Neslihan Kardaş

 

WAN - Pointing out the importance of the mother tongue, Komeleya Melayan Co-Chair Esma Alici said, "The fourth verse of Surah Ibrahim states that every prophet spoke the language of his own people. But there is an approach contrary to what the Quran commands. The Kurdish language should now be an official language so that we can trust each other in the ongoing process."

 

With the new process beginning in Kurdistan, Turkey, and the Middle East, one of the most fundamental priorities of the Kurdish people is the recognition of the Kurdish language and education in the mother tongue. The people, who state that the mother tongue should be present in every area of life, from education to health, from the public sphere to the sphere of belief, are voicing this demand in every area. With the start of the new academic year, the demand for education in the mother tongue is being voiced, and civil society organizations are also carrying out actions and activities in support of this demand. The people, who are following the “Peace and Democratic Society” process, point out that the mother tongue must gain status for the process to progress on a more democratic axis.

 

Komeleya Melayan Co-Chair Esma Alici and KURDİGEH manager Evindar Akbulut shared their assessments on the importance of the mother tongue.

 

‘Our language must be accepted’

 

Komeleya Melayan Co-Chair Esma Alici pointed to the process that has been ongoing since February 27, emphasizing that the importance of the mother tongue has come to the fore during this process. Stating that a people can only develop sufficiently through their own language, Esma Alici said, "Every person, every people is known by their language and culture and can develop themselves through their language. Right now, language is the people's greatest need. Our language must be free and accepted. The existence of every people is through their language and culture. 

 

But today, we see restrictions on our language. These restrictions are not only a problem for the Kurdish people, but for all peoples. The prohibition of a language is a loss for all peoples. The prohibition and restriction of language is a major problem in terms of the development of society. For this reason, all peoples need to be more careful on this point. Everyone needs to embrace their language and culture and develop themselves in this sense."

 

'Kurdish must be an official language'

 

Esma Alici stated that the system is run based on the people's language, religion, and culture, adding, "But when we look at it, nothing is run according to religion. The fourth verse of Surah Ibrahim in the Quran states that every prophet spoke in the language of his own people. This tells us that every people has the natural right to their mother tongue, which should not be suppressed. But when we look at it, today there is an approach contrary to what the Quran commands us. This situation is unacceptable. Kurdish must now be free. The Kurdish language must now be an official language so that we can trust each other in the ongoing process. For this reason, we must all fight for our language. Everyone should stand up for their mother tongue and defend their language."

 

‘Our mother tongue is sacred’

 

Speaking next, Evindar Akbulut, director of the Association for the Development of Kurdish Culture and Language (KURDİGEH), said, “Just as the country or land is sacred to all peoples, so too is their language sacred,” adding: “Our mother tongue is especially sacred to us, the Kurdish people. For this reason, we believe that education in Kurdish should be provided. Kurdish should be given status. For years, there has been a visible assimilation of the Kurdish language. They want to destroy our language. The destruction of the Kurdish language means the destruction of Kurdish women, the Kurdish people, and Kurdish youth. In other words, they want to destroy a people in this way.

 

In line with the ongoing process today, the Kurdish people now need to express themselves in their mother tongue. But when the Peace Mothers spoke at the commission, they were not allowed to express themselves in their mother tongue. This shows that the ban and assimilation of the Kurdish language continues. Neither mother-tongue education is provided nor is speaking Kurdish allowed. As long as our language cannot be spoken in Parliament or in Turkish institutions and organizations, the process that has begun cannot succeed."

 

'No alternative will suffice as long as Kurdish is not granted official status'

 

Evindar Akbulut emphasized that although children are also educated at KURDİGEH, this alone is not sufficient: "It is not enough for children to speak Turkish at school five days a week and receive Kurdish education only one or two days a week. For these reasons, we will always demand that Kurdish be granted official status everywhere. Until this status is granted, no alternative will be sufficient. This will lead to the loss of our language and put it at risk of extinction."