Roj Bash Kurdistan

w

Hmm they were deliberately killing our identity, its like a genocide of the mind but not the way the dictionary explains the word.

Only when we resisted the assimilation we were also physically abused/killed, if we acted like turks there was no problem.

w

I read a story of Musa Anter who in the early years of ataturks new state had to pay fines to turkish soldiers because he spoke kurdish on the streets, and those days nobody even knew turkish so they all got fines after fines..

We must make a difference between this story and the armenian story, if there is something called "cultural genocide" i agree with you that this is the case in northern Kurdistan but we havent been killed systematically like the armenians just because we were kurds. We were fined, abused, jailed, tortured, the turks even conducted state terrorism by killing many journalists, writers and other kurds just because they were critical about the turkish state but still we cant say that there has been an anfal or genocide in northern Kurdistan.

If we call this is also genocide we actually "disrespect" the armenian genocide in 1st WW and the jewish in 2nd WW. How many kurds died and how many armenians or jews died? If you consider those 10 million kurds who dont speak their own language are killed.... its not a right comparison to me.

Therefore i think its best that we name it just "cultural genocide" like you mentioned or "systematical killing of the identity". We are still here û em dikarin bi kurdî biaxivin, the jews and armenians who got killed left no children behind to speak to eachother in their language.

Heval Kassem

Iam surprised by your ignorance and view on your fellow kurds that reside in the north. If 10 million kurds out of 20 million in northern kurdistan are turks now, then there wouldnt be a kurdish question, kurds wouldnt be able to muster up the power proportionally. True there are soem kurds that have forgotten their language, but not 50%. When you see a kurd speak turkish or write it, it is because he doesnt feel his kurdish is professional enough, not that he doesnt know it. They are as ardently kurdish as you or I. (I have roots in the north, and i and my entire family or town speak it fine). But on the issue of genocide, i dotn think it could so much be applied to the situation in northern kurdistan, anfal yes. But of course the turkish war in the kurdish identity and culture has had far more reaching effects on kurds and their struggle, ie weakend kurdish in north which effects all of kurdistan. In anfal we were at least allowed to die as kurds, and were killed because we were kurds. In Turkey, we were killed because we were terroists and died as "mountain turks. " tiff

silav

w

Oh glad to hear, which city? ( I have family in Sirnax, beytussabap) Your right in some aspects, but i dont think as many kurds have been assimilated as your numbers. Soem of the most active kurds are in western cities of istanbul and izmir. As for the votes for pro-kurdish parties, there are other reasons. One low voter turnout, 2 - loss of faith that they can ever pass the 10% threshold, 3- Hampering by turkish government, 4-the islamic presence, by taking away votes and 5-split between alewi's and sunni.

silav

w

I think the best term would be ethnocide. A government that intentionally plans and executes a policy of assimilating a culture into its host culture such that the enthicity is extinguished.

Anfal was genocide, definately!

w

Kassem your right about asking for more. I seem to encounter that analogy also. Ask for genocide the will go lower. Ask for Independence they will go lower, thats why kurds in the south should have asked for that.

About assimilation, your right, it kills me to, and all other kurds. Ive actually met a couple of kurds that have turned back, wish all of them could.

p.s. hear antep is beautiful, were do u currently reside. Kurmanji zani?

w

Especially in 1937-1938, there was a genocide in Dersim, when Turkish politicians aimed to eliminate physically Dersimi.

w

True. The denial of our very existence and the crushing of our culture for the past 80 years, is to me the worst that can ever be committed. At least the jews and aremenians died as there culture. Kassem yes the fact that kurds speak turkish among themselves, really does kill me, even when soem of them do speak kurdish. When they start talking to me in turkish, i just say i dont know turkish, and force them to practice their kurmanj, (lol although my turkish is very bad)

silav