Neopaganism, often with nationalist and local ethnic influence, began to grow worldwide in the 20th century. Neopaganism did not have a presence in the Middle East, although it had a small presence in Turkey. Neopaganism was introduced to Kurdistan by Ahmad Barzani. He was a young Islamic scholar when his older brother, Abdulsalam Barzani, was executed by the Ottomans in 1914. Following this tragic event, Ahmad had to assume both the religious and political responsibilities previously held by his brother as the leader of the Barzani family. Many Western reporters expressed concerns about Ahmad Barzani’s mental health and suggested that such pressure at a young age could exacerbate his condition. but they were obviously ineffective as this was during a time when most of the world did not take mental health seriously.
Starting in the 1920s, rumors began to circulate about Ahmad Barzani being a demigod. Initially, he remained silent about these claims, but by the late 1920s, he started to openly proclaim his divinity. He also founded a neopagan religion that blended elements of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and various ancient Kurdish beliefs. Ahmad Barzani incorporated his new faith into the Kurdish struggle, and people began to direct their prayers to him, seeking blessings, miracles, or healing.
As Ahmad Barzani gained more attention, Mustafa Barzani distanced himself from the new religion, reaffirming that he was a Muslim. The religious differences did not impact Ahmad Barzani’s relationship with his family, and they continued to work closely together while attempting to persuade him to return to Islam. Additionally, Ahmad Barzani found himself under scrutiny from Turkey for his support of the Ararat uprising.
Ahmad Barzani introduced his new religion during the 1931 revolts. Some Western sources misinterpreted the significant Christian influence on Ahmad Barzani’s religion and mistakenly claimed that he had converted to Christianity. During the revolt, the Barzani family asserted their dominance over rival Kurdish tribes.
In 1943, the Barzanis launched another revolt against Iraq and crossed the border into Iranian Kurdistan, where they contributed to the Republic of Mahabad, led by Qazi Muhammad. In 1958, the new Iraqi nationalist government, led by Abdulkarim Qasim, invited Mustafa Barzani back to Iraq. By this time, Ahmad Barzani had identified as a Muslim once again, and his neopagan religion, which had very few adherents, had faded away. From the start, it was never popular among the Kurds.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was legally registered in 1960. Although there was initial optimism, Qasim did not move forward with granting Kurdish autonomy, leading to the outbreak of the September War in 1961. This conflict was led by Mustafa Barzani and marked the last revolt in which Ahmad Barzani participated.
Ahmad Barzani passed away in 1969 and was given an Islamic funeral. He transferred the leadership to Mustafa Barzani. The neopagan religion was not remembered as a legacy of Ahmad Barzani, who was really remembered as a religious figure of the Kurdish nationalist movement along figures such as Sheikh Ubeydullah, Sheikh Said, and his elder brother Abdulsalam Barzani. There was no more neopagan movements in Kurdistan, although there was a wave of conversions to Zoroastrianism after 2014, amid the conflict caused by the Islamic State (ISIS). However, most of those who converted to Zoroastrianism had already lost belief in Islam long before the Islamic State appeared. Most did not convert because they agreed with Zoroastrianism, but because Zoroastrianism felt more Kurdish to them, and also wanted to send a message. The majority of them left Zoroastrianism shortly after, and the trend had ended as quickly as it had began.