KCK Executive Council co-chair Besê Hozat said that the AKP-MHP coalition aims at taking control and assimilating the Alevi community. 

The representative of a mentality that until yesterday insulted the Alevis, marked their houses and massacred them, today says that he will start an ‘Alevi Initiative’. As an Alevi, Kurdish and female revolutionary, what would you like to say about this?

The AKP-MHP pursues a plan of genocide and assimilation against the Alevis. They plan to submit the Alevis and put them in the service of the state. Because Alevis' is a society that has lived outside the state for hundreds of years. They constitute the vein of a society that has not recognized the state or power, continues to live based on its own belief, culture and traditions and keeps alive the mentality of democratic and communal life. Therefore, the Alevis are a fundamental component of the ´Labor and Freedom Alliance´. They are also a fundamental component of the general struggle for freedom. But now we can see that nationalists have emerged among Alevis. A very deliberate and systematic special war is being waged with regards to this issue. Certain people who call themselves Alevis have become members of the MHP and the AKP. For example, there are such lowlifes like İzzet Doğan who have been recruited by them.

Alevis call people who betray their own social values ´degraded´. Today, a group of such degraded people has been created. Through these degraded groups, the entire Alevi community is being subjected to genocide with regards to its belief and culture. A horrible policy of assimilation and religious genocide is being carried out against the Alevis. The AKP-MHP have carried this century-old state policy to its peak. I think the Alevi population in Turkey is close to 20 million. For the government and the ´Table of Six´ this constitutes a serious potential for voters. Everyone is doing politics based on these potential voters. The AKP-MHP fascist regime pursues a plan that goes beyond the upcoming elections. They want to commit the Alevis to a massacre. They pursue a policy of making the Alevis surrender and thus creating Alevis of the state. The kind of Alevi the state wants to create is a collaborator and traitor. Just as there are Kurdish collaborators and traitors who betray their own society and social values, Alevi culture and belief that is tied to the state and controlled by it is a degraded form of Alevism. Based on the project the AKP-MHP are talking about, they are trying to create an Alevism of betrayal and collaboration.

Cemevis [religious centers of Alevis] have now been put under the control of the Ministry of Culture. In other words, they do not even recognize Alevism as a belief. According to this attitude, Alevism constitutes only a very narrow culture. There are those who fall for this policy. Erdoğan was welcomed by some people [of the Alevi community] and there are also reports that there have been applications to the Ministry of Culture. All those who take such initiatives are, to use the Alevi expression, traitors and collaborators. They have nothing to do with Alevi culture or faith. The Alevi faith is a democratic, free and just faith. What does an Alevi who sides with a fascist, racist and nationalist government have to do with Alevi culture and tradition? They have nothing to do with this. They are simply collaborators, traitors and degraded people. The Alevis need to recognize this.

Those who stoop to this have abandoned their belief and culture and should be considered as degraded. They need to be exposed and excluded from society. Being such a degraded person results in social isolation. It is necessary to wage a strong struggle against these special war and assimilation policies. The government carries out these special war policies in a very intense way. With this policy, the AKP-MHP have been exploiting the religious feelings and beliefs of the people for years. Does the Islam of the AKP have anything to do with real Islam? The Islam represented by the AKP-MHP means hostility towards Islam. It has nothing to do with Islam. The understanding of religion and belief developed by this regime is absolutely hostile to Islam. The AKP is an un-Islamic tendency that has brought itself to power through the denial of democratic-cultural Islam.

They have nothing to do with Islam. Now they are doing politics over women’s hair, skirts, pants and headscarves. They are doing all this to redesign society according to their fascist understanding that is hostile towards religion. Muslim society needs to fight against this policy of special warfare. The government has been exploiting this for years and has thus maintained its power.

On the other hand, there is also a very intense special war against the Kurds. The Turkish state itself is a special warfare state, but the AKP-MHP government is waging a dirty war that has surpassed all previous governments. From drugs to prostitution, they use everything for their war in Kurdistan. For example, they organize festivals in places with a tradition of resistance. They do this in Silopi, Cizre and Amed. In places of resistance where young people have shed their blood and given their lives for the freedom of our people, they gather society and organize entertainment events. Thus, they try to turn people into a ridiculous, degraded and decayed society that makes fun of its own values. This is a policy of decay, amnesia and of turning society into a community of collaborators and betrayers of their own values and culture.

In these places of resistance, every family has its martyrs and resistance fighters. There are so many people whose blood has been shed, who have suffered and paid a huge price. Just as the AKP-MHP government tries to corrupt and degenerate society with prostitution, drugs and spying, it also tries to make society disintegrate with such activities. It is trying to destroy the moral values of society. This constitutes a much more brutal war than military warfare. Against this, Silopi, Cizre and Amed have to stand up, no matter if young or old. This policy constitutes an insult, oppression and betrayal against Silopi, Cizre and Amed. How can this be accepted? To accept this means to accept dishonor, disintegration and degradation. Is this something that can be accepted? A society that betrays its own values is not a society or a people and does not have any dignity.

We must strongly resist such degenerative policies and wage a strong struggle against those who degenerate. We need to expose them everywhere and take a clear stance. No one should apply to the Ministry of Culture. This is simply disgraceful. Accepting these festivals and taking part in them is disgraceful, degrading and dishonorable. This has nothing to do with patriotism. It constitutes treason. When a woman or a child is harassed or raped in Kurdistan, the perpetrator needs to be punished. I am not saying that this hasn´t happened at all. There have been protests to a certain extent. But our freedom struggle is now approaching half a century and our people have clear values and a very strong sense of honor. Therefore, a much stronger struggle is needed.

The resistance in Iran led by Kurdish women continues. People of different views and ethnicities have united under the slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ [´Women, Life, Freedom´]. Your movement is the creator of this slogan. What is your take on the protests in Iran?

All Iranian women and peoples have come together around Jîna Emînî. There has been an uprising for over a month now. This can almost be described as a state of rebellion. This is a first in recent history. There has not been an uprising of this scope and quality in Iran before. Women have strengthened this uprising with regards to its quality. Iranian society is a matriarchal society. Persians and Kurds are peoples with very close connections. They lived together under the same confederation for hundreds and thousands of years. They shared governance for many years. Their cultures and traditions are also very close to each other. Therefore, Persian and Kurdish women have a lot in common. In Iran, racism, nationalism and religionism exist, but they are weak. The social culture is much stronger.

Society has a strong democratic-revolutionary vein. It is not a surprise that the current uprising has lasted so long, is of such high quality and has been characterized by the slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’. This slogan has resonated with Iranian society. Women, men, young, old and children have all embraced this slogan. The slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ is being chanted in every language. It is true that the Leadership [Abdullah Öcalan] developed this slogan. It constitutes the essence of the philosophy of women’s freedom. This slogan is a refined version of the women’s paradigm. ´Jin, Jiyan, Azadî´ is more than a slogan. It has a depth that goes beyond just being a slogan. It is the refined form of the philosophy of freedom, the paradigm of the Democratic Nation, of democracy, ecology and women’s freedom. Therefore, this slogan actually represents a philosophy.

From the first day of the uprising, women and men have taken to the streets in all cities and towns of Iran chanting the slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’. Men have taken sides with women in a very spectacular way. This is the result of the characteristics of matriarchal culture. All this is very important. This uprising continues to intensify. The slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ transforms both men and society. It has spread around the world. The protests all over the world and in all countries of the Middle East are taking place under the slogan ´Jin, Jiyan, Azadî´. A life that is not based on free women is a life of slavery. Life is only life in its true sense if it is based on free women. This slogan expresses this reality. Therefore, Iran needs to respond to the demands of women, society and people.

It would not be accurate to understand this uprising only as the result of provocations of foreign powers or certain organizations. This will not lead to healthy conclusions. Of course, there may be those who want to exploit this uprising and use it for their own interests. The USA, Israel, Europe and Turkey may also want to make use of it. For example, what did they turn the Arab Spring into? But understanding the protests of women and society in this way would be incompatible with reality. Women and Iranian society demand democracy, freedom and justice. There is serious oppression in Iran, not only against the Kurdish people but against all ethnic identities. And now there are protests of the people against this. All of them are demanding freedom, justice and democracy. They want a democratic rule of law. States that do not change and transform themselves accordingly are faced with their own dissolution.

The political crisis in Iraq seems to have somewhat calmed down after the election of the new president. Dr. Latif Reşid has tasked Sudani with the formation of a new government. What kind of impact will these developments have on Kurdistan and the region?

Iraq has been in a state of chaos for a long time. The nation state and the five thousand-year-old state system have been destroyed in Iraq. A huge chaos has emerged from this collapse. Whoever comes to Iraq cannot establish a stable administration. This is nothing new. There are also interventions by external powers. Many powers are waging a war for hegemony here. Iraq has been the scene of a war over hegemony between Iran and the USA for decades. Britain, other European countries and many other states, especially Turkey, are meddling in Iraq. Turkey is organizing Turkmens on the basis of its own interests and is thus deepening the chaos. It has turned Bashiqa into its own military base. It is stirring up Iraq politically, economically and militarily.

Dr. Latif Reşid has now been elected as president and we would like to congratulate him again. We believe that he will play a positive role. It is important that he plays a role in solving the problems between Baghdad and South Kurdistan on a democratic basis, in overcoming the crisis and chaos in Baghdad and in the democratization of Iraq. Moreover, it is important for the Iraqi state to take a clear stance against the Turkish state’s Neo-Ottoman, occupying and expansionist policies. A new government will very likely be formed under Sudani’s presidency, but it looks like this administration will not last long. After the formation of a new government, the chaotic situation in Iraq will not be easily overcome. The intensity of the Baghdad-based conflicts may decrease a little, but the chaos in Iraq as a whole will continue. Because everyone will want to shape the government based on their own interests. The US will try to make it act in line with its own policy, just like Iran and Turkey will do with regards to their political goals.

Sadr’s stance is also important. He has made his stance very clear by saying that he will not take part in this government. Sadr will put serious pressure on the government by gathering popular support around him. Therefore, stability won´t be achieved easily. The solution in Iraq is a democratic system, a democratic-confederal Iraqi system based on autonomous regions. The solution is a democratic Iraqi administration. Only such a system can solve the problems in Iraq.

In North and East Syria, Afrin has been handed over to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – formerly known as al-Nusra – which continues to commit all kinds of crimes against humanity. The attacks by the Turkish state and its Islamist proxies continue. So does the resistance against them. How do you evaluate this issue?

The situation in North and East Syria needs to be assessed very well. During the Astana and Sochi talks, decisions were taken to bring Ankara and Damascus closer to each other. Both Iran and Russia put pressure on Turkey with regards to this issue. As a result, Turkey has started to use a softer language. Afterwards, meetings between the intelligence services of the two countries [Turkey and Syria] became more frequent. There were even discussions about the possibility of talks between Erdoğan and Assad. Thus, attempts were made to ease the tensions between Damascus and Ankara that have been going on for 11 years. Recently, there was also the Putin-Erdogan meeting and talks with NATO.

Then there was a meeting with Biden which was followed by various statements. Turkey, with the support of both Iran, Russia, the US and NATO, wants to destroy North and East Syria. It wants to establish a state for Islamist proxies in this area. Of course, it does not say to Russia and Iran that it will establish such a Islamist proxy state, but instead points to the Autonomous Administration as the problem. Turkey says that if Russia and Iran support it on this issue, it can make some concessions with regards to Ukraine, Idlib and Assad. This is the message Turkey has recently given Russia and Iran. But the current plan of the Turkish state is to implement the Misak-ı Milli [National Pact], i.e. it wants to annex South Kurdistan and Rojava. And it is doing this through carrying out the Kurdish genocide.

We cannot assess the latest developments in Afrin independently from this broader context. There have been many meetings with Russia and the US behind closed doors, and there are others that have not been made public. We cannot understand al-Nusra’s entry into Afrin as a plan of Turkey alone, independent of Russia or the US. Many dirty negotiations have taken place behind closed doors. It has been one year that the Turkish state has been trying to complete the Kurdish genocide. We know this very well. We know very clearly that the Turkish state has a plan to achieve its Misak-ı Milli goal by carrying out the Kurdish genocide. That is why it has completely focused its domestic and foreign politics on achieving this goal. In order to carry out this plan, it is selling the resources of Turkey to everyone.

The arrival of al-Nusra [in Afrin] is a plan of Turkey, but there is also international support behind it. For example, we need to understand Russia’s approach well. Russia hit some bases of Islamist proxy forces in the area between Azaz and Afrin. Turkey and Russia, especially, have made certain negotiations. There are some Islamist proxy groups that are not under Turkey’s control. The groups are very uncomfortable with the relations between Turkey and Damascus. The Islamist proxies that Turkey has established, supported, trained and equipped until now do not want Damascus and Turkey to establish closer relations with each other. They are very disturbed by this new situation. These groups are giving Turkey a headache. They might end up posing a great danger to Turkey in the future and might even decide to fight against Turkey. Turkey is very afraid of this possibility.

Russia’s recent strikes against these Islamist proxy groups are not independent from Turkey´s policy. Turkey makes Russia attack them. If Turkey itself attacks them, it will only provoke an immediate reaction from these Islamist proxies, cause chaos and force Turkey into a conflict with them. On the other hand, Turkey also makes al-Nusra attack these Islamist proxy groups. All of the groups that are being eliminated by al-Nusra are groups that pose a potential danger to Turkey. They are not under the control of Turkey or have the potential to slip out of Turkey’s control in the future. Turkey has moved forces under its control to these areas. Today it moves them to Afrin and tomorrow it will take them to Serêkaniyê. In fact, the first battle of the YPG in Rojava was the battle against Al-Nusra in Serêkaniyê in 2012.

Al-Nusra is the Syrian version of Al-Qaeda. Many IS groups are also part of it. Turkey has made a deal with all of them. In 2016, Turkey made a deal with the Russians when it launched an invasion attack on Jarablus. As part of this deal, Turkey brought all the Islamist proxies to Idlib. Thus, Russia was able to secure Aleppo. Al-Nusra and Turkey have made a deal with regards to North and East Syria. This involves giving the areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration and the occupied territories to Al-Qaeda, i.e. to Al-Nusra, and moving them there.

The Turkish state will use these forces as leverage in its relations with Damascus. It will base its Syrian opposition policy on these forces. Turkey will blackmail Damascus with these forces and try to use them against the Kurds. It will try to make them clash with the Kurds. And the Turkish state will try to convince the international community and Damascus to recognize these Islamist proxy forces as the Syrian opposition. Then, Turkey will crush all the Islamist proxy groups that it considers a source of concern for itself by pitting them against each other. Can al-Nusra be accepted by Russia, Damascus and the world? No, it can’t. That’s another matter, but all Turkey cares about is using them as a trump card to be able to carry out the Kurdish genocide and to destroy the autonomous system [in North and East Syria]. Therefore, this is a very dangerous plan. The people of North and East Syria need to act very sensitively and consciously against this.

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria needs to conduct effective politics and diplomacy and struggle accordingly. Very serious military preparations need to be made. The society of Rojava, no matter if young or old, needs to prepare itself for a revolutionary people’s war. From now on, the fascist Turkish state will wage war against Rojava together with Al-Nusra. The revolutionary people’s war in Rojava should have been waged from the beginning. Until now, it has only been put into practice partially. If the revolutionary people’s war is waged to a full extent in Rojava, if all people take part in it and struggle, if every member of society fights like the SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces], this plan will definitely be thwarted and the Turkish state will suffer the biggest blow in its history. Then, the system that the fascist AKP-MHP regime wants to establish in Turkey will be completely destroyed and the way for a democratic Turkey will be paved.

Part One of this interview can be read here