By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor

Despite decades of division and in many cases a denial of what is hoped for a united Kurdistan, the Kurdish people may soon have a common homeland that geopolitics has deprived them—albeit virtual.

The Kurdistan Regional Government, encompassing the northern territory of Iraq, will soon launch the .KRD Top Level Domain (TLD) and allow registration for individuals, organizations, and companies.

Though the .KRD domain is administered by the KRG’s Department of Information Technology (Iraq), the scope of the domain is envisioned to foster a common community that is presently divided among several nations such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Armenia.

Presently the .KRD TLD is within its Sunrise Period where registrations are allocated only to established companies, organizations and government entities. The period is necessary to help curtail domain squatting that might disrupt the rollout. In October full registration will be open to the Internet.

According to the KRG Department of Information Technology, its mission engenders:

The Official Domain Policy (Dated August 3, 2015)

Mission and purpose of the TLD

The mission and purpose of the TLD is to promote the Kurdistan Region and elevate the people of the Kurdistan Region onto the international stage by providing an online space in which to promote and develop the culture and language of the region and its people. As such, the TLD aims to establish a dedicated, open namespace that represents Kurdish people both within Kurdistan and internationally, and offers a new and innovative approach for internet users globally to engage with the people of Kurdistan.

The TLD will promote the Kurdistan Region, its culture and its potential through a dedicated open space for the benefit of the people of the Kurdistan Region whether living in the region or elsewhere, the Kurdistan Regional Government, registrants, and Internet users in the Kurdistan Region and globally. The TLD will provide a portal for Internet users to access information relating to Kurdistan. As such, the TLD will be targeted at those seeking to affiliate themselves with the Kurdistan Region.

The TLD will play a strategic role in validating the Kurdish culture and language in an age of increasing globalisation. The TLD will allow the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to take part in the increasingly global, cultural online perspective through the ability to educate and share its rich language, cultures and traditions. As such, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq will be given an opportunity to foster cross-cultural integration and understanding of this region and its people.

The TLD will also play a pivotal role in promoting further the use of the Kurdish language on the Internet as a modern medium of communication. The TLD will function as a means of preserving, enriching and developing Kurdistan for the benefit of its constituents as well as the global Internet community. The TLD will centre on creating an Internet identity for the Kurdish linguistic and cultural community.

To support the Mission and Purpose of the TLD we have registered the domain name gov.krd for the use of the Kurdistan Regional Government, its authorised staff members, Ministries and Departments. The registration of this domain name in our name is considered necessary for the operation and promotion of our TLD.

Individuals or organizations will be able to register a .KRD domain from ICANN affiliated domain registrars at the conclusion of the sunrise period.

In light of the generations long suppression of the Kurdish culture and language by unwelcoming governments, this comes as an important first step.

By Darren Smith

Sources:

Rudaw
dot.krd
KRG DIT Domain Registration Policy

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