In the last 4 years, two Kurdish children, who were relatives to each other and attended the Qur'an course in the Pazar district of Rize province, drowned in the sea. According to the information received, Beritan Acar (16), who had scabies due to the conditions in the Qur'an course, was told “Sea water is good for scabies” and forced to swim in the sea even though she did not know how to swim. She then barely escaped drowning.

The death of Acar's close relative, Asım Bilmez who had drowned in the sea while studying at the same Quran course in 2017, reinforces the claims that what happened was not drowning, but suicide.

FIGHTING FOR LIFE IN INTENSIVE CARE

It is reported that 16-year-old Beritan Acar, who was saved from drowning at the last moment and taken to Rize State Hospital, fell into a vegetative state in an intensive care unit. According to eyewitnesses who wanted to remain anonymous, Beritan Acar and many of her friends had scabies at the Pazar Boarding Qur'an course where there were hygiene and nutrition problems. Teachers of the Quran course decided to send Beritan Acar back to her family in Kurucan village, in Saray district of Van province. Acar, unwilling to return, bought medicine from a pharmacy and said to her friends, “Sea water is good for scabies, I will swim in the sea”, and took off her clothes at the pier and went into the sea.

Boatmen seeing that Acar was about to be drowned, informed the disaster relief personnel (AKUT) to save the girl. Acar is currently fighting for her life depending on an intensive care unit at Rize State Hospital.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN THE QURAN COURSES

It is reported that many infectious diseases, apart from scabies, broke out at the Sunday Boarding Qur'an course. Some students cannot reveal the truth to their families because they receive a free education there and because of the pressure of the Quran course teachers. While children are not even given breakfast at the Quran course, they are forced to pray. The complaints made by the parents of some students about the Sunday Quran course, which resembles a prison without nutrition and hygiene conditions, have remained inconclusive.

POOR FAMILIES ARE EXPLOITED

There is a Quran course in almost every village in Rize, which is also the hometown of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Kurdish children who are deceived and taken away from Kurdistan are subjected to Arabic assimilation training in these Sunday Qur'an courses under the name of religion. In recent years, there have appeared some religious sects that have taken Kurdish children to cities like Rize after visiting Kurdish villages. For example, M.A from Saray district of Van, who joined one of these sects 20 years ago, is currently working as a mufti in Rize. Once or twice a year, he comes to Özalp and Saray districts and takes the children he has identified to the Qur'an courses in Rize. M.A exploits the poverty of Kurdish families, and abducts Kurdish children to Rize.

GOAL IS TO ASSIMILATE KURDISH CHILDREN

The aim of these Qur'an courses is to assimilate Kurdish children at an early age. These groups tell poor families “We will educate your children” without getting money. The assimilation policies once carried out by YİBOs have been taken over by these boarding courses. Kurdish children are almost left to die, as in the case of Beritan Acar.

“They abuse poor people like us, and they take our children to Quran courses. There is no government control on these Quran courses,” said a parent of a student who wanted to remain anonymous.