“People’s names determine their identity,” Mahabad Titan told Rudaw. “I very much take pride in my name being Kurdish because it establishes my Kurdish identity.”
“My family named me Mahabad for their great love for the Republic of Mahabad.” Titan said.
At least 50 public and private spots in Duhok including mosques, schools, hospitals, etc have been named Mahabad or Qazi Mohammed.
The Republic of Kurdistan or Mahabad is a topic in all school curriculums in the Kurdistan Region.
“We often ask why it was so short-lived, why we couldn’t protect it,” University instructor Nibar Badii told Rudaw. “There are many questions.”
“We’re very focused when it comes to the history of the Republic of Kurdistan because students are very interested in knowing and understanding things.” Badii said.
Saman Mohammed, head of Erbil municipality said that people naming their children or public places Qazi Muhammad is to cherish his efforts and keep his memory alive.
“As the Kurdistan Regional Government, especially the municipality, we’ve given full attention to these names,” Saman Mohammed, head of Erbil’s Municipality, told Rudaw.
More than 20 masters and doctoral research papers on the Kurdish republic have been published in the Kurdistan Region.
With backing from the Soviet Union Muhammed founded the first ever independent Kurdish state in the city of Mahabad in Iran which lasted less than a year.
Iranian forces invaded the city and hanged Muhammed and his colleagues at the city’s now iconic Chwar Chra square.
