Asia, especially the Mideast, is home to a diverse range of ethnic groups. Arabs and Kurds are some of these cultural groupings. Southwestern Asia is home to these ethnic communities. And, in general, commoners are perplexed by both nationalities and their origins.
So, although living so close to one other, this essay is intended to assist you in better understanding both races and the distinctions that exist between them. A descriptive table is also given to aid in the comparison and understanding of how various ethnic groupings function and thrive.
Kurds vs Arabs
The difference between Kurds and Arabs is that the origin of Kurds is mixed and blended which explains the existence of “Kurdistan”. Kurds are a mix of Turks, Medes, Semites, and Armenians, as well as their ethnicity, which includes rich history with the Sunni Muslim communities. Whereas, Arabs have one origin and all Arabians are of Semite origin. Arabians belong to places like UAE and Dubai and their ethnic population is considerably higher than the Kurds.
Kurd is a race or ethnicity that lives in the Mountain Range of southeast Turkey, the Zagros Hills of modern-day Iran, parts of northern Iraq, southeastern Syrian territories, and west Armenia, as well as other nearby locations.
The majority of the Kurdish population resides in adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria, in what is known as Kurdistan (“Land of the Kurds’ ‘), a vaguely defined physical territory. In Iran and Iraq, the term has distinct overtones: Iran’s western region of Kurdistan and Iraq’s Kurdish independent territory are both legally recognized internal organizations by this term. In Iran’s northwestern Khorasan area, a large nonadjacent Kurdish community also occurs.
Arabs are people who speak Arabic as their first tongue. (Arabic is also a dialect.) Arab refers to any of the mostly nomadic Semitic people of the Middle East before the introduction of Islam including, with it, the Arabic dialect. In current usage, it refers to any Arabic-speaking persons residing in the wide territory extending from Senegal on Africa’s East Coast to southern Iran, which includes the whole Maghreb region of Northern Africa, Egypt and Sudan borders, the Arabian Peninsula, as well as Iraq.
Comparison Table between Kurds and Arabs
| Parameters of Comparison | Kurds | Arabs |
| Area | Kurdistan- an imaginary state that covers parts of Iran, Iraq, Turkey and the borders of Syria. | Arabian Peninsula Countries like UAE and Dubai. |
| Origin | Kurds are a diverse group of people of Median, Semitic, Turkic, and Armenian ancestry. | All Arabs are Semites. |
| Mother Tongue | Kurdish language, Sorani and Arabic. | Arabic (Old and Modern) |
| World Population | 30 – 45 Millions | 423 Millions |
| Religions | Islam, Judaism and Christianity. | Islam |
What are Kurds?
Even though the Kurds are the world’s biggest ethnic minority without even a state—they are largely split among Ankara, Iraq, Syria, and Assad have frequently played crucial roles in US foreign affairs. Because the Syrian Civil War began in 2011, the Kurds have played a critical role in combating the Islamic Republic, with US backing.
In northern Syria, the Kurds established their own independent, secular nation as they fought back the Islamic State. In October 2019, meanwhile, US President Donald Trump ordered the departure of US forces from the Syrian-Turkish border, paving the way for the Turkish army to assault the Kurds.
Kurdish is the language spoken by Kurds. Apart from Kurdistan, Kurds are usually the minor racial minority in any nation where they live, whereas Arabs are usually the majority ethnic group in much the same area. Conflicts between ethnic communities occur in such areas as a result of this.
Kurds, who are frequently the minority, frequently want independence from the Arab population. Some Arabs, on the other hand, believe that Kurds and other minorities should integrate into the majority ethnic group. Kurdish communities in Iran, Iraq, and other nations have a long history of repression. The Kurds were forced to seek a Kurdish settlement as a result of the violence. Kurdistan, which simply translates “land of the Kurds,” was subsequently coined. There is no Kurdish nation-state as of yet.
What are Arabs?
Arabs, often known as Arabian people, are an ethnic group that mostly inhabits the Arabian peninsula, primarily in Southwest Asia and North Africa. In the Americas, Continental Europe, Sumatra, Turkey, and Persia, an Arab diaspora has developed itself in considerable numbers. An Arab is an individual who is genetically, socially, and linguistically linked to Arabic customs, clans, or lineages, as well as the Arabic language.
The theological force that linked the desert sustenance nomads—the Bedouins—with the urban inhabitants of the oasis was Islamic, which arose on the west-central Arab Peninsula in the late 7th century. Islam had expanded over much of today’s Arabic-speaking globe and beyond, from East Asia to the Italian Peninsula, in less than a decade.
As a consequence of the fast establishment of Islam’s authority in those countries, Arabic, the dialect of the Islamic holy text (the Quran), was embraced over most of the African Region. Arabs and Kurds do not have a common religious affiliation. The majority of Arabs and Kurds, but on the other hand, are Muslims.
The bulk of Arabs still live in tiny, secluded agricultural communities where conservative values and vocations predominate, notably women’s subordination and house isolation (purdah). Village farmers revere the pasture nomad’s way of life and claim familial links with the vast desert nomads of the ancient and modern, but urban Arabs prefer to identify themselves more by a nation than by clan.
Main Differences Between Kurds and Arabs
- A significant section of the Kurdish population follows Judaism besides Islam whereas Arabs are predominantly Muslims.
- The world population of Kurds sums up to 30-45 million whereas the world population of Arab’s sums up to 423 million.
- Kurds are a minority group in the Middle East whereas Arabs are the Majority in the Middle-East Regions.
- Kurd’s origins include Medes, Semitism, and Armenians whereas the Arabs are Semitic and of one origin only.
- Kurds have a vague motherland namely; Kurdistan which is not a recognized state whereas Arabs reside in UAE and Middle-East Peninsula which are recognized states.
Conclusion
“Arab” and “Kurd” are names and adjectives that can be used interchangeably. They are words that refer to the cultural group’s specific features or affinities. A person’s ancestry, cultural and language affinity can be used to determine if they are an Arab or a Kurd. And both the ethnicities are found in Middle-east Asia and the African regions. Kurds and Arabs are not specifically religious, yet the bulk of them will be Muslims. Kurds follow a variety of faiths and creeds, with Sunni Muslims constituting the plurality. Other faiths, such as Catholicism, Judaism, or smaller sects, can be practiced by Kurds alone because Arabs strictly follow Islam.
