Perspective- How to solve Kurdish Issue?

(By Abdul Aziz Al Tammo; Translation by Dani Murad)

The Kurds in Syria are indigenous people who inhabited their historical land, and the west part of their land (Kurdistan) was combined with the modern Syrian state in 1920 in accordance with The Treaty of Lausanne.

Based on the new international situation , the Kurds infused with the new and old society, coexisting with the rest of components that used to be part of the Islamic Ottoman Caliphate such as Arabs , Turkmen, Armenians and all the components in that geographical area.

The Kurds contributed greatly in the Syrian revolution against the French mandate, and were the founders of the Syrian Army, led by Youssef al-Azmeh, who was martyred in the battle of Maysaloon , in addition to Ibrahim Hanano who was one of leaders of the Syrian revolution.

Moreover, the Kurds also participated in Afrin, Amoda, Derbassiyeh and Qamishli in the National Bloc that demanded the independence from France, and great battles took place between the revolutionary Kurds in Lilan “administratively belongs to Sebbieh” and as a result of these battles a French General was killed.

In addition to that, the first to raise the independence flag on the dome of the Syrian parliament was Ahmad Al Baravi, the Kurdish PM who was democratically elected in 1946.

On the basis of the foregoing, the Kurds are a key component in the modern Syrian state despite deliberate and racial exclusion which started by Gamal Abdel Nasser and continued with the chauvinist rule of Al Baath party, which created the tendency of inferior nationalism among Arabs toward the Kurds, and tried to impose racist policies to change the demographic reality in all Kurdish areas in order to infuse them with the Arab nationalism.

However, the Kurds preserved their honorable history in that geographical area of the Syrian state, and were not drawn to Baath’s plans in being part of armed confrontation with the successive regimes of Hafez Al -Assad and his son Bashar al-Assad.

In order to drag the Kurds to a national war in 2004, the regime used an open game aiming to make them appear as the enemy to the rest of the Syrian components, but soon this dirty game played by Bashar al-Assad was exposed.

Therefore, it can be seen that the tragedies, injustice and persecution that the Kurdish people have suffered from in Syria cannot be summarized in a few lines and papers.

The Kurds were the first to ignite the spark of the blessed Syrian revolution in 16/3/2011, when Dr. Abdul Razzaq al-Tammo , Herven Osei and Kamal Sheikho, the demonstrators in front of the ministry of interior in Damascus were arrested.

since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, young Kurds have participated in it, and from the city of Qamishli they enchanted the slogan “Syrian people are one ““Al shaab al-Souri wahed “, despite some people’s attempts to abort this revolution in the Kurdish region.

The solution to the Kurdish issue is linked mainly with overthrowing the repressive regime, and building a civil democratic, diversified state that guarantees the rights of everyone, and here we define the following steps to resolve the Kurdish issue:

1 – A constitutional recognition of Kurdish people or Kurdish nationalism as an essential component in the Syrian state (so that it’s ratified in the Syrian constitution by a national committee without going back to the referendum, which is called in the international norms of human rights ( rights Above the constitution ).

2 - Raising the culture of mutual respect, accepting others who have different race, religion, and culture, epically respecting the Kurdish privacy which has been neglected for decades, and allowing the Kurds to raise their private flag next to the Syrian revolution flag in their areas.

3 - Allowing the Kurdish language to be taught as an official language alongside the Arabic and opening schools, universities and cultural centers of their own.

4 – Paying attention to Kurdish media by opening TV channels that broadcast its programs in Kurdish language.

5 – Because the “centralized regime” has proven to be wrong since it limited authorities, turned people to slaves and rotted tyranny over the past decades, it is necessary to apply a “decentralized administrative” through a voluntary federal system in the next Syrian state, to allow Kurds to self-govern their areas in a democratic way and under an international supervision based on elections polls.

6 - Allowing them to establish their parties, national associations within the law approved by the new constitution.

7 – Canceling all decrees, laws and racial policies that have been applied against the Kurds for decades, and removing its negative effects which participated in changing the demographics of the Kurdish people.

8 - Fair compensation for Kurds affected by racist policies, whether those whom their lands have been confiscated or were forbidden from the Syrian nationality.

9 – Creating new administrative units according to the demographics of Kurdish areas to ensure building infrastructure and investment projects and develop these areas.

10 – Providing full job opportunities to Kurdish youth and allowing them to join the security forces and army, to be able to perform their patriotic duty and manage their areas with the participation of all components and in coordination with the central government.

11 – Applying consensual democracy in Syria which guarantees Kurds’ active participation in the construction of the new Syrian state.

12- Respecting religious beliefs of Kurds (Yazidi) and giving them full freedom to practice their religious rites and rituals.

13- Allocating a portion of oil revenues and other resources produced by Kurdish areas for them, in order to build the elements of Syrian Kurdish man who has been persecuted economically and nationally which will ensure equitable distribution of national wealth.

14 - Kurds are part of the Syrian people, and have the same rights and duties as all Syrians, without any distinction, exclusion or marginalization, ad once that’s achieved; reassurance and security will prevail among the Kurds, and this vision will be the basis of resolving their problem.