Şerif Paşa

Şerif Paşa, in the early 20th century, is one of the controversial figures in Kurdish political history. He is known for his diplomatic initiatives in Paris after World War I and his claim to speak on behalf of the Kurds on international platforms.

In Archival Records

Şerif Paşa's name, in the late Ottoman period, appears as a special heading in archival classifications tracking the state's policies towards Kürdistan. Within the Dâhiliye Nezareti Evrakı, "Şerif Paşa and Meşrutiyet government policy" is directly listed as a document category (Volume 3, p. 101). Similarly, it has been recorded that thousands of documents concerning the policies of Şerif Paşa and the Meşrutiyet governments are found among the Petersburg Sefareti documents (Volume 3, p. 108). This situation indicates that his activities were a matter closely followed by both the Ottoman internal administration and foreign representations.

Paris Peace Conference

Şerif Paşa's most well-known initiative is his collaboration with Armenian representative Bogos Nubar within the framework of the Paris Barış Konferansı, convened in 1919. The duo declared policies concerning Armenians and Kurds on the occasion of this conference; this declaration was openly criticized in an article titled "Kürdler ve İslamiyet" published in Sebilürreşad, and the article began with the phrases "Bogos Nubar ile Şerif Paşa…" (Volume 4, p. 210).

Reactions and Criticisms

This initiative led to strong reactions in Ottoman circles of the period. Babanzade Naim Bey stated that Şerif Paşa "undertook such an endeavor seeing himself as having authority on behalf of the Kurdish nation," but that he did not accept Şerif Paşa was authorized to speak on behalf of the Kurds. In his speech, Naim Bey emphasized that Kurds have been part of the Islamic community since the era of Hz. Ömer, having become "the sword and shield of Islam," and his words were supported by "very true" acclamations. Naim Bey also characterized him as someone unable to represent Kurdishness, stating, "Şerif Paşa has no connection with Kurdishness whatsoever… Even if his mother and father are Kurdish, he himself is not concerned with Kurdishness," whereupon Müşir Osman Paşa intervened (Volume 4, p. 317).

Şerif Paşa's initiatives in Paris also coincided with reactions coming from the region during the same period. Telegrams were sent to the Paris Barış Konferansı and the representatives of the İtilaf Devletleri, informing them that Kurdish chiefs in various kazas were loyal to the Ottoman government and did not accept such endeavors (Volume 3, p. 134). Thus, the figure of Şerif Paşa stands out as one of the primary examples demonstrating how contentious and multi-voiced the issue of international representation of Kurds was in the late Ottoman period.