A Blog Counting the Blogs of Kurdistan
Well I have spent a good part of this afternoon putting a bunch more links on the sidebar and adding a few more categories. I also am including a link to the blog that everyone seems to be talking about Michael Totten. If anyone happens to find something that I can add, please let me know.
I found this on Mavi Boncuk, I have copied the post here.
Mustafa Kemal in his answer to the question posed by Ahmet Emin Yalman at the Izmir Press Conference, and this answer was repeated at Eskisehir.
“The Kurdish question cannot be raised because of the interests of local Turks. Because, as you know, the Kurds within our national borders are settled in such a way that only in a very few areas there is a concentration of Kurds. Elsewhere, they are dispersed throughout the Turkish population and this has led to the development of such a border that if one wanted to draw a border separating the Kurds, one would have to devastate Turkey. There would have to be a border that went as far as, say, Erzurum, Erzincan, Sivas or Harput. Indeed, one must not forget the Kurdish tribes in the deserts of Konya. Therefore, instead of imagining a separate Kurdish nation, it is better to abide by our Constitution, under which a kind of local autonomy will in any case form. This means that in those provinces with a Kurdish population they will enjoy autonomy. Furthermore, as far as the Turks are concerned, it is necessary to give voice to their existence as well. If this is not done, it is only to be expected that they will regard this as a problem. The Grand Parliament of Turkey consists of both Kurdish and Turkish deputies, and the Kurds and the Turks, these two elements have united their interests and destinies. It would not be right to attempt to draw a border between them.”
I am honestly amazed at how much this response is still fitting for today (not that I support it) but in respects to Turkish policy and their reactions to calls for Kurdish independence.
Also found on Mavi Boncuk, is an article about the debate on the ethnic identity of the Kurdish Alevis.
Instead of posting the article I am just going to give a link this week.
Hello everyone! I’m finally back -and married. The winner of the “GV Kurdish Post Title” contest was Metin from Talk Turkey, and I particularily enjoy the irony that it was a Turkish gentleman that came up with the neatest name for a Kurdish weekly, it just goes to show the great sense of harmony and openness that I believe Global Voices fosters. Anyway, on to the update of the Kurdish blogosphere for the last two weeks:
Talk about the Passion continues to chronicle his adventures in teaching in Northern Iraq/Southern Kurdistan. Thunder is particularly loud where he is living now and he has rats but he seems to be enjoying his stay and will be celebrating his one year anniversary of teaching in Kurdistan.
Save RojTV continues in their effort to stay operating and have been collecting letters and articles of support from the Kurdish and European communities, one of the article postings this week is from none other than Vladimir who writes From Holland to Kurdistan (featured weekly here).
East of Kurdistan continues to offer itself as a one stop shop for all of your Eastern Kurdistan news needs.
The Is-Ought Problem is back on-line with support for the Danes.
Updates on the bird flu in Kurdistan is provided by Pearls of Iraq this week. Also there is a posting of a great article about the cartoon controversy.
Along the same vein Roj Bash! has an excellent posting about Islam, Mohammad and his Critics that looks at the historical implications. Plus there is a wonderful posting of a translation of another Kurdish blogger who writes primarily in Kurdish on the same subject.
Rasti writes about the absurdity of a recent Turkish newspaper editorial calling for a re-evaluation of the Kurdish Question in Turkey. Other items written about include a piece about Kurdish activists such as Kani Xulam from the American Kurdish Information Network. The murder of a different Kani, Kani Yilmaz, is discussed as the event has been a shock to the Kurdish communty.
Hiwa Hopes posted an obituary for Kani Yilmaz as well. He responds to critism that he has received over voting in the Iraqi election. He also posts about the recent success of Darin a Kurdish pop singer in Sweden.
We will wrap up with info on From Holland to Kurdistan who has written on a bunch of different subjects including the new anti-American war movie Valley of the Wolves-Iraq. He also writes of Kurdish protests of the Turks and Kurdish protests of the Mohammad cartoons. And in the extremes of happy and sad news, Vladimir has a wonderful article on a topic neglected in Kurdish politics, that of the state of the Kurds in Western Kurdistan, Syria and allegations of the government burying Kurds alive and then on the opposite side of the spectrum a posting about American soldiers befriending the Kurds of Northern Iraq/Southern Kurdistan.
