What Symbol Does Represent the People that live in Iraqi Kurdistan?  14.2.2010  
By Dana Berzinjy - a longtime contributing writer for ekurd.net  

February 14, 2010

Australia/Sydney, Dana Berzinjy, (eKurd.net).

I am wondering what represents the people of Kurdistan; the Kurds, and the other minority and religious groups such as, Kurdish Jewish, Armenians, Assyrians, Turks, Caledonians and Arabs, nationalistically or religiously.

I was watching the Kurdish TV channel that broadcasts its program from the capital of the (Iraqi Kurdistan (Erbil), South of Kurdistan); there was a meeting between the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the deputy of the Atlantic Army and the leader of the USA Army in Iraq. It was about 1:30 pm Australian time, dated 22nd November 2009.

I saw one of the verses of the Koran which was hanged behind the Kurdish President in his head quarter in Selaheddin. I was shocked and I asked myself, “What Symbol Represents the People that live in Kurdistan”?         

The formal language in Kurdistan is Kurdish not Arabic, but the verse was written in Arabic and it wasn’t even translated into Kurdish. The old generation in Kurdistan was enforced to study Arabic and Islamic religion, may be 25% can speak Arabic but can not speak perfect Arabic or may be spoken with a Kurdish accent. But the new generation grew under the liberation of Kurdistan and more freedom and democracy may be 5% or less can understand the Arabic language without speaking. If this is the case, and people don’t understand the Arabic language, why the Kurdistan Regional Government has hung a verse that is written in Arabic and therefore people don’t understand? I believe we need to put up for instance a photo of the martyr and the former Kurdish leader Barzani Mustafa, who struggled and fought in the last century against the most savage dictatorship in the world, in order to liberate the people of Kurdistan and its Holy land. Or they can put up a photo of a Kurdish martyr some one like Omer Khawer, who scarified his life to protect a Kurdish child in the city of Halabja, the city which was bombarded on 16 of March in 1988 by the Iraqi war planes which at the result of that savage attack 5000 people became victims of Arab Muslims.

In addition to that, more than 200, 000 Kurds were genocide between 1987and 1988 under one verse of Koran which is Anfal. According to this text they were killed because they were infidel and unbelievers. That’s what the Kurds and the other non Arab nationalities gained from Koran and Islam. I want to ask the Kurdish leaders this question, what have Kurds have gained from Islam? Then, if we want to investigate the matter further, we know that there are many religions in Kurdistan such as, Christianity, Judaism, Yezidi (the ancient Kurdish religion) which its history goes back to thousand of years before Islam, which is current. On the other hand there are so many other minority groups that live in Kurdistan, except the Kurdish, for instance, Kurdish Jewish, Armenians, Assyrians, Turks, Caledonians and Arabs. I believe the president of Kurdistan represents all the people that live in Kurdistan without exception and or distinguish between any nationality and religious group. I strongly believe the region needs to have a good and perfect symbol to represent everyone not religion.

But if we put one of the verses of Koran out there, which just represents the Muslims and without taking care of other groups emotionally and ignoring the minority groups’ feelings religiously and nationalistically. I strongly believe this is a pure discrimination between the people on two bases which are religion and nationality. On the same channel on other occasions, I have seen similar functions and they have brought Imams to talk about problems that face women and children in today’s’ society in Kurdistan,www.ekurd.netbut also in their show did not bring a priest to represent the Christians, to express his view about the matter and there was not a Kurdish Yezidi representative or other religious representatives to represent them. I am strongly against these kinds of shows which intend to represent just one particular group and excluding the other groups in their shows. Kurdistan Regional Government needs to separate religion and politics from the Government and grant democracy and freedom to all the formal institutions that work in Kurdistan. In addition to that, it does not give a good impression to the Western Countries, because these are direct discriminations against the other minority and religious groups. I want to say that the Kurdish media in Kurdistan is very weak irresponsible and should not prefer one religion over another, it does not matter what ever religion the journalist is. The journalists should act professionally at all times and treat other religions and the other nationalities equally without discrimination and without favouritism.

In the end, I hope that our representatives in Kurdistan and Iraq will represent the people of Kurdistan and Iraq without any discrimination that happens either directly or indirectly. By doing this every citizen in Kurdistan and Iraq will feel like they are part of Kurdistan and Iraq without distinction. It is also very significant that the Kurdish Regional government democratise all the institutions in Kurdistan and to take serious actions in order to separate religion and politics from Government.

Dana Berzinjy, a freelance writer, Sydney/Australia, February 14, 2010, for eKURD.NET © All Rights Reserved. You may reach the author via email at: danaberzinjy (at) ekurd.net or dara_dar (at) yahoo.com.au  

Copyright © 2010 ekurd.net. All rights reserved

• Articles by Dana Berzinjy

• The 22nd Anniversary of the Bombardment of the City of Halabja! 10.4.2010

• What Symbol Does Represent the People that live in Iraqi Kurdistan? 14.2.2010

• The Historical Relations between the Kurds and the Jewish! 10.12.2009

• The Kurds and the Israelis have no friends in the Middle East!  16.10.2009

• Genocide of the Kurdish Language, Forcibly by the Turkish Government has violated the Turkish and the United Nations Laws. Part 3. 6.7.2009

• Kurdish Tragedy in North of Kurdistan. Based on a True Story 25.5.2009

• Democracy in the Middle East Especially in the Kurdish Regions! 8.8.2008

• Reply to a Dishonorable Degree, which was written by Nergiz Duhoki 2.6.2008

• The Turkish and the US Governments, Share crimes, Atrocities and Genocide that were Committed Against the Kurdish People in Turkey in 1990, and at present. PART 2, By Dana Berzinjy 3.5.2008

• Call For Economic Boycott of the Turkish Products and Think Twice Before You Buy it. 27.3.2008

• The Turkish and the US Governments, Share crimes, Atrocities and Genocide that were Committed Against the Kurdish People in Turkey in 1990, and at present. PART 1, By Dana Berzinjy 17.2.2008

• National Kurdish anthem should have been played first, not the Quran in the ceremony which mourns victims of Anfal 15.1.2008

• What Right Does the Turkish Parliament have To Send Its Own Army, to Shell...By Dana Berzinjy  29.10.2007

• The Conspiracy Agreement Made Between The Iraqi And Turkish Internal Ministers... 1.10.2007

• Why the US does not support an Independent Kurdish State, but Supports the establishment of the Palestinian state 29.8.2007

• The Turkish Government Occupies The Kurdish Homeland in Southeastern Turkey 23.7.2007

About the Author: Master in TESOL from University of Western Sydney in 1995. Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) Faculty of Education {University of Western Sydney macarthur} 2001-2002. Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Education (Teaching English of Speakers Other Languages) Faculty of Education {University of Western Sydney macarthur} 1999-2001. Postgraduate Diploma in Business ( Employment Relations Law) Faculty of Business ( University of Technology Sydney) 1997-1999. Bachelor of Business (Commerce and Human Resource management) ( Southern Cross University) 1992-1996 Lismore.     

Top