[2][3] Before Islam, the majority of Kurds followed western Iranic Paganism which originates from Indo-Iranian traditions.
[2] Kurds were a nation divided between the Byzantine and Persian Empires, before being united under the Rashidun Caliphate.
Although once it was clear that the Sassanids would soon fall, the Kurdish chiefs one by one submitted to the Muslim armies and agreed to accept Islam, leading to their tribe members doing the same.
[13] Today the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims, and there are Shia, Sufi, and Alevi minorities.
[16] Islam has gained strong support from Kurds and has historically acted as the back-bone of the Kurdish Movement.