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"I have a dream" The Letter To President
Barack Obama
23.1.2012
By Kulka Iwona Bugno - ekurd.net |
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January
23, 2012
Mr. President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
Washington, DC 20500
21st January 2012
Mr. President,
For sure You know what is the situation of Kurdish
people who have to live under Turkish state
occupation since 1926, when Lousanne divided
Kurdistan and gave its territory, together with the
people who were living there, under four states
control. So once again i am writing the letter to
You about that issue and i will keep writing until
You will change Your attitude and the policy of Your
country regarding Kurdish - Turkish conflict.
Mr. President - You a leader of powerful country,
which almost since its creation aspired to be the
model of democracy and the defender of human rights.
But even in the glorious history of the United
States there are some dark pages of shameful times,
which anyway in a result didn't have a chance to
endure and prevail over universal values of
humanity. The dark times of slavery in XVIII and XIX
century and the Civil War between Confederate States
of South and the United States of North already
belong to the history. But despite the fact the the
victory of human rights over the slavery brought
freedom to thousands of people - not long time ago,
just in the middle of XX century in the cradle of
democracy and human rights, we witnessed the echoes
of that dark times of slavery and oppression. If we
get back in time to just only one generation - we
can observe how the large part of American nation
used to be discriminated and oppressed.
Afro-Americans, the people whose skin happened to be
dark or black in color, experienced very similar
atrocities as those which are still a part of
everyday life of Kurdish people. How many American
citizens of African origin were secretly murdered
(mainly by the members of Ku-Klux-Klan)? How many
lost their lives openly, just in front of other
people's eyes? These people, who couldn't do
anything, cos they were helpless and those people,
who didn't want to do anything, cos they lived with
hatred in their hearts. That was 50-60 years ago in
the USA. But today things like that are still
happening to Kurdish people, who have to live within
artificial borders of Turkish state.
Mr. President - did You ever think, that if You were
born in different times, if You lived in 50's or
60's last century - You wouldn't even dare to dream
of being President. Do You realize that in those
dark years You wouldn't be even allowed to travel in
the same deck with your "white" fellow citizens in
the bus? And if You would say "Hello" to "white"
girl on the street, You could be beaten or - who
knows - maybe even killed by the members of this
"better" part of the society - those whose skin
color was "correct".
That kind of things still happens today. The only
one difference is that oppressors use more advanced
and modern means and tools to persecute and genocide
Kurds - like warplanes, bombs, illegal and forbidden
by international law chemical weapon and - as some
people suspect - also the modern technology that
makes possible to cause human-made earthquakes.
No matter what the base of discrimination and
oppression is - skin color or nationality - the fact
is that human rights are being broken today - in XXI
century, at the doorstep of Europe. Maybe there is
no more activity of Ku-Klux-Klan in the USA, but
there is still activity of AKP Party in Turkey. And
today being a Kurd under Turkish control is very
similar to being "black" in the middle of the last
century in the USA.
The situation of Afro-Americans changed broadly
within the last 50 years. The situation of Kurds
living under Turkish occupation didn't change at all
for nearly entire century. It's heart breaking that
You,www.ekurd.net
Mr. President, support this brutal, oppressive and
in fact outlawed Turkish policy toward Kurds. Your
country supplies Turkish state with the most modern
weapon, which is used in many acts of terror against
Kurdish people. Of course I know that "business is
business" and money speaks lauder than any value in
the modern world. But it doesn't have to be like
that. It shouldn't be like that. We can justify the
existence of the weapon only if it serves for
self-defense. The modern weapon that your country
sells to Turkey doesn't serve for self-defense. It
serves to genocide Kurdish nation, to kill in a very
brutal way young Kurdish people, like those 35 in
Uludere, Roboski village, who were massacred by
Turkish warplanes on 28th December 2011. These young
people, Kurdish teenagers and kids (the youngest was
only 12 years old), didn't dream of being the
President of the powerful country. They dreamed to
have safe life and freedom. How many more dreams
like that will be brutally destroyed by American
weapon in Turkish hands?
Mr. President, if for any reason You don't want or
You can't help us - at least, please, don't support
Turkey in oppressing and killing us. Don't support
this modern kind of hidden terrorism. Just consider
in Your mind if Dr. Martin L.King would be proud of
You, Mr.President. This man was one of those who
sacrificed his life in struggle for Your rights -
and now You are using these rights against helpless
people, against Kurds, who didn't commit any crime,
except being Kurds and keeping the everlasting
desire for safe life, self-determination, freedom
and independence.
Mr. President - I am sure You know these words,
which I know by heart, although I am not American:
"We hold this truth to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights,[74] that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness. "
These great words from American Declaration of
Independence apply also to Kurdish people.
And as once upon a time, in 1963, one of Your great
countryman, Dr.Martin L. King said: "I have a
dream..." - today I dare to repeat His words. I also
have a dream.
I have a dream that my people, Kurdish people, will
live safe on their own land and this land -
Kurdistan, will be free and independent.
I have a dream that one day little Kurdish boy will
speak his own native Kurdish language at school and
he will not be accused of terrorism.
I have a dream that one day Kurdish kids will no
more need to pick up stones against the tanks to
defend their right to be Kurds.
I have a dream that one day these Kurdish kids will
not be judged by their origin and nationality but by
their content of character.
I have a dream that one day Kurdish woman will not
be sentenced to prison for celebrating birthday of
Abdulla Ocalan, the man, who is her only hope for
freedom and who was illegally kidnapped and is kept
in isolation in Turkish prison on Imrali Island for
many years now.
I have a dream that one day Kurdistan will not only
be the land of hope, but also the land of liberty,
with freedom rings from every mountain, from Zagros,
Qandil and Ararat, from the waters of River Tigris
and Euphrates, from the surface of Lakes Urmia,
Dukan and Wan, from the Caves of Shanadar and
Bestoon, from the palm trees of Khanaqin and ancient
walls of Amed city.
I have a dream that the day of liberty will come as
soon as possible, cos the longer current situation
persists, the more Kurds are oppressed, tortured and
murdered.
I have a dream, but I wish it would no longer be a
dream, but reality. You can fulfill this dream, Mr.
President. You can make this dream to come true very
easy.
This letter wasn't written by well-known activist or
politician, by famous artist or by anyone important.
This letter was written by me - and I am nobody. You
can ignore me, Mr. President. But You shouldn't
ignore millions of Kurdish people, whose life and
health is in danger every day. And for sure You
can't ignore the great values of human rights, for
which so many people all over the world sacrificed
and still scarifying their lives.
Sometimes once in a lifetime we have the unique
chance to do something important. Mr.President -
today You have a chance and possibility to fulfill
very important dream. Not only my dream, but the
dream of millions of Kurdish people.
Don't waste this chance - it's only once in a
lifetime.
With respect, with hope, with trust
Heval Kulka I.Bugno.
Kulka Iwona Bugno, a freelance writer and
activist from UK
Copyright © 2012 ekurd.net. All rights reserved
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