At the workshop in Qamishlo, it was stated that the Kurdish identity is under a great threat and that “the spread of the paradigm of Leader Abdullah Öcalan gives us the opportunity to take a strong stance.”
A workshop titled ‘Defining the Kurdish identity and the Syrian people in the democratic nation system’ is being held at the Zana Hall in Qamishlo.
Organised under the leadership of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the workshop is attended by a number of lawyers, teachers and historians, as well as representatives of political parties, Kongra Star and members of the Syrian Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Delivering the opening speech, Faruq Tozo, Co-President of Cizre Canton Yazidi House, said: “Various activities are being carried out all over the world for the physical freedom of Leader Abdullah Öcalan. This is an important agenda item. The spread of Leader Abdullah Öcalan's ideas and paradigm around the world gives us the opportunity to overcome the obstacles and take a strong stance to protect the Kurds from genocide. We hope that this workshop will be a strong response to everyone in this context.”
The workshop is moderated by Nûrşên Hisên, a member of the Diplomacy Committee for Northern and Eastern Syria, and Sîpan Îsmaîl, lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Sîpan Îsmaîl said, “Many states consider the history of Kurds from the 1925 Shêx Seîd uprising, which is wrong. Kurdish history goes back thousands of years. Thanks to archaeological excavations and finds, this history can be understood more clearly.”
Îsmaîl said that historical sites are usually the target of attacks against Kurdish identity and added: “If you remember, the region of Eyn Dara in Afrin, which has historical importance, was targeted. Til Xelef Hill in Serêkaniyê was also attacked. These attacks are part of the attempts to erase Kurdish history.”
Stating that Kurdish identity is under a great threat, Sîpan Îsmaîl said, “When our historical sites are owned, Kurdish identity is also owned. The Kurdistan Freedom Movement stood against racist, sexist and cultural attacks. The invaders, who have been living with the dream of Misak-ı Milli for more than a century, found the Kurdistan Freedom Movement against them. Leader Abdullah Öcalan's Democratic Modernity project shows that international projects are not built on the right foundations. The Democratic Modernity policy developed in this context stands out as a third road map.”
Sîpan Îsmaîl added, “It is of great importance to embrace cultural and political identity. Our primary problem is that we rely on different sources instead of relying on our Kurdish sources, which is one of the issues I have always criticised. We base on this approach in research and analysis.”
