Pieter. I too would like to see an autonomous Kurdstan. I think that Saladin was a Kurd and it was also at this time that the world witnessed the flourishing of Math, Science, Medicine and poetry. In the midst of the cruelty and horrors of the crusades a peace broke out and many concessions were made. Perhaps this is too much of a romantic view but there is always hope.
Bob, I do know that we do not always aggree on the political field, but in cultural, historical and human matters we often aggree.
I totally share your romatic view on the Kurdish case,
because the Kurd dream of autonomy, being able to speak their own language and express their ancient Zorotrist, Alawite or Kurd Sunni religion.
Whole the 20th century the Kurds were opressed by the Turks, Arabs and Persians in the various countries they live in. Their national struggle is for me as legitimate as the Zionism of the jews, because Kurdistan exsists.
Unfortunately the Kurds are very devided among themselves and fractions of them are always misused as mercenaries and collaboraters of abject regimes
and enemies of the Kurd case. Another sorrow is that the Kurds have no real friends exept from powers who support them temporary for opportunistic reasons (the Americans in 1991, the Baathists in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon earlier, now the Shia majority in Iraq, because they need an allie against the Arab sunni's).
You maybe have to know that one of my best friends (from my close innercircle of friends) is a Turkish-Kurd person. Next to that I know Iraqi-, Iranian and other Turkish-Kurd people, and they are one of the most tolerant, gentle and sophisticated people I know.
I feel great grief when I hear about their oppression in East-Turkey (Anatolia), Iraqi (under Sadam Hussein, and now the terror of Islamists and Baathist against them), and under the Syrian Baath Regime and the Iranian theocracy (in Iran they were bombed in the border region too. Not many people know that).
Fact is that the Kurds have a very old culture, and that that culture also had influence on the surrounding Arabs, Persian and Turkish cultures.
For instance the New Roz (Persian and Kurd New Year) the Iranians adobted from the Kurds, a Iranian guy told me. The Kurds have a culture of poetry, music,
solidarity (Alawites call eachother Brother and Sister).
In the Middle-east I feel connected to the Israeli's (by the bible, history- Polish jewry-, culture, science and politics), the Maronite-, Assyrian-/Armenian- and Coptic christians, the Druze, the Bahai and the Kurds.
I am not against Islam, but am aware of the dominant pressence of this large minority in Western-Europe.
Contrary to my famous compatriots who were assasinated, Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh, I do not consider Islam a retarded culture or religion, but in it;s roots a great and magnificent religion and culture.
When you see Spain in the early Middle ages, there was a high develloped and sophisticated society of an Arab (or Moorish) Caliphate, which sultans had jewish and Christian scientists next to Muslim ones.
The Muslims brought science back into Europe, Maths,
Algebra and Medical science. Thomas of Aquino was influenced by them in Cordoba.
I do not know what has happened with islam in the last centuries and especially decades, but I am sure that this time is not one of the highlights of the Islam, because it seems (in its diverse directions) to follow a narrow minded, reactionary (puritinical) path.
On the long term Israeli's, Kurds, Moderate Turks (from whom many share the Allawite and intellectual heritage with their Kurd neighbours), Iranians (who en mass wants to get rid of their opressing regime) and the enlightend Arab intelligentsia and dissidents will bring change in the Middle east.
Why Israeli's, whell because they are semites like the semitic Arabs, and share the same monotheist Abrahamic faith, and know how to live with the Arabs after thousands, hundreds and decades of living together. Islam has adobted a lot of things from Orthodox-judaism. Only in my opinion the Israeli's should do more to understand the Arabs better.
For instance every Israeli child should learn Arabic on basic school and highschool, because the country is completely surrounded by Arab countries.
We Duch also know the languages of our neighbours
as a small country, because it is important for our survival to know the language of the Germans and British. Between France and Holland lays Flanders, but some Duch people speak French too.
The Kurd, Turkish, Berber (Maroccan), Arab (Iraqi), Iranian, Afghan, Somali and Bosnian (Muslim) presence is visible in the Netherlands.
I am lucky to being able to understand those cultures,
by the inforamtion and knowledge there is about them in my society and the ability to see and meet them if I want. The only thing is what we have to keep in mind is that conflicts which play a role in other parts of the world don't get roots in our society.
A few years back my Turkish-Kurd friend did not want me to talk about her background, because the Turkish majority (mostly sunni Muslims and Turkish nationalists) did not liek the presence of Kurds or did not want to recognise their exsistance.
When I started talking about Kurds on a Financial-Administrative course I followed in 1999, the Turkish girls in my class became very angry (aggressive nearly). Me only mentioning the Kurds was explained that I supported the Terrorists, they ment the PKK. I certainly do not support the terror and maffia-like practisses of the PKK. In my neighbourhood there were problems between Turks and Kurds in the ninetees.
My Turkish-Kurd friends family suffered a great deal under the Opression of the Turkish government, police,
Army and secret service (whole Kurd villages were destroyed by the Turkish army, and thousands of people were arrested and tortured, many people died in Turkish prisons, during army actions or due to the actions of Turkish Sunni fundementalists against Kurd Allawite intellectuals -writers, poets, students-).
This civil war was mean, and many Kurd and Turkish
families lost people due to PKK terror and Turkish oppression. Many Turks believe in the resurection of the Great Ottoman empire, they are a sort of fascist Nationalists, called "Gray Wolves" , and support the MHP party. The army protects the Secular character of the state and the heritage of the national hero and saint Kemal Ataturk. In many Turkish Coffehouses, shops and Mosques in Holland you see the portrait of Ataturk.
For making a joke about Ataturk you can end up in prison in Turkey, because mocking about the Father of the fatherland is a serious crime.
My Turkish-Kurd friend has no hard feelings towards the Turks overhere. We sometimnes go to a Turkish restaurant, but then she says, don't mention I am Turkish. She wants to be independant and Duch,
she is a good example of assimilation with keeping the positive element of the Kurd and Turkish cultures.
She even went back for a holiday in Turkey on the Turkish tourist West-coast (so not to her family in the east). I hope that the proces of reconciliation in Turkey between Turks and Kurds will continue and will lead to a real democratic and free Turkey.
Maybe that is my idealistic and romantic dream.
It takes time, but look what happened between the arch-rivals Greece and Turkey, they have become nearly normal neighbours, who help eachother in hard times (both helped eachother after eartcakes in both countries). All I hope and pray for is Kurd autonomy in the countries they live in. In Iraque a Federal state is already a big progression.
The world has to listen to the Kurd voice!
Pieter
