OPEN LETTER TO KURDISTAN’S PRIME MINISTER NECHIRVAN BARZANI
By Xemgine Welat
Kurdish Media, UK
Sept 26 2006
Dear Mr. Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani,
As a Kurd, I am so honored to see the promising developments in
the southern part of our homeland and also to see you as the Prime
Minister of a unified Kurdish government. I have no doubt that you
will serve our nation in the best possible way.
As the Kurds of the North (of Kurdistan) who are victims of cruel
denial and suppression policies of the Turkish state and deprived
of basic human rights, we turn our hope to southern Kurdistan and
expect you to take some steps for 25 million Kurds in the biggest
part of Kurdistan.
As you well know, we still can not speak Kurdish freely or get
education in our mother tongue. Our language can not have any channels
to survive and flourish. Due to this, the situation of the Kurdish
language is getting worse by the day and speakers of our beloved
language are decreasing gradually. Even in the capital city, Amed,
the daily social, cultural and political life is in Turkish.
Needless to say, PKK is just as guilty as the Turkish state for not
paying enough attention to the Kurdish language and culture and not
prioritizing it. As Dr. Ismail Besikci states in one of his recent
interviews, PKK uses the words Kurd and Kurdistan quite often,
yet it has always used Turkish in its publications. There is also a
significant amount of Turkish on Roj TV despite the worsening language
issue; TV officials don’t seem to take any precautions on this matter.
While this is the gloomy picture of the North, we are enthusiastically
looking forward to seeing good news from you about the world’s most
oppressed language, the Kurmanji Kurdish dialect. It is a Kurdish
dialect spoken by more than 25 million Kurds and subjected to countless
repression; it wasn’t ever allowed to live freely, to be the language
of academia, or be studied in universities except in the tiny Kurdish
community in Armenia. Its speakers have always been tortured, beaten
and killed; singers and writers were always persecuted. As a result of
such brutal policies, millions of Kurds are not able to speak their
mother tongue and the numbers of Kurmanji speakers seem to be dying
day by day.
Your Excellency,
As the Prime Minister of Kurdish Regional Government, we expect
your government to take immediate measures to protect Kurmanji from
disappearing all together. In my opinion, a Kurmanji conference
should be organized, for instance in Duhok, as soon as possible with
the participation of Kurmanj linguists, academicians, and writers to
determine the strategies needed to keep Kurmanji alive and ways to
flourish it.
In addition, some funds should be arranged in order to publish Kurmanji
books, newspapers, magazines and learning materials such as CDs and
computer programmes.
Such suggestions can be increased but must be prioritized in accordance
with most urgent ones. While, as I mentioned before, we are expecting
excitedly, for you to make the misfortunate situation of our beloved
Kurmanji better, we are shocked by the recent news coming from the
south. Kurmanji, which you call Behdini over in the south, has no value
and status. Although the amount of Kurmanji speakers in the South is
not much less than the Sorani speakers, it is very disappointing that
the Iraqi Kurdish leaders and politicians treat it like a step-son.
According to Permanent Committee on Geographical Names
( nymy%20of%20Northern%20Iraq.pdf)
the amount of Sorani speakers is 2.8 million (10.6% of Iraqi
population) whereas the amount of Kurmanji speakers is 2.2 millions
(8.4 of Iraqi population). Despite the fact that there is little
difference in the figures of the statistics, it is very saddening to
see Kurmanji be put in this position.
Furthermore, it is no doubt that Kurmanji is the widely spoken dialect
of the Kurdish language spoken by 75% of all Kurds. It is also the
only dialect spoken in all four parts of Kurdistan, while Sorani is
only spoken in two parts; some parts of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iranian
Kurdistan.
If Kurdistan is one and Kurdish people are brothers, then there
should be more respect and value for Kurmanji, and thus Kurmanji
speakers. It is obvious that Kurdish people can not have a common
language by ignoring Kurmanji or trying to lower its value. For this
reason it is a shame to recently come across what we have been hearing
and seeing all that is being discoursed in the news and the media.
First of all, there is an obvious intention to remove Kurmanji/Behdini,
where this removal includes the removal of Kurmanji even from classes
in the Behdinan region and make all classes Sorani.
Secondly, we have read with great enthusiasm that, on behalf of the
Kurdistan Regional Government, you signed an agreement with Microsoft
as a participant of a world wide Windowsa Kurdi (Kurdish Windows)
initiative. I, along with a number of other Kurds, felt honored and
pleased to see such a development. Yet, like millions of Kurmanji
speaking Kurds, it devastated me to hear that this Microsoft Windows
will only be in Sorani with Arabic letters which means we, the Kurds
of Turkey, will not be able to utilize such a product. I hope what
has been reflected in the media is not true and that your government
has made a deal with Microsoft for a Kurmanji Windows as well.
We have to understand the situation at hand was the doing of our
enemies and those whose wish is to divide Kurds. To further the work
of such enemies, that is by banning and removing Kurmanji, we are not
progressing in any way but rather retreat the accomplishments we have
made over the years. To make official such a decision will further
deteriorate the unity the Kurds have experienced. Such an action is
being done at the expense of the majority, where democracy fails to
work and absolutism seems to prevail.
Your Excellency,
I am a proud Kurd and I love anything related to Kurds and Kurdistan.
Although I am a Kurmanji Kurd, I also learned some Sorani not because
it is superior or special, but because it is a part of my language. I
love all Kurdish dialects and spend a great number of hours trying to
learn more about them. Yet, our beloved Kurmanji, which was passed down
to us by Ehmede Xani, Melaye Ciziri, Feqiye Teyran, Ehmede Beyazidi,
Cegerxwin and beautiful voices of Mihemed Arife Ciziri, Hesen Ciziri,
Eyshe Shan, Meryemxan, Mihemed Shexo, Karapete Xacho, Sheroye Biro,
Kawis Axa and many others seems to come to a downfall for reasons we
can overcome. It is our nationalistic and patriotic duty to preserve
and promote it and pass it to future generations. At this point,
the biggest responsibility falls onto Your Excellency’s shoulders and
the hard working Kurdish politicians like yourself since you are the
Prime Minister of the only free part of the homeland and along with
your colleagues are the hope for all Kurds in South Kurdistan.
I wholeheartedly hope and believe that your government will take
necessary measures to preserve and develop Kurmanji and that Kurmanji
Microsoft Windows will be the first step in this direction.
Patriotically Yours,
Xemgine Welat
Xemgine Welat can be contacted on: [email protected]