|
Kurdologist van Bruinessen: Turks and
Kurds should trust each other
29.1.2008
|
|
|
|
"The
DTP, as the elected representatives of the Kurds
must be allowed space; the PKK must be taken
seriously," warns
reputed sociologist Prof. van Bruinessen pointing
out that the Kurdish problem arises out of
inequality and denial of cultural
rights.
January 29, 2008
“In the history of the Republic of Turkey, Kurds
have never been recognized as Kurds with their
cultural identities. They were always officially
Turks, but still always a feeling dominated that
‘they are Kurds, they cannot be trusted.’”
Prof. Dr. Martin van Bruinessen of Utrecht
University in the Netherlands and of Yogyakarta
University in Indonesia, in an interview he gave to
bianet, discusses possible solutions to the Kurdish
issue and evaluates the approach of the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Turkey still belongs to the Turks
“In the sixties there was a modern Kurdish movement
which distinguished two different issues: on the one
hand, economic inequality and imperialism, and on
the other hand the denial of Kurdish cultural
rights. You know the natiolist catchword, ‘Turkey
belongs to the Turks,’ and this still remains the
same.”
“The problem contnues on the same track since the
sixties. Kurds cannot live their own identities.
Even an assimilated Kurd, who is officially a Turk,
is still ‘really’ a Kurd and is not trusted.”
“There have been Kurds who were very loyal to the
state, but Kurds generally were not trusted. They
did not receive the same opportunities. Kurds want
economic equality and want to live their identities.
There are very few Kurds who have achieved this
equality.”
Pessimism among young Kurds
“Even Kurds who do not have sympathy for the PKK are
pessimistic about living with Turks because they
doubt they will ever be equal. Now young Kurds
believe that they may achieve equality in an
autonomous Kurdistan. But of course even if there
were an independent Kurdistan,www.ekurd.net
Kurds living in
Istanbul would not settle there. They would continue
their lives in the city where they have made their
lives.”
"Since EU membership is less certain again, Kurds
have given up hope for cultural and human rights.
The mistrust between ethnic groups has increased.
Kurds had hopes for cultural rights with EU
membership. They thought that […] there would be no
torture and developments in human rights.”
PKK needs to be taken seriously, DTP needs room
to maneuver
The Kurds have got elected representatives, mayors,
MPs for the Democratic Society Party (DTP), they are
marginalized. Even though the PKK is a small
organisation and does not represent all Kurds, they
still have big influence on the Kurds. The Kurdish
issue cannot be solved without negotiating with
them. It is also important to pull DTP onto Turkey’s
side and to take the party seriously. They represent
the feelings of a section of society. If the Turks
are really serious about a dialogue,www.ekurd.net
they need to negotiate
with the PKK and must not constrain the DTP so much.
Even if the DTP does not approve of everything the
PKK does, they may not be able to say so openly. If
the aim is to solve the problem, the party needs to
be given some room for maneuver.”
Religious brotherhood but no autonomy under AKP
Middle class Kurds are happy about the AKP’s
investment initiatives in the Southeast. The AKP
takes this middle class into consideration, but the
poor Kurdish class still remains poor. On the other
hand, the AKP is inclined to recognise Kurdish
cultural rights, it approaches the issue from a
perspective of ‘Muslim brotherhood.’ However, there
is also pressure from the public. If they were a
Kemalist party, it would be different, but the AKP
accepts the Kurds because they are Sunni Muslims.
There could for instance easily be Kurdish religious
broadcasts on television. However, autonomy is
difficult, as the AKP does not look on such a
project favourably. (NZ/AG)
Martin van Bruinessen
Born in the Netherlands in 1946, he studied physics,
mathematics, anthropology and sociology at Utrecht
University. Between 1974 and 1976, he carried out
fieldwork in the Kurdish-populated regions of
Turkey, Iran and Iraq. In 1978 he published his PhD,
“Agha, Shaik and State: The Social and Political
Structures of Kurdistan”, still a seminal work in
Kurdology. He has worked on Ottoman, Turkish and
Kurdish history. Since 1982 he has also studied
Indonesian society and he lived in Indonesia for six
years. He still teaches sociology at the university
in Yogyakarta and continues to publish on political
aspects of Islam.
bianet org
**
Kurds are not recognized as an official minority in
Turkey and are denied rights granted to other
minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently
granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and
education in the Kurdish language, but critics say
the measures do not go far enough.
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan" Southeast
Turkey.
Others estimate over 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
Turkey is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds, a
large Turkey's Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK for a
Kurdish homeland in the country's mainly Kurdish
southeast of Turkey.
Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed
severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language,
prohibiting the language in education and broadcast
media.
The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized
in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q
which do not exist in the Turkish
alphabet has led to judicial persecution in 2000 and
2003
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan
but unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag
is banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it
is a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey)
wikipedia
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 