[Mifsnavassy]

And Iran is indeed committed to a form of nationalism. It is a national republic with Shiism serving to fill its national identity vacuum. It subscribes to the concepts of nationalism. Khomeini admitted near his death that he failed in complete reimplementation of Islam as he was forced to compromise with Iranian secularists, much like how Egyptians and others facing a similar compromise.

From my observations of Kurdish nationalism, Kurds in Turkey in particular have sustained a level of insulation from the rest of the world by holding to Kurdish language and being dominatd by the PKK and secular, even atheist Kurdish diaspora in Europe.

Kurds in Iraq at least had access to the Arab world by learning arabic. Not so in Turkey.

As well, socialist and secular atheist Kurds in Europe have been a driving force for the PKK and terroristic secularism. It has been reported by Kurds that the PKK have forced their militants to pray jumuah prayers on days other than Friday, determining when they fast during Ramadan, controlling what of Islam is taught to Kurdish villages, etc. Several madrassas in Kurdish regions have been bombed by the PKK.

“[They] even killed two imams who are believed to be followers of Gülen movement [in the Kurdish southeast], and bombed Gülen's schools,” Uslu claimed.

Analysts suggested there is an ongoing competition in the Kurdish southeast of Turkey between the PKK and Gülen’s networks. http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/turkey/4164.html

Again, Kurdish nationalism is fomented by communists and socialists, and European powers who have used Kurdish nationalism as a thorn in the side of Turkey for almost 100 years. But none of these are truly tied to the Islamic identity and heritage of Kurds.

And the PKK know that if they don't fend off the spread of Islam in Kurdish regions, their nationalist and separatist campaign will fail. So they use the insular benefits of Kurdish language initiatives in Turkey.