Comments on: More Demonstrations in the U.S. Against Turkey's Aggression

By: Esra'a

Esra'a — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:09:32 +0000

A lot of Kurds are struggling for basic human rights in Turkey, Karin. Some have died for it. It’s very unfair that you claim Kurds lead normal and happy lives in Turkey and can practice their rights to their fullest extent within the country which is far from the truth. You say you know this because you live there, can you really speak on behalf of all Kurds if you’ve likely never experienced what they’re going through? The Kurdish minority that you speak of dream of peace, it is not being granted to them by the Turkish government, nor by people who fall for systematic propaganda against Kurds and who justify abuse against them. Unfortunately you wouldn’t know this perspective because Kurds are not even allowed to take part in mainstream media outlets without excessive censorship or entire bans. Kurdish sites, newsletters, books, et al are heavily censored and Kurds lack enough power to reach out to the majority if even merely to express their views.. where is the justice in that?

Really, like Babban said, Kurds go way beyond the PKK and in fact, the majority are not in any way associated with this organization.

Yet they have to suffer the inconvenience of being regarded and treated as terrorists even if the only thing they want to do is lead normal lives while practicing their cultural values and maintaining their tradition and historical significance as a nation. Please understand that giving them this right doesn’t make you any less proud as a Turk, you would only be embracing Kurds, fellow civilians, as your brethren and this is what Turkey should be proud to stand for… diversity, acceptance, tolerance, and co-existence. This is really what Kurds are asking for, is it really too much? And after decades of abuse how do you expect people to side with you while advocating for Turkish military aggression? It is unconscionable.

By: Goran (Kurdistan/USA)

Goran (Kurdistan/USA) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:06:35 +0000

Yours are the lies, and you continue to repeat the same denials of your country’s officials of the countless human rights reports which is simply baffling. I have been to Turkey, and several times. I have spent time in both the west and eastern parts and I’m well aware of what the situation is like over there.

By: Babban

Babban — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:31:07 +0000

Karin,
What part of Turkey do you live?

http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=europe&c=turkey

There is plenty of reports about the mistreatment of kurds in Turkey. Feel free to read them…

By: Karin,Karin,Karin

Karin,Karin,Karin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:17:00 +0000

Calm Down Kurdistan=Usa(!). And friends.
Maybe you do not want to reply silly answers but i can do it.
We are leading a happy life with Kurds in Turkiye. Only i do not say it, come and see a lot of Kurds saying that. They sent their sons for soldiership. Turkiye has not discriminate for Kurds or Turks. No problem if some people do not bad things.

Like of you are only do propoganda and you botch up prestij of mideastyouth.com You do not want to peace in Turkiye. You used by some forces. Unfortunately.

Because it is manifest lie news. (Propoganda)

By: Babban

Babban — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:29:03 +0000

Karin,
I think You have the same problem that many Turks have living in Turkey. Turkish propaganda is taught from grade school, and is fed to the citizens everyday through its controlled media. The Kurdish “issue” goes beyond the existence of the PKK, in fact, it goes back to Turkey’s creation when they refused to recognize Kurds as a different ethnicity and stripped them off from their basic rights. But, i don’t need to tell you that. You can take a trip, as Goran mentioned as well, to the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty international websites to see if for yourself.

It is always good to explore beyond what your government tell you. Good Luck…

By: Elinor (Iran)

Elinor (Iran) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:06:51 +0000

Niruj
Where were are betrayed is when we think Turks and Kurds and Persians and Arabs and Israelis are all independent people who hate each other. We are members of a big family. Tamam
Das khosh bi

By: Niroj R.

Niroj R. — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:58:59 +0000

Hey Karin,

The existence of the country called Turkey is equally as legitimate as the nonexistence of the country called Kurdistan. That is to say, Turkey, Iraq, etc. have absolutely no grounds on which to base a ‘superior’ attitude – because those countries were created by arbitrarily drawn borders, by world powers with imperialistic intentions. splitting up the middle east after WWI into arbitrary, unfounded sections of land unfortunately screwed over everyone in that region, most of all the Kurds. what you need to get OUT of your mind is the idea that the turks or turkey have any right to that land WHATSOEVER, let alone a right to the land that surpasses that of the Kurds.

Kurdistan is NOT a part of Turkey! The Turks just claim that it is. So how can we live in peace with a nation whose sole objective is to assimilate us into their society, a society where even saying that you are a Kurd or speaking Kurdish in public is somehow insulting “Turkishness”?

By: Elinor (Iran)

Elinor (Iran) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:53:07 +0000

Goran,
I do believe that some times people who live in a country do back the racism, they are also influenced by the local media which tries to interprete its actions as just. I think there is much intermarriage between Kurds and Turks as well. Not all Turks are that way. I guess if some one feels hurt is because he or she does not approve of racist bahavior, but we have to open our eyes and if some thing wrong is taking in our society be aware of it….

By: Goran (Kurdistan/USA)

Goran (Kurdistan/USA) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:51:58 +0000

Let me just clarify… when I said “silly comments”, I was referring to those posed by Karin and not the more serious questions asked by Elinor but to further elaborate on those questions as well…

I know about Ojalan, I used to see him on news, then i knew he was arrested. Is it all about his party? I mean at the moment.

There was a Kurdish activist who once stated best when he said that the Kurdish struggle is like a long and complex chain where everything is linked and the armed struggle is just one link in that long chain. In simpler terms, it is not about any particular party at all. The parties and movements that have been formed within Kurdish societies are simply reactions to the injustices and oppression inflicted on the Kurdish people in the region. This is precisely why internationally, you will begin to see more and more people understand that the solution to the Turkey-Kurdish conflict is not a military one, but a political on that begins with serious changes in Turkey’s system.

By: Goran (Kurdistan/USA)

Goran (Kurdistan/USA) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:34:55 +0000

Although I feel no need to respond to the silly comments since Esra’a already responded to them so well, let me make a few additional points…

I am living there.

Well, if you live there then you are a living example of the reluctance of the Turkish State to acknowledge and admit its discrimination and ethnic cleansing of the Kurds through policies of murders, disappearances, forced displacements, and the destruction of peaceful settlements.. just to name a few.

The facts are all there and we are quite simply reporting them – just take a trip to Human Rights Watch or Amnesty Intl – and nothing justifies Turkish state terror and their latest bombings of innocent civilians.

What does Turkey demand from its Kurds?

Let me rearrange a few words… What do the Kurds demand from Turkey?
The last several calls for a political/peaceful solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey (and there is a Kurdish question as was even finally admitted by the Turkish PM in 2005) by both Kurdish representatives in Turkey and Iraq have been ignored. Instead, a road of violence and military campaign has been traveled by the Turkish military, even more sadly, at the expense of its own citizens.