He was born in 1865 in
Hınıs to an influential family from the Naqshbandi order, where his grandfather was an influential
sheikh.[6] Sheikh Said studied religious sciences at the
madrasa led by his father Sheikh Mahmud Fevzi as well from several Islamic scholars in the region.[7] Later he was involved in the local
tekke set up by his grandfather Sheikh Ali.[6] His grandfather was a respected leader of the religious community and his grave was visited by thousands of pilgrims. He became the head of the religious community after his father Sheikh Mahmud died. In 1907 he toured the neighboring provinces in the east and he established contacts with officers from the
Hamidiye cavalry.[6]
Civata Xweseriya Kurd (Society for Kurdish Independence)
The Azadî (English: Freedom), officially Civata Azadiya Kurd (Society for Kurdish Freedom), later Civata Xweseriya Kurd (Society for Kurdish Independence)[8] was a Kurdish secret organization.[9]
In 1923, he was approached by Yusuf Zia Bey, who wanted him to join the
Kurdish secret organization
Azadî.[10] He became the leader of the Azadî after Zia Bey and
Halid Beg Cibran, the leader of the Azadî, were reportedly tipped off by the
Yörük tribe and arrested.[7][unreliable source?] The Azadi was to become a leading force in the Sheikh Said Rebellion[11] which began in February 1925 and starting from in
Piran, soon spread as far as the surroundings of
Diyarbakır.[12] The Turkish army then opposed the rebellion and he was captured in mid-April 1925 after having been surrounded by the Turkish troops.[13] He was condemned to death by the
Independence Tribunal in Diyarbakır on the 28 June 1925 and hanged the next day in
Diyarbakır with 47 of his followers.[14] His remains were buried in an anonymous mass grave in order to prevent his memorization by the
Kurds.[15]
Family
His first wife was Amine Hanim, who died during the
Russian-Turkish war. His second wife was Fatma Hanim, a sister of
Halit Beg Cibran, the leader of the Azadî.[7]
His son Abdülhalik died after his deportation following the Sheikh Said rebellion.[16] His grandson
Abdülmelik Fırat became a deputy of the
Grand National Assembly of Turkey.[17] Fırat says that his ancestors were not involved in politics until his grandfather, for they had cordial relations with the
Ottoman elite.
^Olson, Robert W. (1989). The emergence of Kurdish nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880-1925. University of Texas Press. p. 107.
ISBN978-0-292-77619-7.
^Özoğlu, Hakan (2004-02-12). Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities, Competing Loyalties, and Shifting Boundaries. SUNY Press. p. 94.
ISBN978-0-7914-5993-5.
^Olson, Robert W. (1989). The emergence of Kurdish nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880-1925. University of Texas Press. p. 101.
ISBN978-0-292-77619-7.
^
abcOlson, Robert W. (1989). The emergence of Kurdish nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880-1925. University of Texas Press. p. 100.
ISBN978-0-292-77619-7.
^Olson, Robert (1989). The Emergence of Kurdish Nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880–1925. University of Texas Press. p. 41.
ISBN0292776195.
^Hamelink, Wendelmoet (2016-04-21). The Sung Home. Narrative, Morality, and the Kurdish Nation. BRILL. p. 176.
ISBN978-90-04-31481-8.
^Behrendt, Günter (1993). Nationalismus in Kurdistan: Vorgeschichte, Entstehungsbedingungen und erste Manifestationen bis 1925 (in German). Deutsches Orient-Institut. p. 373.
ISBN978-3-89173-029-4.
^Olson, Robert W. (1989). The emergence of Kurdish nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880-1925. University of Texas Press. pp. 101–102.
ISBN978-0-292-77619-7.
^Özoğlu, Hakan (2011-06-24). From Caliphate to Secular State: Power Struggle in the Early Turkish Republic: Power Struggle in the Early Turkish Republic. ABC-CLIO. p. 89.
ISBN978-0-313-37957-4.
^Olson, Robert W. (1989). The emergence of Kurdish nationalism and the Sheikh Said Rebellion, 1880-1925. University of Texas Press. p. 116.
ISBN978-0-292-77619-7.
^Üngör, Ugur Ümit (2012-03-01). The Making of Modern Turkey: Nation and State in Eastern Anatolia, 1913-1950. OUP Oxford. p. 160.
ISBN978-0-19-164076-6.