Israel Matzav

Assad trying to prevent Kurds from joining revolt

The Kurds - who are far more worthy of a 'state' than the 'Palestinians' - live in adjacent parts of Syria, Iran, Iraq and Turkey. I've discussed several times how the Turks oppress their Kurdish population. The Syrians oppress the Kurds too. But until now, most Kurds have not spoken out about it anywhere near as much as has been the case in Turkey. Now, with Bashar Assad reeling and the Kurds constituting 10% of his population, Assad is trying to keep the Kurds out of the uprising against him (Hat Tip: JGCaesaria).

The government has been regularly accused of sanctioning a heavy-handed and in some cases violent approach to controlling the annual Nowruz, or Kurdish new year celebrations, which have become increasingly politicized since the Baath party took office in 1963. That is, until this year.

On Sunday, Nowruz festivities across Syria passed without any major incidents and members of the Kurdish community noted that police allowed them an unusual level of freedom.

Nahas said this was a government attempt to "bribe" the Kurdish people into not following the example of the largely Sunni Muslim tribes demonstrating in the south of the country. Presidential advisor Buthaina Shaaban offered her greeting of "Nowruz Mubarak" or "happy new year," to the Kurdish people Thursday, when she told a news conference about the "wonderful coexistence" among Syrian people.

The political move won't work, though, according to Ribal al-Assad, the first cousin of President al-Assad now living in exile in London. "They can't suddenly give the Kurds freedom to celebrate Nowruz without expecting them to ask for their other rights, like owning an ID card or using their own language," al-Assad said. "The Syrian secret service and police are very good at dividing people, but most Kurds want to be part of Syria."

The Kurdish community is not expected to keep quiet.

"There has been a lack of trust from the Kurds since 2004," said Khalaf Dahowd, co-chair of the International Support Kurds in Syria Association. Violence involving Kurds, Arabs and police broke out after a soccer match in Al-Qamishli in March 2004. Several people were killed and over a hundred were injured.

Dahowd, a Syrian Kurdish refugee now living in England, believes that the resentment felt by many Kurds toward Arabs after that event has also divided Kurdish people. He speculates that many will find it very difficult to join their Arab neighbors in protest against President al-Assad and his government.

As an activist for Kurdish rights and a united Syria, Dahowd argues that Kurds should put aside any bad feeling they have for other opposition factions. "Everybody in Syria needs to rise up. This regime needs to go," he said.

With several leading Kurds already imprisoned for speaking out and the Kurdish political movement divided between as many as 15 parties, the impetus to demonstrate will need to come from ordinary Kurds, many of them classed as "stateless" without Syrian citizenship.

"These people are desperately poor and weak, but ripe for protesting," Lowe said.

Unlike the 'Palestinians,' the Kurds are a uniqute and distinct ethnicity with a defined territory and ought to have their own state. Maybe with all the upheaval going on now in the Arab world, they will get one.

Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Kurds, Syrian regime change

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:44 AM