Washington Kurdish Institute
By Yousif Ismael November 1, 2021
Dr. Najmaldin Karim, a great Kurdish patriot and leader, passed away one year ago after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Dr. Karim, an accomplished neurosurgeon, was a pioneer of Kurdish activism in the United States. His efforts to give the Kurdish people of all parts of Kurdistan a voice in Washington remain unmatched, and laid the groundwork for all forms of Kurdish activism seen throughout America today, not only in Washington but also from coast to coast. Almost everyone in the United States engaged in activism or research concerning the Kurds has been influenced by Dr. Karim’s lifetime of work. Long before the struggle of the Kurdish people captured the attention of the world, Dr. Karim was a one-man lobby, founding several organizations focused on the Kurdish question to raise awareness of the plight of the Kurds and events throughout Kurdistan including the Washington Kurdish Institute (WKI) and the Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNCNA). Additionally, he established the Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and played a leading role in founding the Kurdish language service of the Voice of America. More quietly, Dr. Karim also dedicated his time to helping dozens of young Kurdish professionals, mainly physicians, find a better life in America.
Dr. Karim, a proud father of a daughter and three sons, was an exceptional neurosurgeon and Kurdish activist. He worked tirelessly, and, from a young age, established himself as an effective and beloved leader, one whose legacy remains alive across Greater Kurdistan. I worked for him for many years, including during his tenure as governor of Kirkuk. The story of his leadership, from student activist to wartime governor, could easily full many volumes.
The city and province of Kirkuk have always been coveted by global and regional powers, whose have committed countless atrocities in the area and encouraged great instability. Dr. Karim, a native of Kirkuk, loved his city and eagerly took the first possible opportunity to return and work for a better future for his home. From April 2011 through October 16, 2017, much changed in the province. Against a backdrop of almost constant conflict throughout Iraq and the broader region, Kirkuk experienced a renaissance unmatched in Iraq or Kurdistan. During his first week in office, he changed the province’s approach to governing from a divided, partisan system with posts assigned based on ethnicity to a service-focused approach with positions filled based on qualifications. Dr. Karim believed that the political parties would get more support if they nominated non-partisan and truly qualified people for service posts and implemented his plans and brought several independent people into the administration despite pushback from various political parties, including his own. I immediately noticed that Dr. Karim was a decisive, charismatic, and fearless leader. He made important decisions without hesitation, a quality that remains missing in today’s leaders across Iraq, and his approach to problem solving successfully addressed many of the issues that had faced the embattled province of Kirkuk since the establishment of Iraq. For example, upon becoming governor, he knew the biggest problem facing Kirkuk, like other places in the country, was electricity, and he observed how the governments in Baghdad and Erbil both failed to address this problem. He immediately signed a deal with a private electricity company based in Erbil to address this issue, and the people of Kirkuk, who once experienced only 2-4 hours of electricity per day, saw availability increase to 18-24 hours with the assistance of public generators. Indeed, during Dr. Karim’s term as governor, Kirkuk had a better supply of electricity than any other province of Iraq.
After his initial success, the various peoples of Kirkuk, including Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, Sunnis, Shi’ites, Christians, etc., all wondered who Dr. Karim was. The older generation of Kurds and the Kurdish leadership knew of his valuable work in the US, but the newer generation did not know much about his life-long dedication and accomplishments. Soon after solving Kirkuk’s electricity issue, Dr. Karim initiated a revolution of sorts, starting with three main sectors: health, education, and municipal services, insisting on the development and maintenance of hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and buildings throughout the province that the preceding administration could not address due to political disputes. Dr. Karim’s leadership qualities, directness, and honesty made all political parties and government officials think twice before committing a wrong move. I remember many officials hesitating to confront him or even look at him if they did not do their jobs properly. Even American think tankers witnessed how Dr. Karim would conduct business in a professional, transparent, and efficient manner to serve the peoples of Kirkuk.
As governor, Dr. Karim oversaw the construction of 330 schools and 45 hospitals and clinics in the province along with the paving of nearly 1,600 miles of roads. Additionally, Dr. Karim implemented radical solutions to the water shortage and sewage issues long plaguing the province, building new infrastructure to increase quality of life across Kirkuk. Dr. Karim loved nature, and he ordered the construction of dozens of new parks and playgrounds and they planting of thousands of trees. Above all, he delivered on his promise to those displaced by Saddam Hussein’s regime, relocating them to newly built complexes. He also worked to provide a future for the youth of Kirkuk, utilizing the small budget allocation that Kirkuk received from Iraq’s oil revenues to create jobs for 6,000 young people.
In June 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS/Da’esh) terrorist group was expanding throughout Iraq and Syria and swiftly invaded and occupied Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Following their victory in Mosul, ISIS set their sights on Kirkuk, an oil-rich city that would have been a major prize for the genocidal jihadist group, one that was now very well equipped with modern weaponry seized from fleeing Iraqi forces. While the 12th Division of the Iraqi Army that Maliki placed in Kirkuk melted away as quickly as the Iraqi forces in Mosul disappeared, local forces held strong and resisted the advances of ISIS. The people of Kirkuk were grateful for Dr. Karim’s leadership and foresight which kept Kirkuk from falling into the hands of ISIS.
Dr. Karim assumed control over the defense of Kirkuk against ISIS, ordering the deployment of peshmerga forces in Kirkuk to provide security and personally visiting the front lines a few times per week. From June 2014 until his last day in office, despite being a top priority target for ISIS, Kirkuk was one of the safest cities in Iraq thanks to Dr. Karim’s leadership, the sacrifices of the peshmerga forces and other allied forces mobilized against ISIS, and the US-led coalition who changed the dynamics of the war by providing air support. Dr. Karim was able to leverage his strong, long-standing personal relationships with various parties to coordinate the successful defense of Kirkuk while continuing to improve the provision of services to the citizens of the besieged province.
I will always take pride in having served as a campaign manager for Dr. Karim for the April 2014 Iraqi parliamentary elections. For all of his fantastic work, the people of Kirkuk rewarded Dr. Karim at the ballot box, giving him over 150,000 votes, 50% more than all other winning candidates from Kirkuk combined, representing the highest percentage of votes from eligible voters in all of Iraq. For comparison, the candidate who won the second most votes from his list, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), received just over 5,000 votes. Through Dr. Karim’s unprecedented success, the PUK won six seats representing the Kirkuk province. The most exciting moment of the campaign was when we watched the votes being tallied station by station and saw the votes of many non-Kurds be counted for Dr. Karim. The final results showed Dr. Karim winning 15,000-20,000 votes from the Arabs and Turkmen, the first and, to date, only time, that a Kurdish candidate won a substantial number of votes from non-Kurds in the province. The election results were a clear confirmation of appreciation for Dr. Karim’s service to all of the peoples of Kirkuk, a province to which he dedicated his entire life.
Above all, Dr. Karim was focused on helping those in need and serving Kurdistan and all who suffered from policies of repression and denial. He understood how to deal with Kirkuk, the most complicated arena in the Kurdish struggle, and his success as governor in protecting and rebuilding Kirkuk are a testament to his leadership qualities and unwavering dedication. From his years as a student activist to his leadership in Kirkuk during some of the most difficult days of the province, Dr. Karim served his nation with pride and joy. He was humble, generous, understanding, and selfless. For me and many of his friends, supporters, and co-workers, his honesty was a unique and refreshing quality. He consistently spoke his mind and refused to play politics.
Dr. Karim’s passing was a tremendous loss for the Kurdish nation, and those who lost the most one year ago were certainly the peoples of Kirkuk, who time and time again are victims of regional power plays and leadership crises among Iraqis and Kurds. Before he passed away, Dr. Karim was banned from visiting Baghdad, Ankara, Tehran, and Damascus, confirmation of his unwavering loyalty to Kurdistan, fierce opposition to those who have invaded and plundered Kurdistan, and refusal to compromise with his nation’s occupiers. The outpouring of heartfelt messages of condolences from all four parts of Kurdistan and beyond one year ago are a testament to his unprecedented lifetime of sacrifice for his people, including his work in the public area and other important, selfless efforts that took place in secret. I will always be thankful for having the opportunity to work for Dr. Karim in the service of Kurdistan. I aspire to continue following in his footsteps along the path he created for us, and sincerely hope that other Kurdish activists and leaders will do the same, and work together to help realize a free life and dignified peace for our people in Kirkuk and throughout all of Kurdistan.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and positions expressed by authors and contributors do not necessary reflect those of the WKI.