The official X account of the Turkish Parliament made a post in Kurdish for the first time. The Kurdish words spoken by Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş during the opening ceremony of the 2025–2026 Academic Year at Dicle University, “Bi hev re bibin dil bi dil, dest bi dest; aşîtî li nav me ra be” (Be united, heart to heart, hand in hand; let there be peace among us) were shared in Kurdish on the Parliament’s official social media account. Yet the same Parliament still records Kurdish speeches in its official minutes as an “unknown language.”
The post on X marks the first time a Kurdish expression has been used through the Parliament’s official channels. While it quickly became a topic of debate on social media, described by some as “a long-delayed symbolic step”, others criticized it as “a double standard on language rights.”
Kurdish still recorded as ‘unknown language’ in the same Parliament
However, the contradiction in the Parliament’s approach to the Kurdish language continues. At a time when Kurdish expressions can be shared as a “message of peace” on social media, Kurdish speeches made in the General Assembly of the Parliament are still recorded in the official minutes as an “unknown language.” When members of parliament say even a few words in Kurdish at the podium, their microphones are turned off, and those parts are documented in the minutes as “unknown language.”
Voice of the Peace Mothers was silenced
The most recent example of this contradiction occurred in recent weeks in the “National Solidarity and Brotherhood Committee.” The Peace Mothers, who were invited to the committee, stated that they wanted to express their call for justice and peace which they have maintained for years in Kurdish. However, this request was rejected by Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş himself. Despite their words, “We do not speak Turkish; we want to express our pain in our own language,” they were not allowed to speak. This incident took place just weeks before a Kurdish sentence was shared on the Parliament’s official account.
Kurdish: between prohibition and symbol
This ambiguous stance toward the Kurdish language has once again exposed the structural contradiction in Turkey’s language policy. While Kurdish is showcased as a form of cultural diversity on the surface, it is still kept outside the boundaries of legitimacy in the political sphere.
Where does the word ‘peace’ truly resonate?
The emphasis on “aşîtî” (peace) by Parliamentary Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş in Diyarbakır (Amed) carries symbolic meaning for those living in the Kurdish region. However, the same office’s refusal to allow Kurdish to be spoken under the roof of the Parliament turns this symbolism into a political inconsistency. Kurdish, presented as the “language of peace,” is at the same time rendered “unknown” by the language of power. Kurdish still does not possess an officially recognized status in the official documents of the Republic of Turkey. Its use in education, public services and the judiciary is not permitted. Although limited legal changes in 2012 allowed Kurdish to be introduced as an “elective course,” it remains “unrecognized” in the eyes of state institutions.
The sharing of a Kurdish sentence on the Parliament’s official account may be a symbolic “first,” yet it does not eliminate the systematic exclusion of the Kurdish language. On the contrary, it makes the contradiction in the state’s approach, a balance between “visibility and prohibition”, even more striking. In a country where Kurdish still cannot be spoken freely in public institutions, especially from the podium of Parliament, society questions whether a few Kurdish words shared on social media can truly be considered a message of “peace.”
Source: Mezopotamya Agency