Lara Aziz“For this New Year, I wish that I'll succeed at school because I want to be accepted in a Medicine school in France. This is my biggest wish for 2010, and I will do my best to make it come true. I want to prove that Kurdish Girls are smart and they are able to have a big career.”
Narin Bahat“I feel that 2010 is going to be wonderful; I will be able to discover many new things around me and make new communications. I expect more political, economical, educational and social developments in Kurdistan. I hope to see so many happy, optimistic and excited faces on the streets.”
Ashna Sharef “First of all I hope to witness an end for women’s inequality and pain in the entire Kurdish society. And for myself, I hope to graduate and become an active member in Kurdistan and help to develop this beautiful nation.”
Reveen Muhammed“I wish Happy New 2010 to all the people in Kurdistan, I hope that this year will bring joy, peace and prosperity to all Kurdish people and I want to see Kurdistan flourish more and more in 2010. My dream is to become a painter as I have a passion for art, I wish to continue this passion into the next year as well.”
Happy new year for Kurdish women.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'd like to discuss your article: "I've changed my mind about nationalism".
Personally I can relate to the first part; Not understanding the meaning of nationalism. I am also a diaspora kurd born and raised outside of Kurdistan. I've never been in Kurdistan and I don't really plan o going since I have no emotional ties towards it. I don't take a stance on the kurdish issue, when reading articles about Kurdistan I simply take into note what is happening, that's as far as my interest goes.
Your article caught my attention in another way though, alot of it I can relate to and alot of it got me curious as well as confused. When reading through your article I couldn't help noting you use the word "feel" alot to explain your new found nationalism, what are these feelings based on exactly? I don't know if you're religious but it seems like you're using alot of theologically inspired explanations to convey your nationalism. I, on the other hand, believe that this 'nationalism' of yours is based on past knowledge on your homeland rather than unexplained "emotional bonds". Thus if you for example were armenian and knew about the genocide you would have felt the same going back to Armenia. Making the "kurdishness" you feel nothing unique in itself, nor a central point to explain your feelings. I'd argue that it's rather the correlation between the struggle and your own heritage that creates this bond and feelings. It's very human but not very convincing on the note of "Nationalism" as something positive.
Last: Even though I consider nationalism and different ethnical groups as human constructions I can't help but wonder how my emotions would react if I went through the same journey.
Holler back!
/William
Dear Blog Author,
ReplyDeleteI'm a Kurd now living in the Netherlands, but as you I feel connected to the Kurdish people and feel a deep empathy to their plight ( be it in Iraq, Turkey, Iran or Syria).
First of all I read your piece about nationalism,I want to commend you by writing such an insightful article. The morals and values that you showed in your article are very honourable. I could only hope that every kurd would share these morals and values.
Secondly I think a lot of people will see your article as a justification or romanticizing of Kurdish nationalism. And they will see this as something negative. I totally disagree with these people, because Kurdish nationalism is something that bonds millions of people. In Iraqi Kurdistan Kurdish nationalism has led this territory to become the only place of tranquility and progress (although on a small scale). Kurdish nationalism is the result of years of suffering and repression and because of that I think Kurdish nationalism is progressive. In Europe progressive people tend to see nationalism as a modern and larger form of tribalism which eventually leads to war.It is true that nationalism can lead to war and oppression. But Kurdish nationalism is not about oppressing other cultures or peoples, it is about the salvation and freedom of a group of humans discriminated, oppressed and robbed of the basic individual freedoms. And therefore I think Kurdish nationalism in its entirety isn't only about nationalism, it is also a longing for freedom and progress, be it on an indvidual scale or mass scale.
Lastly it is true that nationalism can lead to mass killings and genocide, as the Nazi Germans did in WW2. But this is only a barbaric form of nationalism that I denounce. On the other hand nationalism can also lead people to work for the future, to try to accomplish something in their life, like you. And this kind of nationalism is something I deeply admire and respect.
Yours faithfully,
Azad
I wish to all your friends to fulfill their dreams - all my best wishes Kurdish Girls and all Kurds!
ReplyDeleteSecond - i agree with kak Azad point of view.
Third - i am really suprised for kak william that he had no emotional ties toward Kurdistan - to be honest i completly cant understand it. i have never been in Kurdistan, i wasnt born as Kurd - but i DO feel very strong ties with Kurdistan. more than very strong. for me its impossible not to love this country.