The “Workshop on Strategies and Policies for the Kurdish Language Struggle,” organized by the Platform of Democratic Institutions (DEKUP) and affiliated language institutions, began in Van province on Wednesday.
On the second day of the workshop, participants discussed the relationship between language and education, health, ecology, and migration policies and emphasized that the use of Kurdish in these areas has become a necessity.
Babat: Our language should be the language of society
Speaking at the session on education, Lokman Babat, manager of the Van branch of Education-Sen union, drew attention to the impact of assimilation policies and stressed that Kurds have paid a heavy price for their language and culture.
Babat said, “Kurds saw their villages evacuated and were subject to assimilation. While the state was doing this, we forgot our language and spread Turkish throughout our lives. Everyone needs to engage in self-criticism on this issue. Our language should be the language of society. All institutions should play a role in this.”
Bülbül: The imposition of a single language should be removed as a means of assimilation
Abbas Bülbül, who gave a presentation on health policies, emphasized that language is not just a means of conveying information, but life itself.
Bülbül said, “The state is implementing bans on the Kurdish language in all areas and using special war policies to lead society as it desires. It is doing this in all areas, particularly health and education. A single language should not be the state’s policy in healthcare; this imposition should be removed as a means of assimilation. People should be able to receive healthcare services in the language of their choice, and this should never be an area of state prohibition or restriction.”
Aksin: Defending ecology means defending society and life
Speaking at the session on ecology, Muhyettin Aksin, a member of Van Eko-Der association, drew attention to the relationship between migration and environmental destruction: “Ecology is essential for human life. Defending ecology means defending society and life. The Kurds are a people who have been constantly forced into migration.”
Aksin emphasized that “Every Kurd’s most fundamental duty is to protect their nature.”
Erzin: Forced migration leads to a loss of identity
Hasan Erzin, director of Amed Göç-Der association, who gave a presentation on migration, stated that forced migration leads to a loss of identity: “Wherever we were forced to migrate to, we became part of that place. We migrated to Egypt and became Egyptians; we migrated to Turkey and became Turks. After the people were forced to migrate, the Kurds became everyone, but they could not become themselves.”
Erzin added, “A people is not destroyed by tanks and guns, but by losing their language and culture.”
Session on the use of language and religion
The following session on the use of language and religion highlighted the historical role of madrasas in the development of Kurdish. Participants stated that resistance must be put up against the prohibition of language use in the field of religion, and criticized the neglect of the Kirmanckî (Zazaki) language in various fields.
Özdemir: Whatever it takes to save our language from extinction must be done
Lokman Özdemir, a member of the Democratic Islamic Congress (DİK), emphasized that madrasas provided both religious and scientific education, stating, “Madrasas played a very important role for the Kurdish language. However, due to the state’s language bans, madrasas were unable to fully play their role after a while. Kurdish has formed the foundation of madrasas throughout history.”
Özdemir added, “Whatever it takes to save our language from extinction must be done.”
Özdemir stated that the state’s interventions have weakened the function of madrasas and called for legal steps to be taken for Kurdish sermons.
Navdar: Kurdish is banned in religious practices
Nesrin Navdar, a member of the Amed Kurdish Institute and the Kurdish Language Women’s Council, drew attention to the role of religious texts in the formation of languages. She stated that Kurdish is banned in religious practices and that this is unacceptable.
Navdar noted that Islamic works should be translated into Kirmancki, and sermons, lectures and worship in Kurdish should be allowed to take place in a short time. She said, “All worship and practices on the path of Islam must be performed in Kirmancki.”
Yılmaz: Everyone must do their part for the Kurdish language
Co-chair of the Van Religious Scholars Association, Mela Kerem Yılmaz, criticized society for not embracing its own language, saying, “People who do not know Kurdish and do not speak Kurdish at home betray the language. Everyone must do their part for Kurdish. Banning a language is not mentioned in any verse or any belief. Banning a language amounts to banning the religion and renouncing the verses.”
Dapaklı: Restrictive policies must be resisted
Members of the Democratic Alevi Associations (DAD) also took the floor, stating that failure to use the language at home leads to a loss. DAD member Sütiye Dapaklı said that restrictive policies must be resisted, while DAD General Headquarters administrator İmam Şenol drew attention to the reality of Kurmancî–Kirmanckî relations and called for the lack of concrete inventory and resources for Kirmanckî to be addressed.