Not all Kurds are terrorists
One of the toughest things that I had to deal with while leading the Arab Network for Kurdish Rights campaign is the idea that “all Kurds are terrorists, they do not deserve our support.” I had to swift through many of these types of e-mails, most of which labeled Kurds as “PKK pigs” who are undeserving of our support or of human rights in general.
This really saddens me. I know a lot of Kurds, none of whom are sympathizers with terrorism. All they want is to be recognized as an independent nation with its own unique language, culture, and history. And they are right. They are not Turkish, Iranian, Arab, or part of any other identity but their own, so why should we insist on labeling them as such? Kurds have a very distinct background. A lot of them work very hard in preserving their language and culture, despite them being either an oppressed or an unrecognized minority wherever they go in the Middle East.
For several weeks now we have been leading a petition to ensure Kurdish human rights in the Middle East especially within the sphere of the media, where Kurds currently suffer from state-sponsored censorship, anywhere from Turkey to Iran. This petition is the very first of its kind, where non-Kurds are now the ones fighting for Kurdish rights, especially Arabs. In a previous post I outlined why we chose to lead this initiative:
The Arab Network for Kurdish Rights is where Arabs from all over the region unite in order to support Kurds in their struggle for human rights. It is also where Kurdish students join forces with their Arab friends to encourage Arabs and Kurds to live peacefully with each other while maintaining their full identity, language and culture. We hope to help them gain equal rights within our societies. Together we also condemn Kurdish extremism and Arab oppression in all its forms and try to find new and non-violent ways to protest Kurdish oppression.
Still, some people keep asking us, why are we doing this? Firstly, and as evidenced by the growing negative feedback concerning our campaign, a common belief held in our region is that Kurds are thieving terrorists who sympathize with PKK’s violent tactics. This is very untrue. In a recent and very insightful article published in the Turkish Daily News, Orhan Kemal Cengiz writes the following:
There were also many Kurds in the region who saw the PKK as a backward and bloody entity but at the same time would have liked to be able to state their Kurdish identity in a peaceful way. They were silenced by both the PKK and the [Turkish] State. Oppressing Kurdish identity and never allowing its appearance no matter how peaceful the method used to express it, and using incredibly harsh, unacceptable methods in the name of the struggle against terror which caused Kurdish civilians huge suffering, Turkey’s official policies have never aimed at any solution to this problem.
What bothers and offends many Kurds is that a lot of people do not believe in their identity. They are not able to state that they are from Kurdistan, or that they are Kurdish, without people asking them “where are you really from?” Kurds are not Iranians, they are not Turkish, they are not Arabs, they are Kurdish. The Kurdish identity is a very strong, historical, and most importantly different one which we should accept, defend, and embrace. This is who they are, and if we want to live peacefully with them then we should respect this.
In an electronic interview with Haydar, a Kurdish human rights activist, he says “we will not give in to oppression, intimidation, terrorism, and censorship. We must stand up and proudly say that we are Kurdish, and we are here to live in peace just like anybody else.” Why then do we deem the Kurdish cause too untrustworthy for our support?
In another interview with Sehla, a Kurd living with her family in Kuwait, she says “I have honestly given up any hope in our Kurdish struggle. Since our move to Kuwait, my husband and I adopted the Arab identity and we now hold Kuwaiti passports. For the past 17 years now, I have been Kuwaiti, not Kurdish.” When asked whether or not this makes her sad she notes that “it does, but this is how it has to be for us if we want to lead normal lives.” Sehla’s children do not speak Kurdish. Arabic is the dominant language in their household, because “it makes our lives easier,” she says. “I just want to forget what we had to go through. I don’t want my children to go through that.” Sehla used to live in Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime, where many of the surviving Kurds suffered traumatic experiences.
In any case, our campaign and our petition exist because we believe in the Kurdish identity. We recognize the Kurdish nation as culturally and historically independent and we want to live in peace with them, just like they want to live in peace with the rest of us. There is no reason to silence and oppress them and we’ll certainly join their efforts in fighting all attempts at doing so.
Many Kurds support our initiative, mostly because the campaign is one of very few efforts of non-Kurds in the Middle East who fight for Kurdish human rights. But we do this very proudly, and no amount of stereotypical feedbacks suggesting that Kurds are terrorists can stop us from doing what we think is necessary.
If you haven’t done so already, please take the time to sign our petition and help us put an end to Kurdish censorship within the media.
Or better, join our campaign.
This definitely an interesting topic and one that needs to be addressed.
Coinicidentally, I am sitting here watching Iraqi President Jalal Talabani being interviewed by Mr. Wolfe Blitzer on CNN. He’s being asked to comment on various topics that have cropped up regarding Iraq, as well as the Kurdish question. There is an underlying fear that when the US-backed coalition pulls out of Iraq, there will be attacks made on the Kurdish people, as well as a perceived notion that the state of Kurdistan, will take Diyala and Nineveh. WIth oil-rich fields within Kurdistan, some people speculate that Turkey and Syria, as well as Iran, will make a move to come in and take over Kurdistan. Enticing enough, but I believe that Turkey will not do this for the sake of losing their standing in the international community and any gains that have been made in becoming accepted as a member of the EU, as well a potentially being ousted from NATO, which they have been a part of since joining in 1952. Syria, on the other hand, has been the center of heated controversy regarding Lebanon and the Hezbollah. Iran has enough problems with the international community already.
Iraqi Kurdistan represents 16 million square miles of present-day Iraq. The Treaty of Sevres, which divided the defunct Ottoman Empire into several independent states at the end of WWI may be a part of the anger within the Kurdish community. The treaty was supposed to grant them independent state status, but the treaty was never ratified. Turkey took over parts of Kurdistan and the Treaty of Lausanne, which nullified the Treaty of Sevres, ratified Turkey’s modern border and left Kurdistan fractured into different areas that fell into newly created Iraq and Syria after WWI.
Kurdish history is as old as any within this area of the world, and yes, they have had conflicts with other peoples ever since the days when the Kurds ruled a vassal state aligned with Rome, which protected Rome’s furthest eastern border.
I don’t know why they have been labeled as untrustworthy and as thieves. What is it that makes people throughout the ME hate them so much? How can they be thieves when they have been in present-day Kurdistan well before the Turks came in from Central Asia after being chased out by the Mongol tribes and well before Arabs came northwards? Do some of the feuds date back to the Chaldeans, Azeris and other ancient peoples? I can sympathize with Kurds who do not speak of their Kurdish roots, but at the same time, I feel a loss for the denial.
Nobody should be persecuted because of their heritage and ethnic identity. I cannot understand why anybody would want to do this to a group of people who just want to live free without being attacked and subjugated.
This is an unfortunately all-too-common mindset throughout the region where communities compete, rather than cooperate, over resources; and where dominance and power are used by many organizations as proof of G’d’s grace.
It’s sad… It’s like someone comes into your house, kicks you out and claims possession is nine-tenths and when you come back to retake what was given to you by your ancestors, the cops side with the perpetrator. No wonder drama gets started. Another thing… why are we carrying on feuds that none of us alive today started? This is truly idiocracy. There is nothing rational that justifies it. There is nothing sacred written that approves of it. In the eyes of Allah, no one group of people carries more favor than the other. Why do we have some people who seem to thrive on megalomania-like status and by what authority have they been given to carry on acts of violence and hatred and trying to present it to the world as a necessary means given by Allah? When the day of judgement arrives, I’ve already got enough things to explain and I care not to take on any more works that will put me in the penalty box.
Thank you for your help. I am very happy to learn about your campaign. Your video has been viewed several times in Kurdish communities, we love it. Thank you so much for understanding us.
It’s definitely understandable why they do this, but it’s not something that I would encourage. I mean, no one should hide who they are from the world, no matter what. Unfortunately for Sehla, and I’m sure she realizes this, she is killing her own identity. Kurds should be very visible with their cultures, and they should be given the right to be. There are already too many people trying to oppress them and it’s sad to see certain Kurds deny their identity even if it’s for the sake of safety.
Concerning Kurdish pride and nationalism, the only troubling thing is the internal conflict amongst some Kurds as well as many others on whether pro-PKK is essentially “pro-Kurdish independence” or “pro-Kurdish extremism.” Many already deny that it’s the latter, claiming that the PKK is a legitimate movement whose aim is to grant Kurds an independent state and freedom. For this to happen, the PKK needs to be purely ideological as opposed to putting violent tactics to use. There should be a cultural movement, something that fosters Kurdish pride and identity, as opposed to something that may give them a bad reputation worldwide.
Thanks for your kind words. We are sorry that we are not as active in this campaign mostly due to lack of involvement and resources. But we will get there when we’re ready.
I’ll throw something into the pot that is definitely not even close to what the Kurdish peoples have suffered. My example for Sehla is me. I am of mixed blood/heritage- Japanese and American of Scottish descent. My mother, who is Japanese, for one reason or another did not like the fact she is Japanese. Her case is not an isolated one, for there were many Japanese women in the decades that followed WWII who wanted to escape from Japanese culture and ways (yes, it can be a very stifling society). She married my father at 16 and had me when she was 17. During my upbringing, she did not even teach me or my siblings anything about Japan, let alone the Japanese language, customs, history, etc. Of all her children, it was I who wanted to know everything, for I felt at a loss as to who I was and sense of identity. I knew the Scottish side of me, but I felt half full, if you can relate to what I am trying to say. My journey took me back to Japan after I finished advanced strike/fighter training in 1994. Whenever, I had the free time and when I was not on deployment, I would just try to find out something new. My Japanese friends thought it was strange and why would I want to know what it is like to be “Japanese”. It was something they could not grasp, since they’ve never been in my shoes. To make a long story short, I learned it, lived it, spoke it and of it, thought in it, tried to relate to it, felt the pride well up, took what I wanted and left the rest, and I did all of this mostly on my own and with the help of some great friends. Do I feel bitter towards my mother? Yes, I was a bit angry that she took it on her own to deny me and my siblings what was ours by birth. Over the years, I’ve let it go.
Sehla, you may feel the way you do right now and I can understand it, but if you have children, their life is not yours, nor are their minds. It is to them you owe to share what it is to be Kurdish in every sense. Make one less reason for your children to be bitter. What you do is eventually your choice, but give it a thought. Tell them the truth of things and give them the choice to learn more or not.