Persecution of languages, Compromising humanity

Ladies and Gentlemen

Once again I thank you for offering me this chance to talk to you in this free platform. It is an honour talking to those using their free pen to serve humanity, yet it is rather hard talking in free platforms about languages facing the threat of elimination due to persecution while those with free pen are not doing much or perhaps doing very little about it. There might be many reasons for languages to disappear and whatever these reasons are, it is a loss to humanity, yet the dangerous reason which compromises values of humanity is the persecution with elimination intention.

Please allow me in this gathering to shed light on the state of one of the very ancient languages yet prohibited in the largest part of its native soil:

 Speaking and expressing in mother tongue while growing up, forms part of human identity, which brings confidence and progress. It is a basic right when one exists, yet in major parts of Kurd’s homeland this very simple right is taken away and the mere speaking in Kurdish for many, is regarded a crime.   

Kurdish, the language of at least 40 million people, existing where the remnants of ancient civilizations bear witness of a positive contribution to mankind, representing the inheritance of a significant human civilization (the Medes civilization) in Mesopotamia, is faced with persecution at the hand of state authorities on its very native land in an attempt to eliminate it.

Humanity has undergone enormous losses, the losses of many languages, cultures and civilizations and with them has lost part of its identity. Yet it is perhaps the first time that is witnessing a carefully planned political strategy for the eradication of a language and culture yet turning a blind eye against it.

 It is at least 85 years in Turkey that the cultural heritage of thousands of years in Kurdistan is systematically harassed, persecuted while many writers and intellectuals are silent against this injustice and what is worse is that some of them are collaborative to this process.  

Each and every culture eradicated and each and every language eliminated takes with it part of humanity’s identity, thus deprives the world of its values. But when one part of humanity, being the authorities, regimes and governments systematically plan to eliminate a culture and a language with an intention of total eradication, it is THE mistake of all parts of humanity. Total eradication of a culture and a language has no other meanings but a cultural genocide and it is an obligation of those with a free pen and a free mind not to stay silent about it.

Those days are the start of Kurdish New Year, (Newroz) which is celebrated on 21^st March of every year. It is of great significance to the Kurds all over Kurdistan yet it is even forbidden to pronounce and spell Nawroz as it is, as it could result in imprisonment according to the criminal law in Turkey. In Iran Newroz has been denied its true national identity for the Kurds and in Syria it is forbidden. The situation in Iraq has changed but it was until very recently when thousands of Kurds were arrested and executed for merely singing the Newroz anthem ‘Cejne, cejni Kurdistane, cejni Newroze, be tishki agir denusim cejne piroze’ or ‘Emroji Sali tazeye Newroze hatewe, cejneki koni Kurde be xoshi u be hatewe’

The Kurdish language has its own history and mythology, which is distinctive linguistically and phonetically from the languages of the state authorities over Kurdistan. The sacred book of Zoroastrians, Zend Avesta is written in the Kurdish Hewrami dialect and until today is used in few regions of Kurdistan as a Holy ancient book. These are precious sources of human and oriental philosophy, which are secretly kept from being found and destroyed by the state authorities occupying Kurdistan.

The Kurdish language is harassed and the progress of Kurdish literature, poetry, novel and journalism is obstructed. Apart from south Kurdistan (Iraq), Kurdish is not permitted to be the language of daily communication and education. The oral use of the language in society as a mean of resistance against the political persecution of the authority is not sufficient for a language to progress and keep up with the technological development.

The foundation of the Kurdish language is strong and until 1900 it was used, as the case of the neibouring languages, as the language of local authorities in the region.

In the same way that the era of William Shakespeare and the 16^th century is significant in the English literature, similarly the years 1695 and Ahmedi Xani is significant in the Kurdish literature. In those years Ahmedi Xani presented his social and epical mythology Mem u Zien to humanity. The philosophical, literary and poetry writings of Mele Ciziri and Feqe Teyran are glowing examples of the rich and significant Kurdish language heritage.  

At the start of the last century (twentieth century), after the creation of the new ethnic states in Middle East this language was banned and its use was and still in many parts regarded as a crime. The Kurdish language was shadowed over in the darkness of history and even now the chance of progressing and developing this language to keep up with the rest of the languages is very limited. As a matter of fact this chance is nil in Iran, Syria and Turkey.

Prohibiting the use of the Kurdish language for tens of years and preventing it from becoming a formal language, is intended to deny the history and the identity of a nation, thus its values and contribution are buried and with it part of human values. Although in Iraq, Iran and Syria the oral use of Kurdish language was permitted yet the authority has made all the efforts to create obstacles to prevent its progress socially and technologically, while making it the language of education and administration was almost impossible. In Iraq however the circumstances have changed and to certain extent it has become the language of authority in the Kurdistan Region and the second language of authority in Iraq.

According to the new Iraqi Constitution adopted by the referendum in 2005 there are two official languages in Iraq: Arabic and Kurdish. Arabic is the first language in Arab parts of Iraq whereas Kurdish is the primary language in the federal region of Kurdistan. Official documentations, laws and parliament sessions are to function in both languages. The Iraqi Constitution and the draft Constitution of Iraqi Kurdistan make special provisions for the minority languages. These languages – Syriac (the mother tongue of many Assyrian and Chaldean Christians), Turkoman and Armenian – enjoy a particular high status in Kurdistan.

 In practical terms, there are thousands of schools and four universities in Iraqi Kurdistan with Kurdish as the language of education. Kurdish is the mass media language in TV and radio broadcastings. There are about 300 periodicals and three major publishing centres. There are journals in Kurdish for youth, sport, women and religious minorities (Yezidi, Shabak, Kakayi and Christians). The journal ‘Serdem’ in a major Kurdistan city of Sulaymaniya for instance is dedicated to literary translations into Kurdish.

In Iran the Kurds are the third largest ethnic group, after the Persians and the Turkish-speaking Azeri Shiites. The Kurds belong to the same linguistic family with the Persian majority, the Beludji and some other minority groups.

Legally speaking, the article 15 of the Iranian Constitution provides the possibility for the mother tongue education for all peoples of Iran, including the Azeris, Arabs, Baludjis and Kurds. They are entitled to open schools and educate children in their languages alongside Persian, the official language in Iran. However, since 20 years there have been no single school initiated in Iran in Kurdish. It has obviously a political dimension since the Kurds are the leading opponents of the Islamic regime. Kurdish has shortly gained a major status during the short-lived Kurdistan Republic of Mehabad in 1945-1946, during which the local administration and education have been in Kurdish. Afterwards, there have been attempts – mostly private ones – in Mehabad and other cities to open schools and teach Kurdish. There are state-controlled Kurdish periodicals, broadcasting, student and cultural organisations in Iran. Nevertheless, there are no formal classes in schools and no formal recognition of Kurdish in the provinces with the Kurdish majority. There are also reports of a new pressure against Kurdish children’s names and Kurdish titles given to shops and private structures.

Syria is stated as the country with absence of political liberties and gross violations of human rights. The drastic oppression against the Kurds includes an overall prohibition of Kurdish identity. In this sense, Syria may be defined as the worst case. The reality in Syria implies that against the background of 12% of the Kurds within the whole Syrian population and more than 90% in three Kurdish provinces in the north, there are no legal mentioning of their language, no state or private schooling in Kurdish and no place for use of Kurdish in the central or local government bodies.

During the French occupation and the years before the Baath Party usurped the power in Syria, there has been a better cultural life amongst the Kurds. The best-known poets, writers and the person who standardised the northern Kurdish dialect of Kurmanji Mir Djeladet Badirkhan lived and worked there.

In Turkey however not only the language is prohibited but also names, places, and anything to do with the Kurdish identity is refused and changed completely. The name of places, cities, villages, people, mountains, rivers and anything to do with the Kurdish identity is changed and replaced with Turkish names. Even the historic places which are the remnants of significant heritage of their ancestors belonging to all humanity, such as Hes Keyf is attempted to be submerged and buried in order to remove all the historical reference to the Kurds and deny their identity.

There is a cultural genocide carried out against the Kurds.

According to the United Nations International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (E793, 1948), that has five definitions of genocide, of which two of them may fit the above remark:

Article II(e): “forcibly transferring children of the group to another group” and

Article II(b): “causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group”.

When the Kurds are denied to speak and think in their language, when they are denied to write and express in their identity, their existence is in grave danger. Kurds are resisting under sever circumstances. They are resisting cultural genocide in order to preserve their identity, culture and the mutual heritage that belongs to all humanity not just them. It is therefore a mutual resistance for the preserving of the identity of humanity.

For the sake of saving the Kurdish language, culture and contribution to the rest of humanity there is a need for a joint struggle, and in this struggle we see you, all the conscious writers alongside ourselves….

Berivan Dosky