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In recent years, increasing interest in the Kurdish problem has made the movement of Sheikh Ubeydullah movement of 1880 the most cited example of the first Kurdish uprising having national aspirations. A Naqshebandi-Halidi sheikh with an important position in the order, his movement appeared to have been instigated by religious differences between the Ottoman and Persian Empires. Both states had been trying to settle their border disputes. Unfortunately the sheikh had estates that straddled both sides.
Thus the most-quoted letter, that of Sheikh Ubeydullah to William Abbot, the British consul-general in Tabriz:"The Kurdish nation, consisting of more than 500,000 families, is a people apart. Their religion is different [from that of others], and their laws and customs are distinct ... The Chiefs and Rulers of Kurdistan, whether Turkish or Persian subjects, and the inhabitants of Kurdistan, one and all are united and agreed that matters cannot be carried on in this way with the two Governments [Ottoman and Qajar], and that necessarily something must be done, so that European Governments having understood the matter, shall inquire into our state. We also are a nation apart. We want our affairs to be in our own hands...."1
These words shocked the Ottoman central government as well. And it spent considerable time trying to establish the letter's authenticity. Although the authorities found no evidence of conspiracy in the letter, when it began to believe that the sheikh was not about to use his influence in support of the government, he was exiled.
Sheikh Ubeydullah's movement did not seem to have a political agenda, but it received significant attention owing to its sudden appearance in the midst of so sensitive a period. Following the Treaty of Berlin, the Armenian issue precipitated the allegation that the sultan tried to "create" a Kurdish problem in order to curtail "reforms" for the Ottoman Empire's Christian subjects. Ubeydullah's nationalism should be reconsidered in this context. Although he always insisted that he had his own land problem with the Persian Empire, he was not reluctant to pursue other problems on behalf of the Kurds. Consequently, his opponents charged that he had intentions beyond the return of his estates. To date no Ottoman documents have been examined to clear up this issue. The author...