds of thousands of Kurds fled northern Iraq as Saddam Hussein’s armies hunted them down. Many ended up in Nashville, making this southern city home to the largest Kurdish community in America.
This Nashville asylum seeker faced prison for a tweet. Trump’s executive order jeopardizes his future.
The family came to Nashville as asylum seekers about two years ago. Now, they are among thousands facing an uncertain future.
‘USA, defend your Kurdish allies!’ Nashville’s Kurdish community outraged following Turkish attacks on Syrian Kurds
The Kurdish forces in Syria have been the United States’ main partner in the fight against ISIS. However, the United States and Turkey are also allies, which makes things complicated.
This Kurdish Nashvillian supports Trump. The reason is rooted in history.
During his first term in office, Donald Trump had a complicated track record when it came to Kurdistan. Following his reelection, a politically engaged member of Nashville’s Kurdish community weighs in.
Connecting Nashville to its sister city, Erbil
Have you met Nashville’s sisters? Sister cities, that is. If you didn’t know, the long-running Sister Cities Nashville program has formal partnerships with 10 international cities.
For Nashville’s Kurdish community, clothing and culture are interwoven
For Nashville’s Kurdish community — a people whose culture has historically come under fire — clothing is a tangible way of preserving their traditions.
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