A letter to President Obama on the US-Turkey policies vis-à-vis the Kurds and the PKK

 

  Friday, March 1, 2013

 By: Dr. Kirmanj Gundi, ED. D, Professor

 

 

 

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

February 22, 2013

Honorable President Obama:

Thank you for your recent support for the peace initiatives between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Your encouraging speech in the Turkish Parliament on April 6, 2009, led the Turkish authorities to engage in dialogue with the leaders of "Iraqi Kurds," which, eventually, forged a better understanding between both sides, and created a sphere of cooperation that ended the Turkish-Kurdish rhetoric and confrontation.

 

This new Turkish-Kurdish relationship proved that cooperation would benefit all, particularly the Turks-because, after a change in Turkish behavior, Kurdistan-Iraq became a profitable market for the Turks. This also contributed to soothing the Kurdo-phobia that was embedded in the Turkish political mentality. It enabled the Turks to realize that relations with Kurds would benefit the Turkish state.

Mr. President, your support for the Turkish-Kurdish peace dialogue in Turkey could bear similar results for the future of Turks and Kurds, only If Turkey could adopt a more practical politics for resolving the Kurdish issue. So far, the Turkish authorities have not been able to find a way out of the cycle of fear that has prevented Turkey from paving a right path and into a brighter future.

The Washington Times:

Nashville's new nickname: "Little Kurdistan"

By Jennifer Harper 

 February 23, 2013, 05:51PM

 The home of the Grand Ole Opry has earned a new nickname: “Little Kurdistan.”

And no wonder. According to a new analysis of foreign born populations by demographer, Wendell Cox, the fastest growth in the numbers of newcomers is taking place in unusual spots around America, all essentially in Red States. Topping the list is Nashville, which has doubled its number of immigrants in the last decade.

“Besides the Grand Old Opry, the city also boasts the nation’s largest Kurdish population, and a thriving ‘Little Kurdistan,’ as well as growing Mexican, Somali and other immigrant enclaves,” says Joel Kotkin, a contributor to Forbes magazine who analyzed the implications.

“Other cities are equally surprising,” he says.

In the second spot, it’s Birmingham, Alabama - followed by Indianapolis, Louisville, and Charlotte, NC, which have all doubled their foreign born population between 2000 and 2011.

Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNC-NA):

Call for a thorough investigation into the assassination of three Kurdish women activists in Paris

January 11, 2013

Los Angeles, CA – As members of the Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNC-NA) and the Kurdish Americans of southern California, we will hold a peaceful demonstration in protest to the recent political killing of three Kurdish women activists in Paris.

This protest will start on Monday, January 14, 2013 between the hours of 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM in front of Consulate General of France in 10390 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

On the evening of January 9, 2013, three Kurdish woman activists were shot in the head in execution-style in the office of the Kurdish Information Centre in Paris.

One of them, Sakine Cansız, was a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a key organizer of Kurdish women's struggles. Fidan Doğan was a successful Kurdish diplomat and Paris representative of the Brussels-based Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) and Leyla Söylemez was a young woman involving in Kurdish youth activism in Europe. During his visit to the crime scene, the French Interior Minister said that the deaths were “without a doubt an execution.” He called it a “totally intolerable act.”

Through the Eyes of a Kurd living in Exile: An interview with Kani Xulam

 

December 26, 2012

 

by Fatih Seyhanoglu and Sophia Ibrahim*

 

 

Mr. Xulam's writing is just as compelling as his story. His proficient use of historical anecdotes make his feelings and situation easy to relate to, even to those with little to no knowledge of the Kurdish situation. Please join us as we speak with this expert who provides us with an inside look at the life and feelings of a Kurdish exile in America.

 

Encompassing Crescent: Where were you born and raised?

Kani Xulam: I was born in the village of Gavgas but spent most of my time in the town of Pasor (the Amed province in northern Kurdistan), where I attended school and helped my dad in his store.  In the summers, we would often return to Gavgas and the nearby highlands to graze our goats.  In September, my family and I would return to Pasor for school until June.  I lived in this Turkish-administered province until I was 19, when I left home and eventually settled in the United States.

EC: Where were you educated?

KX: I went to Turkish schools in Pasor, aka, "Kulp" in Turkish, all the way through high school.  I did my university education in Toronto, Ontario and Santa Barbara, California.

EC: What does your last name mean in Kurdish?