Harvard Kurdish Students Association Aims to Celebrate Kurdish Identity, Host Educational Events

Harvard College students formed the Kurdish Students Association last spring with plans to host events that both reflect Kurdish history and share their experiences with the student body.

Nehir Toklu ’25 said that after coming to Harvard from a predominantly Kurdish city in Turkey, she felt that not many people were familiar with Kurdish culture, a phenomenon the club seeks to change.

“We wanted to talk a little bit about the Kurdish identity, what it means, the struggles that we face and just talk about it in the broader Harvard community,” she said.

Dalal Hassane ’26, one of the organizers of the group, said that the idea behind the formation of the group came in the fall of 2022, when Zhina Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the Iranian police.

“I felt it was very important that we call to attention Zhina’s Kurdish identity and the power dynamics that may have been in play,” Hassane said.

“We also really wanted to organize events around political education, themes of cultural preservation, resilience,” she added.

Hawraz H. Jamal ’25 said that as an international student from Iraqi Kurdistan, he felt that there was “no dedicated space or cultural group for Kurdish students” on campus when he first matriculated.

“As the years went on, we decided to create such a space, and not just for current students but for all other students to come and participate in our events,” Jamal said.

Hassane also pointed to the difficulty of organizing club events given the freeze on the formation of new student associations imposed by the Dean of Students Office.

“Obviously, the fact that we aren’t able to be recognized by the DSO makes it a little bit difficult in terms of funding and using the Harvard name,” Hassane said.

Toklu said that the group is planning an event for Valentine’s Day, which will involve the Kurdish cultural practice of putting cloves in an apple as a symbol of love.

Jamal emphasized that the Kurdish Students Association aims to facilitate conversation between different groups.

“We will probably have events where we showcase different aspects of Kurdistan and Kurdish cultures to other students,” Jamal said. “So, if anybody wants to come to our official events, they’re more than welcome.”

—Staff writer Hana Rostami can be reached at hana.rostami@thecrimson.com.