A PEOPLE WHO THINK THEMSELVES A NATION ARE ONE:

Since the 1990s, the Kurds have abandoned armed resistance in order to focus their energies instead on the liberalisation of Eastern Kurdistan -- for the most part remaining quiescent, though occasionally conducting military operations inside Rojhelat.

The murder of Jina Amini has sparked widespread protests, beginning in Eastern Kurdistan. In the ongoing demonstrations against the Iranian regime, for the first time Baluch, Arabs, Persians, Azeris, and other national and ethnic minorities have joined in support of the Kurds. They chant "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" ("Woman, Life, Freedom"). This motto has been promoted by the Kurdish female fighters (Women's Protection Units) and is being put into practice in Rojava (Western Kurdistan in Syria) since the 2011 Syrian civil war. This suggests that the protests are now going beyond the question of the hijab -- which has never been an issue for the Kurds, though it remains a fundamental issue for the regime.

What happened to Jina has seemingly united the people in Iran, insofar as it represents an intersection between the Kurds' claim for self-determination and Iranians' desire to throw off the incumbent regime.

It is noteworthy that other Kurdistani segments of the population have also shown their support of the protests. The Kurds in East Kurdistan have the potential to change the status quo as they already built a fledgling Kurdish state, the Republic of Kurdistan, in 1946. Over the last three decades, Kurds in Southern Kurdistan (in Iraq) and Rojava (in Syria) have managed to keep stability and security and thriving economies in the territories under their control, in contrast to the mayhem and violence that has characterised in the wider Middle East. In terms of governability, the Kurdish regions are functioning much better than their neighbours. This has been achieved through the high price the Kurds have paid for their legitimate rights.

If the current protests continue, the Iranian government may lose its sway over Eastern Kurdistan -- this, in turn, could pave the way to implementing Kurdish self-determination. 

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