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January 17, 2008
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15 Kurdish students: “Kurdistan does exist”
Kurdishaspect.com - By Raz Jabary
15 Kurdish students from the Netherlands and the UK have recently started a campaign by sending a letter of complaint to the NOS, one of Holland’s main news broadcasters. The letter was written regarding a column that appeared on the NOS website, in which the organisation admitted to an angry Turkish viewer, claiming it should not have shown a map on Dutch television on 3rd January 2008 marking the areas of south-eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, north-western Iran and north-eastern Syria as “Kurdistan”. The NOS said it was ‘wrong’ and should not have used the term ‘Kurdistan’ shown on the map as Turkey does not show recognition to the term Kurdistan and that it is being viewed a threat as such by Turkey. It has decided to announce the area in Turkey as the ‘Kurdish south-east’ in the future.
The concerning map shown on Dutch television by the NOS on 3rd January 2008
http://www.nos.nl/assets/images/KRT-Turkije-Irak-Koerdistan_tcm43-343174.jpg
As a result 15 Kurdish students (Dashne Abdullah, Zenwer Ayoubzadeh, Zilemo Aziz, Saman Barzandji, Shanaz Barzandji, Zozan Ciziri, Sidar Bengin Epozdemir, Raz Jabary, Jela Keyany, Dashne Moulood, Zjir Rashaan, Halwest Rashid, Kovan Selim, Beri Shalmashi, Banaz Taha) whom are also regular writers for the Kurdish-Dutch medium Azady.nl and for other websites reporting on the Kurdish issue, have started a campaign trying to persuade the NOS that Kurdistan does exist and that they should reconsider their thoughts about the recognition of the term.
The letter could be viewed here (http://www.azady.nl/news.php?readmore=6523 ). A summary of the points that are being raised throughout the letter of complaint follows:
- The term Kurdistan is being used in ‘de Grote Bosatlas’, a thorough book regarding geographical data which is widely acknowledged in Holland and used in the Dutch education system.
- We disregard the fact that Western and Eastern Kurdistan were not marked as Kurdistan on the NOS map
- We disregard the fact that the denial of the existence of Kurdistan is followed up in a democracy like the Netherlands where the rights of minorities are respected
- Your claim that the term Kurdistan is being viewed as a threat to Turkey applies mutually as the term Turkey is rather viewed as a threat to many Kurds
- Turkey regards the combination of the words ‘Armenian’ and ‘genocide’ as a threat. Does this mean that the NOS would not report on the Armenian matter from now on?
- We would like to remind the NOS that the phase ‘Kurdish southeast’ is being viewed as a threat to Turkey as much as Kurdistan is. According to the Turkish constitution the existence of the Kurds is still denied to this day, and the only recognized ethnicity is the Turkish one
The group of students believes it is in the utmost interest to the Kurdish issue that a main news broadcaster like the NOS does recognize the existence of the Kurdish homeland and therefore call upon supporters of the Kurdish cause to send the following shortcut letter to the NOS on one’s own name:
Please send the letter of complaint below up to:
Beste NOS Ombudsman,
Koerdistan bestaat wél, graag wil ik mijn klacht op deze manier beginnen.
Met verbazing heb ik uw recentelijk verschenen column met de beledigende titel 'Koerdistan bestaat niet' gelezen. Graag zet ik de titel dan ook zo goed mogelijk tussen haakjes.
Het stelt me diep teleur dat in een samenleving, waarvan we allemaal zeggen dat deze zo tolerant is en dat de multiculturaliteit iets is om trots op te zijn het bestaan van het land van een volk en daarmee voor sommigen onder de Koerden ook het volk zelf ontkend wordt.
De reden, dat de term Koerdistan bedreigend zou zijn voor de Turkse gemeenschap, is al helemaal om niet over naar huis te schrijven. De term 'Turkije' is soms net zo bedreigend voor ons Koerden!
Graag doe ik mijn beklag dan ook hierover en over het feit dat in de gearceerde kaart van de NOS een substantieel deel van mijn land, Koerdistan, niet gearceerd werd. Ik heb het hier over Syrisch en Iraans-Koerdistan, West- en Oost-Koerdistan.
In deze brief heb ik al 6 keer het woord Koerdistan genoemd en nu doe ik het voor de 7e keer.
Het moge duidelijk zijn dat 40 miljoen Koerden hun land ook met deze term aanduiden. Laat u ons in onze waarde en noemt u de dingen voortaan ook bij de naam?
Dank,
(SIGNED)
Uit Koerdistan.
English translation of the letter:
Dear NOS Ombudsman,
Kurdistan does exist. I would like to begin my complaint in this way.
I read your recent column having the insulting title ‘Kurdistan does not exist’ with great astonishment. I would therefore like to leave the phrase in brackets.
It disappoints me that in a society of which we all speak of its tolerance, and, that the multiculturalism is something to be proud of, the existence of a people’s country and therefore for some Kurds the existence of the people themselves is being denied.
You claim that the term Kurdistan is being viewed as a threat by the Turkish society. May I remind you that the term Turkey is as much a threat to the Kurds.
I would thus like to put down my complaint on this issue and about the fact that in the map shown by the NOS on 3rd January 2008 a substantial part of my home country Kurdistan was not marked. I am referring to Eastern Kurdistan (Iran) and Western Kurdistan (Syria).
So far I have used the word Kurdistan six times in this letter and this is the seventh time.
It is clear that the 40 million Kurds have the same right to refer to their homeland by the same term. Would you leave us in our worthiness by referring to things by their own name from now on?
Many thanks,
(SIGNED)
From Kurdistan
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About the author :
Raz Najat Jabary is a Contributing Writer to Kurdish Aspect. He is a prominent youth debater in Wales and was chosen one amongst the top-21 best national Welsh youth debaters in October 2006 by the CEWC-Cymru debating board. He participated in several CEWC debates as well as in a session of the European Youth Parliament in the Welsh National Assembly in Cardiff, Wales.
To learn more about the author see:
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