Interview with another Kurdish student
April 1st, 2008Following up on this previous interview, I conducted another interview with a Kurdish student to represent more perspectives on the Kurdish issue.
Kurdish activists have a lot to say and are outspoken, but unfortunately not many people care to listen, or are generally aware of the severity of the many human rights abuses against Kurdish minorities across the Middle East. I suggest this podcast to anyone interested in what many Kurds go through in the region and the difficulty of the whole situation in general.
If you would like to help out, please support our Kurdish human rights initiative and help it grow.
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[...] blogger Esra'a, at Mideast Youth, interviews a Kurdish student in this podcast which discusses the Kurdish situation and the hypocrisy of mainstream media towards their cause. [...]
I disagree with some of her points on independence. The lack of a Kurdish state has been the reason for not only years or decades of oppression against the Kurdish people, but for centuries. Despite what some may think, if you study history, Kurds have been given “autonomy” very similar to that of present-day Iraqi Kurdistan throughout the time of the Persian and Ottoman Empires. The autonomies were granted only after Kurdish tribes resisted and refused Persian or Ottoman domination. They were granted limited autonomy only to be stripped of it completely once Persian or Ottoman leaders strengthened their armies against the Kurdish principalities.
The same would happen in the modern world. For example, Iraqi Kurdistan might have some “autonomy” right but its only because Arab Baghdad is not yet strong enough to overthrow Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurdish independence is the only solution to the Kurdish question.
I’m glad at the end of the interview, Nergez realized this.
I will also note is that Kurds have been divided from the times of the empires between Ottoman and Persia, and now today between Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. How are we dividing by asking for independence? We are actually simply trying to unite with our Kurdish brothers and sisters across the border.
And last thing, I don’t know any Kurds who were happy with Arab deaths. In fact, Massoud Barzani offered land in Kurdistan to Palestinian refugees at a time when 22 Arab countries refused to.
I disagree, how does refusing to be called “Turkish Kurd” promote disunity?? Would a Palestinian from Jerusalem appreciate being called an Israeli Arab??
Turkish Kurd undermines Kurdish identity and promotes Turkish ethnocentrism. There is nothing Turkish about a Kurd just because an artificial border was forcing 20 million of us to be part of the Turkish Republic
sure go ahead n give them some autonomy.. they need to prove that they deserve to rule, but tht doest justify the Rights abuse
The difference between the cartoons:
the denmark cartoons were religious
the anti Israel [or whatever] are political they are not equal
PS: the violent reaction to the cartoons was totally not worth it. We
have too many emotional people who seriously need to know what they
are protesting [do their independent research n find out 4
themselves n then hit the streets,] Most of the ppl protesting fitna dont knw either
Within the whole podcast, these comments disappointed me the most (for their lack of validity):
“Kurds associate all that’s happened to them with turks, We just try to point out the negative, we’re not accepting or understanding of where these countries are coming from. the only thing we are doing is war and trying to kill the enemy.”
Turkey has rejected every unilateral ceasefire proposed by the PKK, hence the Kurds have no other option but to claim what’s rightfully theirs and i’m not simply referring to territory but basic human rights that the Kurds are deprived of in most of the Middle East, with the exception of Iraq (for the time being at least).
I suggest you do some compound research on the Kurdish issue as a whole because listening to your podcast, it doesn’t seem like you’ve been exposed to the harsh reality of the Kurds’ socio-political problem, especially the Kurds in N. Kstan.
Here are some of the books in which I strongly urge you to read into about the history and politics of your people, who are only asking for their OWN identity and who have been struggling for many decades under numerous regimes that have tried to annihilate them.
The books are:
The Kurdish Political Struggles in Iran, Iraq, and turkey by A. Manafy
The State and Kurds in Turkey: The question of assimilation by Metin Heper
The Kurds: State and Minority in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran by James Ciment
[...] this podcast has moved to this new site, the podcast’s comments were previously listed here.] Interview with Nergez [32:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | [...]
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