There are between 30 and 45 million Kurdish people in the world today. Most of the Kurdish people are Sunni Muslims. They are considered an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of “Kurdistan” in Western Asia, spanning from parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Armenia. They are a people without a self-governed country. Their language was outlawed in Turkey, although some restrictions have been lifted. The largest population of Kurds in the western hemisphere is Nashville, Tennessee, where some 20,000 Kurdish people call home. Despite their rich cultural heritage and historical significance, the Kurds have faced significant challenges in their quest for autonomy and recognition.