Separation paranoia or would education in Kurdish separate Turkey?

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Ministry of Finance Mehmet Simsek recently made a visit to the village in Batman where he was born and grew up. One of the interesting moments of the visit was the speech of Simsek’s uncle, which could not be understood by the journalists. His uncle spoke in Kurdish, his native language. And Minister Simsek, his nephew, interpreted his words.

Kurdish is the native language of millions of citizens living in this country. Mehmet Simsek said he did not know a single word of Turkish when he started elementary school. I heard a similar story from Osman Baydemir, the mayor of Diyarbakir. Baydemir said the language barriers he had to face while trying to adjust to school caused him to suffer from traumas.

It is seen clearly that the Deniz Baykal, the leader of Republican People’s Party, or CHP, is agreed by part of the society when he uttered the words ´Kurdish will first begin as an elective course but later it will become a required course, and thus pave the way for separation of the country.´

Interior Minister Besir Atalay said such worries cause ‘separation paranoia.’ ....

Education in one’s native language is a human right. In today’s world the right to learn and teach one’s native language demanded by millions of citizens is an irrefutable legitimate right. A considerable amount of Kurds aspire to protect and use Kurdish as an active language. They do not want to do it on an individual basis but rather desire the state to protect Kurdish. This demand gradually spreads among the wider Kurdish community.

The ‘education in Kurdish’ that is provided in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq exists as a successful example right beside us. The forced assimilation policies of Republic of Turkey against Kurds have collapsed. It was not actually possible to eradicate the language and existence of a nation that is estimated to be around 20 million people. The ‘racist’ understanding prevailing in this country fought against reality and life for years and it lost. There is no turning back from this.

The Kurds have determined it an aim to protect and develop their native language. One of the demands of hundreds of thousands of Kurds gathered in Diyarbakir on Tuesday was education in Kurdish.

This is the reality. We should first see this reality. The Kurds want to develop their language, culture and folklore. These demands cannot be suppressed. The important thing is that a peaceful environment in which Turks grant these rights to the Kurds is provided.

The Turks living in Europe do their best so that their children do not forget their native language. They know a nation that has lost its native language is condemned to annihilation. The Kurds want to survive. Maybe the main reason for dozens of Kurdish revolts was the reflex of existence as a Kurd.

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Resisting this rightful demand of Kurds means a meaningless fight against reality. In addition, such an attitude of rejection will further shake the Kurds’ trust in the state.

Today, the widespread inclination among the Kurds living in Anatolia is the desire to live together. The surveys carried out reveal this desire to be over 90 percent. Again a great majority of Kurds wants the state’s ´ignorant´ attitude against Kurds to change.

The understanding that has prevailed in Turkey has arrived at a decision-making point. The ´Kurdish opening´ is the imposition of this reality. The provocation of Turkish nationalism, and creation of a psychological atmosphere in which the extremely rightful democratic demands of Kurds will be refused shall unavoidably provoke separation.

The teaching method of Kurdish, be it elective or requirement, is the later stage. We should first agree on this: Is it a right of the Kurdish people living in Turkey to perform music, literature, and arts in their native language, and to learn and develop their language in schools with scientific methods, or not?

Education in Kurdish will not separate Turkey but rather it may bring the Kurds and Turks closer together. The point is the understanding with which this education will be carried out.

The main character of the nationalist and militarist education in Turkey is separatist. The education that starts each day by saying ‘I’m Turkish, I’m decent,’ unfortunately reflected an understanding that ignores different cultures and aims at eradicating them from this country. Such an education failed in terms of ‘unity.’ It pulled Turkey into bloody conflicts.

Hasn’t it been understood from all the pain we have suffered that politics based on denial and annihilation is separation itself and provokes separation further?

´Education in Kurdish´ is currently a demand of peace promoting unity. If responded to positively, it will bring positive results.

 * Mr. Oral Çalislar is a columnist for the daily Radikal in which this piece appeared Wednesday...

The source:

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/...turkey-2009-09-02

Hmmm, maybe I should demand education in Polish in the USA?  Or the 50 million Spanish speakers should demand education in Spanish? Too bad the English language is the de facto official language, life would be so much easier for us immigrants if we didn´t have to learn it! Life is so unfair.

Ok, I´m being facetious. I do understand the situation of Kurds and immigrants in the USA is not even remotly comparable and I do sympathize with their plight. I´m 100% behind every person´s right to speak their native language freely. I just don´t feel that mainstream education should be conducted in languages other than the official one (except for language courses of course). The article mentions somebody who went to school I think without being able to speak Turkish. The article mentions the trauma caused by the language barrier. There are many people here who have difficulties communicating in English (many a times by choice) as well and that causes them to have difficulties conducting day to day business, unless they only conduct business with people who speak their language or they have the option to "press 9 for Spanish" (interestingly, other languages are not an option). The lack of ability to speak English contributes to their separation from the mainstream culture and is incredibly limiting. I don´t think it would be a good idea for various ethnic groups/nationalities to deepen the divide by creating mainstream schools where classes would be conducted in their own languages (and thus creating an environment when the use of the official language is not necessary - for many immigrants in the US, the school is the only place where the children can speak and learn English as their parents´ language is the one spoken exclusively at home).

So, the right to speak one´s language and the right to learn one´s language (in language classes or in private schools) - yes.

Changing the language of mainstream schools to accomodate minority groups - no.

That´s just my opinion.

Well, as someone who is married to a foreigner, I can definately sympathize with the language barrier.  I definately support peoples right to speak their native language in their private lives as well (hahaha....we speak Turklish in our house - half English, half Turkish!).  However, when  a country has a official language, the official language should be the language used in all state funded educational institutions (with the acception of foreign language classes), state offices and other government run organizations.   

This pretty much proves that all the western countries are violating human rights. will you criticize these fascistwestern  countries?

All this proves is that you don´t know what you´re talking about. People in western countries are free to learn and use their language, even though the mainstream education is conducted in the official language of the country, as I think it should.

Just as an example, in Chicago, both Polish and Turkish children (and I´m sure other nationalities as well) can go to weekend schools conducted in their own language (that are separate from mainstream schools). They can go to bookstores and purchase books and magazines in their language. In my library there are books in Polish, Spanish, Korean, some of the languages of India, and I think Arabic. You can go to stores where the staff doesn´t speak English and you can talk to the staff in your own language. You can listen to radio stations in some languages, there are tv programs catered to different nationalities. Different nationalities can celebrate their culture - for example I went to a festival of Turkic cultures last month and might go to the Taste of Polonia this weekend. Many nationalities can go to religious services in their languages. They can open cultural centers that cater to specific ethnic/cultural groups. They can go to restaurants with specific cuisines. Many places provide translating services - for example where I work if a client doesn´t speak English we will pay for the translator or will find a provider that speaks the client´s language.

What can Kurds do in their language in Turkey? How can they celebrate their culture?

it`s funny that the answer is;  the Kurds can do all the things you listed above in Turkey except the ones you made up such as that I can go to a store in America and talk to the staff in Turkish. If the staff is Kurdish they can speak in Kurdish for sure. I don`t think anyone speak in Turkish in the stores in Diyarbakir.why don`t you educate yourself a little bit before making silly assumptions?

 You don´t think they can? Well, that proves you have never been there or to other cities/places where the majority is Kurdish. I have. And even with my limited Turkish of about 400 words I could understand them and hear the difference between Turkish and Kurmanci.

surprise surprise..

I am not sure how it is now, some things have changed under the pressure of EU, but not that long ago, before the barbaric tortures against Kurds by the modern turkish government, Kurds were not even allowed to use kurdish names for their children, not to mention celebrating their cultural holidays, or using their language in public places..

I do wonder why Clinton is so loved by Turks, maybe the atrocities against Kurds campaign and US involvement has some insight into it..

turkish atrocities against Kurds

Of course they can ..

But there are many many things Kurds  (as Kurds )are NOT allowed to do with this army  dictated fascist constitution..(And also it is not that easy to break the fear of separation and ignorance of common people about the issue.)

Some Turks ´not knowing what is going on in their own country´ does not change this fact!!

If they were ALLOWED to we would not have A KURDISH PROBLEM right now!!..

Entire Turkey is talking about the Kurdish problem and  ´Kurdish initivie´.

Are they all sadomazo in Turkey so that they are inventing non existing problems?

Why did get 70.000 people killed then?

If they were given what is right for a half way decent average human being,  why would we still be talking about this this problem or why Oral Calislar would be writing that column?

how about the barbaric kurdish terror against the Turks? You don`t want to see that because the kurds did your dirty jobs in your muslim genocide in Iraq, right? you want to see the pictures of the babies and civilians killed by your beloved kurdish terrorists?