Syrian Kurds pose problems for Turkey
The crisis in Syria highlights the urgent need for Turkey to solve the Kurdish issue.
By Alakbar Raufoglu for SES Türkiye -- 16/04/12
More than a year after anti-government protests began in Syria, the Syrian Kurds remain divided over their role within the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC), putting Turkey in a difficult position as it tries to unite the opposition while maintaining control over its own Kurdish issue.
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![Kurdish demonstrators hold up the Syrian independence flag during a March 21st protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Qamishli. [Reuters]](/shared/images/2012/04/16/ALAKBARphoto-310_213.jpg)
Kurdish demonstrators hold up the Syrian independence flag during a March 21st protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Qamishli. [Reuters]
![Kurdish demonstrators hold up the Syrian independence flag during a March 21st protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Qamishli. [Reuters]](/shared/images/2012/04/16/ALAKBARphoto-800_550.jpg)
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The crux of the problem was highlighted when the main Kurdish opposition bloc, the Syrian Kurdish National Council (KNC), walked away from the SNC before the second Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul on April 1st.
The walk out exposed longstanding rifts, just as Turkey was pushing for the bickering opposition to present a united front.
The problem for Turkey is that the Syrian Kurds, like their brethren in Turkey, demand language rights, constitutional recognition as an ethnic group, the rectification of historical grievances and, for some, autonomy.
Arab nationalists and the Muslim Brotherhood, who dominate the SNC, have so far refused to include key Kurdish demands into their vision for a post-Assad Syria. Turkey has also contributed to the deadlock over its own concerns for how the Kurdish issue in Syria could ultimately play out at home.
Turkey's influence has been strengthened by close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, who view the ruling conservative AK Party government as a potential model.
The Syrian Kurds are not only wary of Arab nationalists and the Muslim Brotherhood in the SNC, they also "don't expect anything good from Turkey," Jordi Tejel Gorgas, author of the book Syria's Kurds: History, Politics and Society, told SES Türkiye.
The deterioration of the Kurdish issue in Turkey since the much availed Kurdish opening in 2009 has contributed to the Syrian Kurds' unease. "The Kurdish opening failed in their eyes," Gorgas told SES Türkiye, noting a crisis of confidence.
"They [Syrian Kurds] don't see in any sense Turkey as a 'neutral' player in the region nor a model of democratisation," he added.
Meanwhile, media and Turkish intelligence reports indicate that Assad is looking the other way, if not tacitly supporting the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the PYD, against Turkey over its support for the Syrian opposition.
The PYD holds considerable weight among Syrian Kurds but its relations with the KNC and SNC remain tense -- its inclusion within any Syrian opposition would be opposed by Turkey.
An estimated one-third of the PKK's fighting cadre, including Fehmen Huseyn (Bahoz Erdal) -- a member of the PKK's three man executive committee and head of its armed wing -- are Syrian Kurds. Both the PKK and PYD have said they would fight Turkey should it intervene in Syria.
"But not all Kurds in Syria see the PYD as the legitimate representative of the Kurds, just as the Kurds as a whole don't see the SNC as the legitimate representative of all Syrians," Christian Sinclair, assistant director of University of Arizona’s Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, who studies the Syrian Kurds and has written about Kurdish politics in Syria, told SES Türkiye.
Sinclair says Turkey, Arab nationalists, the Muslim Brotherhood and the PYD are all jockeying for control of the Kurdish agenda. "The Kurdish street is forced to take a backseat while other groups decide its fate," he said.
Alan Semo, a representative of the PYD, told SES Türkiye that their party recently started an initiative of the Kurdish national movement in Syria.
"Our vision for the future is, first, to open the way for a change in mentality and, second, to organise the masses, meaning not only Kurds but all the people of Syria, including the Arabs and all other ethno-religious and ideological groups," he said. "We consider our ethnic diversity a colorful mosaic that adds a distinctive beauty to Syrian society."
The PYD has been accused by other Syrian Kurdish parties of being used by Assad to foment divisions among the Syrian Kurds, including accusations of attacks by the PYD on anti-Assad protestors in Kurdish areas.
"Particularly telling is the attitude of the PYD/PKK in Syria," Gorgas explained. "Ultimately, the PKK hopes that, should the regime not fall, their loyalty would bring about political hegemony in the Kurdish areas."
However, Sinclair says that although relations between the PYD and Assad could have the appearance of co-operation "it may be a mistake to view all their actions so." He explains that up until the rupture in Turkey-Syria relations last summer, the Assad regime had taken a particularly hard stance against the PYD -- but now that has changed.
"There is no reason now for Assad to rein in the PYD party members or supporters or their activities. He no longer has friends in Ankara and he's far too busy trying to quell an uprising. The PYD have taken advantage of this space to push their own agenda," he said.
What do you think of this article? (Total Votes )
40 Like(s)
11 Dislike(s)
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Hello. PKK within us is not enough, so they’ve opened the borders to enable more to come, OK.
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I liked it.
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It would a disaster for us if Tayyip [Erdoğan] government attacks Syria. Everybody knows now that those, who they call Assad opponents, are Kurds. Just like we are fighting against the PKK, they [the Assad regime] are fighting against the Syrian Kurds that are revolting against the government. Establishing a buffer zone in Syria means the establishment of a Greater Kurdistan which would include our southeast region, too. The leader of the pro-Kurdish party [BDP], [Selahattin] Demirtaş told this at the parliament. This is also the US’ and Israel’s policy. Tayyip is not bold enough to do it. It would be a disaster for both Turkey and Tayyip.
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May God never let Turks, Iranians and Arabs, who are making plans about Kurds, achieve their goals. We saw how the pharaoh in Iraq ended up. We will see the end of Turkish and Iranian pharaohs, too. Those shaman pigs have insulted Kurds in every way. I sincerely congratulate the honorable struggle of my Kurdish brothers in the Iraqi Kurdistan and in other four regions. Badıkan.
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We have enough problems of our own. Why would we care about Syria? Syria supported the PKK for many years and hopefully we will see the end of those supporters. Our martyrs will call them to account for what they did. This country [Turkey] cannot be divided. Nobody can divide us. We are the grandchildren of those martyrs buried in the Dardanelles. We are the soldiers of Ataturk. We are ready to die for this country and we will die indeed, but only to be replaced by many others like us.
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Hello! They do not let us – the whole world actually – live as brothers and sisters. There is always a bloodshed. Let there be peace and brotherhood.
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AKP cann not smooth out their own organisation, valeting for USA. They are lying to Turkish nation and give credit to seperatists. This is betrayal.
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Now, let’s think objectively, let’s tell the truth for Allah by putting our hands on our hearts. Despite all the population allover the world, is there any nation without any land and any country other than Kurds so far? No, there isn’t. Then, why Turkey and some Turks are humiliating Kurds so much or afraid of them being a state? What kind of brotherhood is that? I call this antagonism instead of brotherhood. Because, in democracy, whatever you want for yourself, you should want the same for your brother or your neighbour in your heart and in Islam. As far as I know, this is the real meaning of brotherhood.
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There is nothing left of Turkey.
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Citizens will not be in comfort as long as those, who are ruling Turkey, look after their interests.
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The Turkish Republic is a barbarian nation.
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You are not a full believer if you do not wish the same thing, that you wish for yourself, for your brother as well, says a hadith. And this hadith is the answer to the Kurdish question.
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The only objective is to destroy Kurds. There is no need to say anything further. That’s right.
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No one’s father can destroy the Kurds. Even your state can not overcome, will you be able to overcome?
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Foolish news.
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Friends, what is this discrimination? What right Kurds in Turkey are deprived of? This country even had a Kurdish president. Is this too much democracy for them to handle? Let’s not forget that our Kurdish brothers cannot even get along with each other. They have never-ending blood feuds. They should not forget that they cannot remain independent even for a single day without the Turkish state. They should think about this very carefully.
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Please guys, let’s not make discriminative comments. This country belongs to all of us. Kurds certainly have the right to be free, govern themselves and establish their own states just like every other people do. But it would be better if you discuss this matter without breaking each other’s heart.
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When I protect my values, they call me a traitor. I wish I had a homeland so that I could be a traitor.
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Fellows, for Turkey, the matter is not the matter of Syria, örn. the essence of the matter is that Kurds are the real target of Erdogan and the system. Kurds, do not drive yourself into the ground in this context. Everybody knows that Kurds never wants to divide the country but Mr.Erdogan always said that PKK is not Kurds. Okay, as a Kurd, I’m asking to Mr.Erdogan that “You are my representative, what do you think about me?”. Mr.Erdoğan will say that “You’ve even TRT 6, what else do you want?”. As there is no education in mother language In Germany (which is Erdogan’s claim), he says this is assimilation … but in less than 24 hours, nobody should request education in mother language, one language, one nation and one country. Yes, he is right in one country, if there is anyone having objection to this, let’s stand up too but we are not one nation. Of course it’s Yes to one flag too. What does one language means? I want education in my mother language! Is that a crime? I never have any objection to the official language but I want my mother language! Dear Turkish brothers, let’s presume that Kurds want to seperate and millions of Kurds stayed on streets without doing anything else and said that we want to seperate. What wil happen? Shall you sweep all of them away by chemical weapons? If Mr.Erdogan thinks this way, in my opinion, there is no need for him to wait further. He can immediately re-apply whatever happened in dersim after long years. Let’s respect everyone for his opinion, let’s write our opinions without any bad language, without hurting others.
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