Ahmet Turhallı
”The only sentiment that can lead the Kurds to the path of liberation is the Kobanê spirit. The unity of the Kurds can only be achieved with this state of mind. The only truth that is the common ground for all hopes and fears is the truth of Kobanê,” writes Ahmet Turhallı for Yeni Özgür Politika.
One of the oldest nations of the world, along with its traditions and customs, culture and art, diversity of belief and language, and its physical existence, is being destroyed. The rulers and supporters of the Turan state, their forces and allies have formed an alliance to brutally target the lives, properties and lands of our nation. Their means and methods are devoid of any value.
Our mountains are hit with chemical bombs, phosphorus munitions, our forests burned and looted, our resisting children are murdered.
In the 21st century, before the eyes of the globalized world, various political and physical attempts are being made to criminalise and eliminate a legal political party that received more than six million votes.
An innocent young women was tortured and murdered, while having a breakfast of bread, tomatos and olives in a legal party building. The state officials do not even try to hide anything; they are not even reluctant to say that they did it.
They demonstrate what they have done to the Kurds and what they will do next.
The Turanic state, together with its partners, had founded ISIS; and had it commit massacres and genocide in Rojava and Bashur (Iraqi Kurdistan). They planned to destroy the Kurds. The Kurds, on the other hand, have managed to earn the respect and sympathy of the world when they showed such courageous resistance. The success of this resistance has led to the emergence of vast international support, and to the defeat of Turkey in that proxy war carried out in these parts of our country.
The Kemalist state, defeated in that proxy war, then attacked Afrin, and received the support of Germany, Russia and England; it persuaded others to remain silent and succeeded in bringing together elements such as collaborating Kurds, gangs, mafia, fake Islamists and leftists, contras, Kemalists, thus forming a partnership with them.
These bandits have been attacking us like packs of predators for years now. So, what shall we, the people who have experienced this massacre and genocide do? To what extent are we aware of what is going on? To what extent do we know what is happening? How will the Kurds manage to resist this genocide? What to do? How to do? How should we give the concept of unity its true meaning?
Every Kurd around the world should feel the threat of destruction, and should base his/her reflexes, efforts, intellectual and physical energy on the idea of thwarting this threat. Thus, a Kobanê spirit can be re-established against the Turkish Republic and the lawless gangs. The Kobanê spirit is the only way that can lead the Kurds to liberation. The unity of all Kurds can only be achieved with this state of mind. For the Kurds, the only truth that is the common ground for all hopes and fears is the truth of Kobanê. We Kurds and those who aim to be our vanguards should enhance the Kobanê spirit. Such an energy and unity was in fact achieved for the first time in the history of the Kurds. It should be noted that the Turkish state, the fierce enemy of the Kurds, has mobilized all its forces to prevent the re-emergence of this sense of unity. The Kobanê spirit must be resurrected against the colonizer of Kurdistan. This is valid for all parties who are sincere and who struggle for Kurdistan
Unity and alliance is only possible by reaching the notion and sense of ‘We’, and departing from selfishness and envy. Unity cannot be reached by saying ‘my’ region, ‘my’ dialect, ‘my’ faith, ‘my’ ideology, ‘my’ family and ‘my’ clan! The only way is to come around to the shared national interests, joys and sorrows.
We can do so by protecting our values, for which we have suffered for years. We can unite by protecting those who dedicate themselves to our nation, who have worked for years without any personal interest. There cannot/should not be unity with those who use the interests of the nation for their own personal interests.
The Kurdish clergy, sheikhs, mullahs, leaders, martyrs and heroes have been and are still working for a free and honorable life for all the Kurds. How can those who conspire for personal interests, collaborate with the nation’s enemies, receive grants from those enemies, protect the interests of the nation? Those who struggle for Kurdistan, who demand a free and honorable life for the Kurds, shall work to construct ‘we’ instead of ‘me’, and fight to form the alliance, unity and integrity of the nation.
We must spend all our energy on unity. Departing from conflicts, we should work on policies, create a discourse and work on our points of unity and solidarity. Selfishness and envy must be put aside, and the condition of unity must be extended. There should be less dependency on foreign relations. A unity based on one’s own strength is the true one. Foreign dependency cause destruction and loss for a nation. Foreign powers have worked/are working to deepen our disintegration, not to support our unity. It is only when our unity is achieved that the foreign powers will consider our interests as well as theirs. Lord Palmerston’s words, ‘England has no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies, Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow’, is a great answer to the dependency policy of underdeveloped states. This is also the truth regarding the notion of ‘We’ for all nations and people.
Every person with common sense, who has not lost his/her conscience, humanity, belief and respect for national identity, must start contributing to efforts for unity.
Those who carry on with vanity, egoism, partisanship, regionalism, discrimination of dialect, will see themselves crushed under this burden. The notion of ‘WE’ as a strategic and vital vision, must thrive in the lives of Kurds instead of the notions, ‘me’ and ‘you’.
