Kurd Kountry

[muckefuck]

See, this is what I love about the US: I was reading a BBC News article about the recent defeat of the proposed English-Only law in Nashville (Yay!) when I came across this little tidbit:

Nashville has a big Hispanic population, and the largest community of Kurdish Americans in the US--about 11,000--as well as immigrants from South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Who knew Nashville of all places was Kurd central? Not only that, it's also home to "the only Kurdish street gang in the United States", according to an article in the International Herald Tribune. Nevertheless, that hasn't prevented the locals from embracing their new Muslim neighbours:

"It's a source of pride for a lot of Nashvillians," said Meryl Taylor, manager of the Metro Services Refugee Program. "You hear it all the time: 'We have the largest Kurdish population in the country.' It's funny how they recognize that. It's almost like a sports team."

So who all's for renaming the Nashville Metros the Nashville Peshmerga?

Comments

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

That at least makes some sense to me, as there's more than a passing resemblance between Idaho and the Eastern Pyrenees. But Kurds in Nashville is right up there with Tibetans in Bloomington or Hmong in the Twin Cities.

[gopower.livejournal.com]

Should we blame the Lutherans for this too?

(a Gran Torino reference)

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

and Dearborn, MI for Lebanese!

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Doesn't everyone know that Detroit is the Beirut of the West?

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know - it's not something that comes up in conversation much unless you're living in the area. =) I didn't know 'til my second cousin (from the Detroit burbs) married a girl of Lebanese heritage.

[wiped.livejournal.com]

not just lebanese, but other arabs as well; dearborn is the arab capital of the US.

[mlr.livejournal.com]

...interesting

[donncha22.livejournal.com]

I just discovered that Seattle is quietly becoming the new Purépecha / P'urhépecha homeland!

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Good to know--and just in time for P'urhépecha New Year!

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

How will this change the Nashville Sound?

[richardthinks.livejournal.com]

god, how I wish it would!

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

Quarter tones and the middle third would be cool. (I have to admit I'm assuming Kurdish music has those features, but I'll make that guess).

[tisoi.livejournal.com]

I shoulda snagged those two huge Kurdish dictionaries at the used book store ($40 a pop - half price my ass!).

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

DUDE! I would've bought one off of you. If it hadn't been for the half-price sale at a local foreign bookstore, I'd never be the proud owner of this Basque-English dictionary.

[tisoi.livejournal.com]

You know, when I saw the Kurmanji dictionary I thought of you, thinking that you most likely have it! haha. Anyway, I found it on Amazon, it's $60, marked down from $75.

http://www.amazon.com/Kurdish-English-Dictionary-Ferhenga-Kurmanci-Inglizi-Multilingual/dp/0300091524